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About Bird Mites: A Few Quick Things

*Right up front, this is a “Quick Guide,” And I just mean it is a one-page guide to all the best resources I have learned about so far; but notice I didn’t say that “You can get rid of Mites Quick!” Sometimes you can, before they get bad, but unfortunately that’s not the norm.

(I’m incredibly sorry you’re even having to read this. And my Mites Cheatsheet is experiencing technical difficulties. I hafta redo it and get back with you ASAP.)

Well, Hello, friend. You are SO NOT crazy!”

I will say this later in the article, but this is my most popular post by far. Normal people (I talk to many of them via email) come here from all over the world every day to try and get free of these pests. We have gotten rid of these bird mites in our home just like you’d get rid of bed bugs, lice, scabies etc. By spraying these chemicals, taking supplements, vacuuming, cleaning, and being vigilant. We are happy now, and moving on with our lives. (You will, too.) Can you get rid of craziness by cleaning and spraying bug spray? Nope. Therefore, I believe logic leads me to deduce that we were not, in fact, quite insane. >>

Also, this article is about getting rid of bird or poultry mites as quick as possible–Dermanyssus Gallinae,–(or all similar species around the world) About getting them off of yourself and out of your house. It’s NOT really about getting them off your chickens, or out of your coop…but if you’re a chicken farmer (or some other bird enthusiast) you might wanna at least peruse this to see what you CAN get into if you’re not careful!

If you’re here because of our mite videos on YouTube “Shaving My Head to Get Rid of Bird Mites Part 1–Before”, or “Shaving My Head to Get Rid of Bird Mites Part 2,” FIRST of all, I want to say that I am Soooooo Sorry!! It brings me pain to know that a lot of you are coming here because you actually might have some kind of mite problem.

If you just began feeling crawling and biting or itching, that’s really good because you “mite” be able to get rid of them pretty quick. If you have been suffering for a month or longer…Just know that you are NOT crazy, you are NOT alone, and there ARE people who will understand you and help you, if only over the internet!

I have found that the greatest support network—to help you feel understood and find answers— is here on the net, and not IRL. (in real life) Keep up your HOPE and COURAGE!

(I’ve got some free encouragement printables in my resource library…get the password by filling out the pink and gray form below.)

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and buy something I will get a small commission that does not increase the price for you. I’m a stay-at-home-mom, so this blesses our family. And, by the way, I don’t recommend anything that I haven’t bought or wouldn’t buy.

Save and Come Back Again And Again

Real Quick: My Bird Mite Story

The Dove Wasn’t “Innocent” This Time…

I’m having an inner struggle right now, because I want to help you and give you hope. Will you promise not to get too overwhelmed if I give you the hard truth so you can really get free?

(Let me know how you think it goes ; )

So, my indoor/outdoor cat injured a dove.****

My children found it on our porch, sadly flopped over and looking scared. I am an animal-lover. So, I couldn’t just leave it out there, because there are other cats in our neighborhood.

So, I brought it in in a little hermit crab cage and set it on my desk. I knew birds had mites, but I thought it’d be okay if I kept him in the cage. And just in this one room.

I fed and doctored it for three days, and it fell over and died anyway.

I carried him out, but in a couple of days I was feeling mite bites on my ankles when I was working on this blog!

I knew it was a mite because I was a tomboy growing up and spent more time outdoors than indoors. I’d played with more bird nests than I could count.

Denial Costed Us Time

I tried to ignore it. Big mistake. Deep down I dreaded facing this problem. I dreaded telling my husband.

I lost at least a week this way.

Now it has been 3 months, and we are still in the middle of it. We tried to save money initially, by getting a cheaper exterminator. He said he’d never dealt with bird mites before, but he’d give it a try! He gave a 30 day guarantee, so how could we refuse?

But we lost a lot of valuable time this way, because I believe we could have gotten rid of them if we had just forked over the money before the population got out of hand.

Oh, The Toxic Things We’ve Sprayed

We have worked SO hard to get rid of these mites. We have sprayed so much toxic stuff.

However, we are nearing the end of our fight. God has given us the strength when we couldn’t go on. He has given us courage when “what ifs” and fears multiplied. They are beginning to get better!

They had begun moving to my face, ears, eyebrows and nose, like happens if you’ve been infested for a while. Ugh! It was really getting creepy. I just put some coconut oil or my essential oil spray on my fingertips. Then I dab it on those spots. (They get stuck in the coconut oil and suffocate. Yay! Dead mites in your eyebrows!)

Motivational Speech to Conclude My Creepy Story

(Emotional Aside: Oh, boy, I wish that you were a million miles away from mites right now…sometimes I just wanted to run away or get into a gas chamber for just a minute while I held my breath! ) However, this has been really good for me in a lot of ways.

