Definitive help for the spring - redmite

[tweedy]

Much better arent they cp.

[CP]

Great, just empty them into whatever you like, a quick spray with a hose & you're done! (obviously letting them dry...) And it's easy to see if there are any redmite on them.

[Lisleoise]

But isn't that like saying Eglu's are the best design chicken coop? That plastic and can be hosed down. Surely hosing down just deplaces the redmite and doesn't kill them.

I've had a real readmite problem this year and regret using tongue & groove to build the coop as it just creates hiding places.

[CP]

No we don't just wash off the redmite with water but the plastic boxes give them nowhere to hide & they can be zapped with Ficam W very easily.

We had a serious infestation this year & used the usual stuff that has got rid of them in the past (poultry shield, diatom, Indorex spray, etc.) but this year we've had to resort to using Ficam W & it's really worked.

[textilemagician]

Me other half is a horticulturist who is certified to use chemicals to spray on the plants when necessary. It seems he uses the same chemicals that you are talking about! When he sprays plants he wears a disposable chemical suit and a mask that looks like a WW2 gas mask and when I clean my coop and spray anything he makes me wear the same outfit - I look comical! When I mentioned some of you were using Ficam W he tutted!! Please take precautions when using these things and protect yourself! If any of these things are used in the garden - which is rare - we are not allowed in it for 24 hours! He is into natural predators but it is really only controllable in controlled areas so he is gonna investigate the red mite problem. Please never kill the red spider mite which some people are getting confused with red mite because they are a natural predators and help in the garden!!

[CP]

OH wears mask etc. when spraying Ficam & the hens aren't allowed in until it's dry, which we were told was safe.
This is the first time we've used it as nothing else seemed to work this year........

In the past we've mostly relied on Diatom with the occasional spray from other things, such as Poultry Shield & Indorex. Either the b*****s are becoming resistant or we just had such an infestation that we were always missing some to live on & breed, even though we were doing it religiously every week & spraying the Indorex directly as we saw them.

[landrovermanuk]

I'm new to chickens but I've done a lot of reading...From what I've gathered, real oil based creosote, kills red mites. The coal based stuff is nowhere as good. And something I've just read is to use hanging roosts using bailling twine and cover the top and bottom of the twine with vasaline. Also painting the inside of the coop with plastic paint(floor paint) to seal everything. Hope this helps...John

[wireworm]

I received my sachet of Ficam W in the post today (following on from the discussions on Ficam W in the thread entitled 'Ficam W needed in France'). I don't actually need it, but I agreed with the manufacturer, Bayer, to order it to see exactly what I received. So far, the following Laws and Codes of Practice appear to have been broken:

Transportation of Toxic Materials through the Post. A special carrier should have been used.
Supplying less than the 'Approved Pesticide' pack. The Approved pack is 10 sachets in an outer carton - more on this in a minute.
Supplying a 'Professional Use Only' to an amateur. This breaches the BASIS Code of Practice for suppliers of such products.

If I was to use it to control red mite, I would then be breaking the Law by:

Using a pesticide against a pest for which it has no 'Approval'. I checked with the Product Manager at Bayer for Ficam W - it isn't cleared for use against red mite.
Being an 'amateur' using a 'Professional Use Only' product. Technically I am not a 'Professional' as I don't apply pesticides in the normal course of my professional duties. I may sell it and train pest controllers how to apply it - but I don't use it myself in my work.

So...what other problems might I run into?

Well, the sachet doesn't actually have any 'Directions for Use' on it. It has the 'Statutory Conditions of Use' and the 'Precautions' on it, but the information on how to apply it is only on the outer carton - which was not sent by the supplier. So all the vital information on pressures, flow rates, nozzle types and so forth which is so important in getting the correct doseage, isn't available to someone buying one sachet.

So let's assume that I do continue and open up the sachet and pop the inner, water-soluble sachet into the required 5 litres of water. But this leads to more problems.

