Occasionally homeowners are plagued with mysterious bites presenting an itch that just will not go away. Bed bugs could be the dirty culprit, fleas perhaps, chiggers or mosquitoes maybe. These may all be possibilities, but one that has not been mentioned would be bird mites.
Bird mites are blood sucking pests that prefer feeding on bird blood but when that is not available, human blood is just fine. Bird mites are not insects at all. They are arthropods belonging to the same class as spiders and ticks. The mites are most active from May through summer when young birds are in the nest. Bird mites are only about 0.6-1.5 millimeters long. Don’t let their size fool you! These small arthropods can irritate even the largest human being.
During the right conditions, bird mites can develop from egg to adult in just one week, making populations explode. Bird mites take harborage in nests that may have been built in soffits, walls or anywhere that will allow a bird to build a nest. Normally the mites flourish while baby birds are in the nest, during the fledgling time, and while good mothers continue to provide food for the young birds. After the birds abandon the nests, bird mites don’t just disappear. Mites can live even a few months without a blood meal at all, but in most cases they need a meal every 10 days or so. Commonly the mites will enter homes through cracks and crevices and detect a blood meal; humans are a ready food supply. Bird mites can seek out a new host or meal by following carbon dioxide which is very similar to how bed bugs find their blood meals.
Controlling bird mites starts with removing the nest and treating infested areas to kill as many adults as possible. After the nest is removed and mites are killed, it is important to exclude other birds or animals from entering the areas that allowed the initial entry. Knowledgeable pest technicians can eliminate bird mite problems quickly and efficiently .
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