Yes. This will make you or break you. I am a much stronger soldier now, and you will be, too! Like my favorite quote from ‘Remember the Titans,’ I am now more “agile, hostile, and mobile!”

I’m now used to discomfort, self-discipline, hardship, and making the most of isolation.

This takes money, loss of sleep, and loss of possessions. You could possibly lose more, depending on how long this goes on. This trial is different than others that I have been through before, though, because I am older and more experienced. This time, I will not allow discouragement to linger, despair to overtake me, or “what-ifs” to assail me! You can’t either, if you want to win this fight, my friend.

(BTW–I was thinking of my mite people and I made you some FREE encouraging wall art to print and hang up. See below for access to more tools for hope in my new Resource Library!)

(Also, Get your faith-lift —-> here’s my new 7 Day Devotional ebook for people like you. It’s called “Loved Through Trials.” Buy it here for only $1.99.)

I will update this as I find solutions and things are getting better. Today, I am having a relatively mite-free day! : D

What Will You Have To Do To Get Rid Of Bird Mites Quick?

You will not necessarily have to shave your head like me! I just have a sense of humor about these things, and like to keep things simple. It was a personal decision, because I did not like the constant crawling and I felt like the bird mites were laying eggs and larva on my head. Gross! It was worth it to me to make my life more streamlined for now. Then I will grow it back out, Voila! I use my little spray bottle and spray my essential oil “Killer Mixture” (see below) in my hair, and the shortness helps the spray get all the way to my scalp better. You may not choose to shave your head, so don’t freak out, OK? I have only heard of two other women online who have cut their hair like me. And soon I will make some blog posts about my experience with mites to help you more, as I find more things that work for us. I promise! Xoxo!

Quick Guide to the Most Important Facts about Bird Mite Infestations:

(As of the first writing of this post) I’m not over the fight yet, but these are things I have learned that are important, and/or when I implement them, I have fewer mites. I wanted to tell y’all these things before I forget. Because once I’m done with these mites, I’M DONE WITH THEM FOR GOOD! (unless I can help you with questions.)

Please don’t let this list overwhelm you. You can always come back anytime. You can start with free things like vacuuming. You can scroll down a bit and enter your email for a quicker, printable checklist that is prioritized.

Remember, just do what you can afford! (God is not going to allow you to have these for a season without giving you what you need to get rid of them in the proper time! You can trust Him. Even though you may be mad at Him and wonder why. Ask Him to help you get over that anger. You need to trust Him because He’s really the only one who can guide you through this. He made the mites, He made you, and He’s the only one Who understands perfectly.)

