Bird Mite Control: How To Get Rid of Bird Mites

This page is a general bird mites control guide. Using the products and methods suggested, you will get control of bird mites. Follow this guide and use the recommended products, and we guarantee 100% control over bird mites.

There are various tiny bugs that like to bite us. While the usual suspects are ants, fleas, or bed bugs, another one is the bird mite.

Bird mites are tiny insects that the naked eye can hardly see. These pests focus most of their attention on birds, which is how they earned their name. Bird mites only start biting humans when birds are unavailable.

Bird mites are a type of mite parasite that gets its main source of food by feeding on the blood of birds and poultry. These include birds like pigeons, sparrows, and other wild birds. They are also known as chicken mites when they hang around farms and feed on chickens and hens.

Bird mites usually find their way inside a home when a human has a pet bird they have been using as a host. These mites can bite relentlessly if left untreated, leading to severe itching and irritation.

If you are suffering from an infestation of bird mites, there is a way to deal with them. Our DIY Bird Mite treatment guide below presents vital information about the pest and how to eliminate them using our expert advice and professional-grade products.

Identification

Identification can be tough for bird mites because they are so small—no bigger than the tip of a pen. Bird mites are impossible to see with the naked eye without a magnifying glass. As a result, you will most likely be bitten a few times before you even realize they are in your home. Some additional identifying traits are shared below:

• The color of a bird mite is transparent white. After they consume blood, much like a bed bug, they turn reddish burgundy or brown.
• Mite eggs are white in color and oval in shape, but they cannot be seen without a magnifying glass or microscope. The same applies to larvae and nymphs.

To make it easier to identify bird mites, you can try to lay out some clear packing tape, sticky side up, near areas where you encountered activity. Using a soft paintbrush, you could sweep the insects onto the tape on table surfaces.

In cases where you are getting itchy bird mite bites on your skin, something you can do is gently lay the tape down on the itchy area and lift. You may be able to capture some mites this way and identify them as bird mites.

Inspection

Once you have correctly identified the bird mites, you can proceed to the next phase of the control program. It’s important to thoroughly inspect your home to locate the source of the infestation.

Where To Inspect

Indoors, look in cracks and crevices near basements, attics, windows, doors, and small openings that lead outside the structure. Outside, you’re looking at chimneys, window ledges, rain gutters, patios, decks, porches, eaves, and soffits.

What To Look For

You should look for bird activity or nests around your property. Nests can be found in wall cavities, roof spaces, porches, the basement or foundation, or window ledges. There may also be a dead bird somewhere on the property, perhaps in the chimney, attic, or a/c unit, which may be the source of the bird mite infestation. Search inside and outside your property for bird nests and carcasses. If you have located any, remove them immediately. 

Treatment

Once you have confirmed bird mite activity, it is time to begin treatment to eliminate them. Remember to read all product labels, follow the application instructions on these labels, and stay safe by wearing personal protective equipment.

Our recommendation for treating bird mite infestations is to start with preliminary sanitation of your home, vacuuming and washing live bird mites from infested areas and on items. Once done, you can apply control products, starting with Sterifab applications indoors and a barrier treatment for Supreme IT Insecticide outdoors.

Step 1: Preliminary Cleanup

Vacuum your carpets, rugs, curtains, and furniture thoroughly. Then, take the vacuum bag or canister and either dump it out immediately or wash the plastic canister with hot water and soap to ensure the bird mites caught inside are killed.

An alternative is placing the canister in the freezer and letting the mites freeze to death before washing, cleaning, and replacing them. You should also wash clothing, bedsheets, and any item in your home that you suspect may have bird mites. Wash and dry the items in a high-heat setting. After a detailed cleanup, you can move on to chemical bird mite control.

Step 2: Apply Sterifab

Sterifab is an insecticide and disinfectant that is EPA-approved for use indoors on upholstered furniture and carpeting. It can be purchased in a ready-to-use 16-oz sprayer or a gallon, which must be poured into a sprayer without dilution. Apply an even coating to any suspected areas indoors to kill lingering bird mites.   

Sterifab comes in a ready-to-use spray container. Read the label for application instructions on carpets, furniture, and mattresses. Apply Sterifab to couches, chairs, and upholstered furniture where you spend time lounging. 

Step 3: Outdoor Treatment with Supreme IT

Outdoors, you should treat the perimeter of your home and yard with Supreme IT Insecticide. Supreme IT is a great product that creates an insecticidal barrier around the foundation of your structure. This product will kill, repel, and prevent bird mites from entering your structure. It will also keep working for up to 90 days.

Mix 1 ounce of Supreme IT with a gallon of water inside a pump sprayer. This application rate will treat 1,000 square feet.

You will do a perimeter treatment around your structure. To do this, you must spray 3 feet up and 3 feet out from the foundation of your structure. Spray in this manner all around your property. Also, spray window frames, door frames, eaves, soffits, rain gutters, cracks and crevices, electrical/plumbing penetrations, and especially where you find bird nests.

Do not let people or pets enter areas sprayed until the spray completely dries.

Prevention

After eliminating bird mites, you must implement some preventative measures, so you shouldn't hang your hat after successfully controlling them. Make sure to prevent birds from establishing themselves in or around your house by possibly laying out bird repellent, such as 4 The Birds Repellent Gel, and blocking off areas where birds often perch themselves.

Finally, you can reapply Supreme IT every three months around the outside of your home to prevent Bird Mites from entering.

Key Takeaways

What Are Bird Mites?

• Bird Mites are tiny parasitic insects known for feeding on birds but will also bite humans if they infest indoors. 
• Bird mites usually infest households that have bird nests outside their windows and around their homes. You might also have them if you bought used furniture that was already infested or if you raise chickens.
• Bird mites usually infest a household when their food supply runs out, and they are hunting for something new. They can be quite aggressive, and their bite takes longer to heal than that of bed bugs.

How To Get Rid of Bird Mites In Your Home

• Start your bird mite control approach by locating any bird nests that may be set up in or around your home. Once you have found one, destroy and dispose of it immediately.
• Our top recommendations for bird mite control are the application of Sterifab indoors and Supreme IT outdoors. Vacuuming and sanitizing your home is also essential for complete control.

Preventing Bird Mite Reinfestation

• Prevent future infestations of bird mites by keeping birds away from your property and making preventative treatment applications of Supreme IT every three months.
• You could also optionally use 4 The Birds Repellent to indirectly deal with Bird Mite re-invasions by deterring Birds from roosting or nesting on your property.