How much will I actually need to use? Armed with a tape measure and a calculator I work out that if I spray every internal surface of my little (3 chicken) coop, I will be spraying approximately 8 sq metres. But 5 litres of spray is intended for 125 sq metres. If I spray it correctly (to the 'point of run off' is the technical phrase) I will be left with 4.68 litres of toxic insecticde to dispose of.

That's assuming that I have all the correct application equipment and all the correct personal protective equipment - which I don't.

A 'Professional' user of pesticides will of course be registered with the Environment Agency as a producer of 'Hazardous Waste', which this is and will have a contract with a Licenced Waste Disposal company for the disposal of such. But I am not, and do not. So what do I do now?

Keep it until I need it again?

No. Ficam W once it is mixed with water, degrades in a couple of days into an unpleasant brown liquid. It is still 'Hazardous' as far as disposal is concerned, but just doesn't work as an insecticide any more.

Use up all the spray?

- and grossly overdose, ending up with a far higher dose of insecticide in the coop than I should, endangering the chickens and anyone who eats their eggs.

Measure out the 0.96 grammes into the 320mls of water I actually need?

I don't have the means of measuring this out and I don't have a suitable store in which to keep the remainder of the product - and once more I would be in breach of the Law. I also would not want to be messing about with the toxic concentrate which could easily be spilled or inhaled.

I've gone through this in some detail to re-emphasise the problems any amateur 'hobby farmer' would face if they used this product.

It may work against red mite, but you should not be using it for this purpose.

[Magpie]

Just one question, perhaps for you to ask your source at Bayer - why haven't they bothered getting a SOLA for it yet?

[stephen]

For clarity, I've posted our response in this thread.

[moors]

has anyone tried old engine oil - as creosote is meant to be oil based - I wondered if this would be any good especially as I have just changed the oil in the car!

[craftycarrot]

Hi Guys !! Well i thought id got rid of mine after last summer , but spotted one this morning so theyre back ! Have hired a pressure washer for saturday to see if that works . Was going to repaint with Limewash on the brick work and re creocote perches , but turns out the previous paint was emulsion and Im told the limewash wont work on emulsion ,anybody know if it might still be worth ago just to kill the little buggers! ? Or will it just not stick or what ?! CC

[tweedy]

Yes moors ive used old engine oil and my mate swears by it but he owns a scrapyard

[Henwife]

In despair I painted one house inside and out with neat bleach. It shouldn't have worked, but it did. I shall work through all the houses with it this year before I creosote

[molliedogspabottom]

Hi all,

this my first posting and I have spent the evening reading a lot of your postings, I felt that I should tell you about my red mite last year.

At first I thought it was dust on the cross pieces on the door but on further inspection I could see them moving I then saw some that seemed to be a brown colour , rubbing with a finger did nothing , but squashing with a finger nail revealed a very red splat !!!!!! . Out came the books and computer.

Red Mite was the outcome.

Now I am not sure if I can mention products by name but (if not I am sure someone will delete it) I purchased some liquid Total mite kill to dilute and spray the henhouse and powder Total mite kill to do the birds , the perches all around the edges, in the nest boxes in fact every where and it worked. Now every time we clean the house ( every week ) we put a sprinkling along each perch.

I havent done the girls through the winter thinking they would be safe ( they will be getting done next winter) but to my horror they have LICE, I could not believe my eyes I thought they just had mucky bum feathers and decided to clip of the worst of the feathers.

This revealed the creamy creepers and the very strange cement cones around the vent feathers, I was mortified that the girls could have got so bad so fast.

I spoke to the vet and now have some frontline spray but whilst waiting for this I tried the Total mite kill with some success, I sprinkled it on their rear end amongst the feathers while hubby held them upsidedown, I then worked some into their backs, a big improvement the next day and after three days I did the same again, a few very small lice where around, and I think these could have been new hatchings.

I Have now used the frontline and will be checking tomorrow and redoing again in about seven days.I also understand that frontline spot on will do the scale mite that effect their legs aswell as mites and lice.Dont get cought out check your girls now for Lice, Good Luck.

Regards Heather