Why You and Not Your Husband? They pick one or two people in the house, the ones with the weakest immune systems (sorry!) and they will resist biting or transferring to another person, but will remain loyal to their chosen host or hostess…it seems to be usually women…maybe we don’t burn off our blood sugar as efficiently or they just like our pheromones…and of course we are just sweeter. Wash your bedlinens, and EVERYTHING, on HOT with Borax and even some ammonia. You can afford it because you can’t afford to keep these mites! They will cost you big in the long run. OR… Ammonia, Hallelujah! On the days you can’t wash your bed linens, or if the thought of that is SO overwhelming to you on certain days, just turn back your covers and spray off-brand ammonia window cleaner or clear ammonia on your covers, pillows, dark mattress crevices twice a day. It dries quickly, and kills mites. JUST DON’T SPRAY YOURSELF WITH IT. (I was tempted.) Rubbing alcohol kills them, too! I am not sure yet what it does to the eggs. We put alcohol in a 1 gallon sprayer with 1/4 bottle of essential oil, and sprayed the house down every chance we got. It didn’t hurt our carpet, furniture, or clothing (except it WILL HURT WOOD FINISHES). Make sure your pet has a very effective flea collar or parasite preventive. There are some essential oils that you cannot use on cats and different ones you cannot use on dogs. Look on my essential oils page on pinterest for the graphic on “what eo’s not to use on dogs.” We use Seresto; expensive, but you don’t have to worry about it after that for 8 months. Permethrin is good for scabies mites, and will deter bird mites a little, but overuse will make you sick and cause the mites to become immune to it. They mutate. Diatomaceous Earth! Sprinkle GENTLY in the carpeted areas, leave 2 days, then vacuum it up. Use it in creative ways. It’s messy but harmless, though NOT FUN TO BREATHE. Very irritating if you have allergies, and *I would not use at all if you have asthma!* Raid BedBug Spray and Bomb in the Purple Cans: It seems to beat them back a little, esp. in the vehicles (not the whole bomb in the vehicle) But you have to do it over and over and it doesn’t get the eggs! Black Trash Bags, Giant “Ziploc” Space-Saver Bags, Small Ziplocs: Put everything you can in here. Since you probably live in a warm climate, use the black trash bags to put things in that you cannot launder, like toys and stuffed animals. Seal the openings with duct tape, and put them outside in the hot sun. Flip them occasionally if you like. Bring them in at the end of the day. You don’t want the moisture to seep in the pores of the plastic and get black mold. Declutter as much as you can. You really can’t do it all in like, one weekend, so don’t feel bad. Here are a couple of my favorite de-cluttering-inspiration websites: Be More With Less, and Marie Kondo’s Website, and The Fly Lady (She makes it seem fun. Look for “How to Do the Fling Boogie.” That’s what she calls quick de-cluttering! : D (*Not affiliate links.) Chemical Warfare between exterminators: We used Onslaught when our exterminator failed. It does take a few days. We plan to spray it once more with the addition of a growth/reproduction inhibitor called NyGard. You might find it hard to believe that I would spray so much poison in my house. It’s because we have tried everything else. Also, the only other people I ever heard of that actually got rid of all the mites sprayed this stuff. Natural remedies I love for everyday family care. But these crazy bird mites could cause you to lose all of your possessions, your job, your home, your pets if you play around. We found out the hard way. When you get really overwhelmed: Stop. Take a day off from the fight. Just one day. Especially on the Sabbath. Do fun, lighthearted things. You can go to church, even if you can’t go to friends’ or family’s homes. They can’t turn you away, or they don’t even have to know. Treat yourself to a waterless essential oil diffuser if you have extra money. Go window shopping, watch a favorite movie or read a favorite book. Watch comedy. (Probably should do that 30 min. daily.) Anything to get your mind off this problem for a little while. Stay off of the negative mite forums and comments. And most of all, let go of perfection during this season. (—->as I said above, here’s my new 7 Day Devotional ebook for people like you. It’s called “Loved Through Trials.” Buy it here for only $1.99 to help support my site. Thanks!)

Check out the Facebook Page “Skin Mite Support Group!” Just do these things AS you can afford them. Believe me, not many people can afford all of the best remedies at one time. You aren’t in the minority. And, believe it or not, this is the single most popular article on my whole blog. So, even if people act like you’re crazy, there are a lot of people worldwide who are struggling with this issue!

13. I will update this list as I think of crucial items. Be part of my email friends list right above, or down at the bottom of the page. I don’t email very much, so you won’t be overwhelmed. Hold on to hope! If possible, take off work if you work outside the home, and ask a loved one to take off time from work and help you (especially a guy–heavy lifting ; D )

Resources to HELP Guide YOU in Getting Rid of Bird Mites As Quick As Possible

FOR NOW, go to Birdmites.org (my favorite mite site…NOT same as Birdmite.org) for reliable and compassionate information. These are NOT affiliate links.

If you’re feeling really hopeful and gutsy, and want scientific information, read YearoftheMite.com. It is written by a lady scientist who actually had a mite infestation. But don’t read the comments too much–some of them are absolutely terrifying!!!

If you’re early on in your possible infestation, see this website from Australia: TheWholeChild.com. This lady is really positive and upbeat, and she and her husband and 6 children conquered mites in two weeks’ time with some really intense effort! I don’t think this would work with a long-standing infestation, however, because I tried her tactics at the start and could not pick up my furniture and take it outside like she did.

Here is one more website: Life Without Scabies. Scabies is in the mite family…it’s a little different, but mostly the same treatments. This website is encouraging to me because I can begin to see a pattern of which treatments are mentioned on ALL the best websites; and also because this writer is SO HUMAN about the whole thing…it makes you feel like you’re not nasty and you’re not alone. Best wishes! My email is amanda+ (symbol for “at”) amandasloan.com if you need a “mitey” friend or have “mitey”questions.

Best Wishes! I hope this helps you. I’m going to write an article on “Staying Positive and Encouraged Throughout a Mite Infestation.” Sign up for my email list to stay current! I will not spam you and I only send out one or two emails a month.)

UPDATE: July 26, 2018–We still have the mites! They got wayyyyy better when we used the Onslaught/NyGuard combo listed above, and I saw a light at the end of the tunnel, people! They got so much better I only had one or two a day for a week or more! But for some reason the residual effect did not keep up and our latest strategy my husband and I decided on last night was to closely follow a spraying regimen we found on the Skin Mite Support Group on Facebook. Search the hashtag #poisontalk by this guy named Martijn and his wife Hanna who actually got rid of the mites in their small apartment. They sprayed once a week for about 8 weeks, alternating chemicals every other week. He will tell you that it’s critical for your spray to include the chemical piperonyl butoxide, (Onslaught does) which keeps the mites from quickly mutating to become immune to your poison! Also, it is critical to add an IGR–Insect Growth Regulator to your spray. (Like NyGuard). Here’s what it looks like: (affiliate link-Help support my family’s fight against mites, with no additional charge upon you. Thanks!)

We think our problem was that we got a bad cold and failed to spray once a week. We are still happy we used this combo, because we almost completely got rid of them this time! (I thought I got the cold because my immune system was weakened by the spraying, so I didn’t wanna spray again. Mistake!) I’ll let you know what happens and if I get sick again. 🙂 Love and peace to the Mite Strategists around the World!

Update 8/28/18: 😃 What Has Worked Bullet Points– 😃 NyGuard/Onlaught Combo 1x Per Week!



Pure Sulfur powder–(garden pesticide) around the perimeter of beds and dirty laundry

Immune-boosting supplements for me–the main hostess 😂

Making my own sulfur soap; quick and easy version. Stronger and much cheaper.

Showering every night before bed, especially after being outdoors.

High-frequency pest plugins $35 for 6.

I read something inspirational: “Hinds Feet On High Places” by Hannah Hurnard. This enabled me to let this whole situation go, and give it over to God (ie–change my mindset.) After I have done all these other strategies, I just let go, and let God…I have that peace now that either He’s gonna kill them, or He ain’t; and when

both of those options finally became OK with me, (i.e. I gave up control) I began seeing real results.

Just telling you how it really happened.

* I DO love you, my agnostic, pagan, and atheist friends. Who did I miss? I’m (a little) sorry. I know the stuff above might nettle you. But this is my worldview and how I understand the principles that govern the Universe and its inhabitants. Please bear with me. I am not entirely insensitive to you. I’m a former pagan and agnostic. You’ll just have to pick through the “traditional brainwashing” and “antiquated religious notions” to get what you need here, because I follow the integrated, holistic approach to things and can’t –with good conscience– deny the spiritual forces that I know are at work. love ya xoxo

Spraying Protocol/ Details:

We have been spraying the NyGuard/Onslaught combo once a week now. My husband slightly increased the amount of chemicals to 1 1/2x the manufacturer’s recommendation. (Disclaimer: Not that you should do that. Our family may have some health consequences from it. I am just relating to you what we chose to do.) That seems to be working! I also got some sulfur powder and made a perimeter around our beds and laundry hampers so that when they try to get in or out, they get killed. I have been religiously adding borax and ammonia to every load of clothes, so that the linens are killing 24/7. Also, I ran out of that expensive Naturasil sulfur soap, so I bought some melt-and-pour soap base and put some of the sulfur powder in it. About 40% instead of 10%! (Once again, Disclaimer: I’m just desperate to get rid of these mites. I’m doing things that you probably shouldn’t do. Yes, we are putting garden pesticide in our body soap. I made sure it was 100% sulfur on the label and that I didn’t breathe the powder in while making the soap, because that’s harmful. )

Now, God be praised, I think our house and the other family members are free and clear, and I only have mites after I’ve been outside and attracted more. Hallelujah, I actually had 2 days in a row Mite Free! For my immune system, the immune boosting mushroom supplements seemed to help after being on them for several weeks; but I decided to try some Cell Forté IP-6/Inositol capsules from Enymatic Therapy, to give my immune system a swift kick. I also heard in a Mite Support Group that Iodine from seaweed and vitamin A from high-quality butter can help the hormone imbalances that lead to skin mite infestation. I plan to work those into my diet. I will let you know how the Immune Strategies work! Cheerio! 😁

Update 3/21/19–Praise God, the immune strategies have worked for me. Once in a while if I have been out in Creation, I will feel a mite crawling. But I don’t let it bother me. I just take a shower as soon as I get the chance. And I keep up strengthening my immune system and taking MSM and garlic. Sometimes I alternate herbs like Oregano if I sense resistance or if I just run out of MSM. I am continuing to move more and more towards a simpler lifestyle. It’s more fun, helps me keep things more clean, and will help prevent future outbreaks of any kind. That’s all for now. Thank you for all your emails and comments.

(temporarily removed “Mites Cheatsheet Form” for maintenance. Sorry! I have so many things I’m working on, but I’m also thinking about doing a short ebook with charts on spraying protocols/timing/chemicals and supplements –all that jazz. Sound good?)

If you like my kind of encouragement, check out my new tiny 7 Day Devotional, “Loved Through Trials” for $1.99. It’s just right when you’re struggling with this sort of thing! Click HERE or anywhere on this link.

For more good reads, check out:

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