If you’ve noticed tiny critters crawling around your home or intense itching that you can’t explain, there’s a good chance you might be dealing with a bird mite infestation. Just like bed bugs and fleas, bird mites are tiny terrors that infest your home and bite you when you’re asleep. These creatures are frequently mistaken for other parasites, and it’s easy to understand why.
In addition to keeping you and your pets awake with itchy red bites, they’re difficult to see and hide in your linens and furniture during the day. Since they multiply quickly, a small problem can quickly become a major outbreak.
Bird mites are usually brought to your home by host birds, which may be pet birds or pest birds living in or on your roof. Once the host bird dies or moves on, the next target for bird mites is you. If you’re worried about bird mites, we’ve prepared this guide to help you to learn more about identifying adult bird mites, the problems they cause, and how to prevent and control an outbreak.
What questions will this article answer?
What are bird mites?
Learn about their characteristics and habits.
What do bird lice do to humans and pets?
There is a range of issues that you and your pet may experience from an outbreak.
How do I know if I have bird lice?
Here’s how you can tell whether or not you have a lice problem on your hands.
How to manage bird lice bites?
Learn strategies to avoid and treat bites.
How to prevent bird mite outbreaks?
Some tips to avoid being overrun by bird lice in the first place.
Roof void cleaning
Pest birds living in your roof space can introduce bird lice into your home. Allstate can help you avoid getting bitten at night by clearing out your roof space, so you can sleep peacefully!
Bird mite outbreaks in businesses
These pesky creatures compromise health and safety standards at places where people stay overnight, including hospitals, aged care facilities, hotels and accommodation facilities. This can put your business reputation risk and result in hefty fines.
How do I manage bird lice?
These are some measures you can take to limit the damage caused by an infestation.
Professional bird mite prevention
Learn when you need a professional bird mite exterminator, and how their process works.
Why choose Allstate?
Find out why people in all suburbs of Adelaide rely on Allstate for 24/7 bird mite removal.
What are bird mites?
Bird mites are tiny arachnids that are incredibly difficult to see, but make their presence known similarly to fleas and bed bugs. As the name suggests, bird mites thrive by feeding off the blood of bird hosts and dwelling in their nests. Common on pigeons, sparrows, starlings and poultry, bird mites usually infest your home when pest birds live in or on your roof.
Can humans get bird mites?
Bird mites prefer bird blood, but when their bird host dies or moves, they will enter the home and feed on pets and humans instead.
While pet and human blood keep bird mites alive, it prevents them from reproducing. Their life cycle is not completed on humans, and they usually die within about three weeks of losing access to their bird hosts.
What do bird mites and their bites look like?
Bird mites are very difficult to see – they are less than 1mm with a flat oval body. They are white/translucent coloured before feeding, red/brown immediately after feeding, and then black after digesting their meal.
Unlike scabies mites, bird mites don’t burrow into your skin, instead leaving symptoms similar to the bites of fleas and bed bugs. They usually cause small red bumps and itching, sometimes quite severe.
When should I be worried about bird mites?
You should act as soon as you notice red bumps and crawling sensations on your skin. Signs of infestations on your pets or homes are also a cause for alarm. Bird mites favour warm conditions and are most active during spring and summer.
Problems caused by bird mite infestation
Though they are small in size, bird mites can cause big headaches if left unchecked. There are several reasons to get on top of an outbreak quickly:
Their bites trigger allergies
Bird mite bites trigger allergies in people and pets (including pet birds) due to chemicals in their saliva that are secreted during a bite. These allergies can be quite nasty and even require treatment.
Sleep deprivation
Bird mites are most active at night, so an infestation will keep you awake. You will experience a crawling sensation and scratching, itchy bites.
They hide in bedding and furniture
Bird mites have adapted to avoid treatment and protect their eggs by hiding out of site. This prolongs the treatment process and makes it more difficult to exterminate them.
They reproduce quickly
Female bird mites usually lay a few dozen eggs over their lifetime. These eggs hatch in a matter of days, so an outbreak doesn’t take long.
How bird mites get in your home
Bird mites get inside to you and your home when young birds leave their nests. The mites go on the prowl for a new host and can infiltrate any area of your home.
They are more likely to migrate inside the home if pest birds or their nests are nearby. They crawl through roof spaces, cracks or cavities in walls, gaps around windows and door frames. They can also be introduced through pet birds or other small pets (including rodents) purchased from a pet store.
Once inside your home, bird mites lay their eggs everywhere. Be sure to vacuum your carpet and furniture, as cotton and fabric provide good insulation for eggs.
Our bird lice control team is ready to help
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How do I know if I have bird lice?
However, the following signs are a good indicator that the problem on your hands is a bird mite one:
Associated pest bird outbreak
Check for nearby pest birds, especially pigeons, and their nests. Make sure to check:
- Tour roof, chimney, eaves, window ledges
- Underneath solar panels
- Inside your roof space
- In basements, foundations or on porches
Bites on pet birds
If you have pet birds, check them for bites, which can appear as crusty, scaly, swollen skin or a rash.
Changes to pet bird behaviour
Watch for signs of infestation in birds, such as restlessness, frequently picking at their feathers and skin, making unusual sounds, or developing sinus issues and coughing or sneezing. Chickens lay poorer quality eggs and hatch fewer chicks.
Bites on people
When looking for a new host, bird mites ‘test bite’ humans, injecting saliva, which triggers a skin reaction. This causes very itchy, swollen red spots on the skin, which can become an allergic rash if you are bitten multiple times or are frequently scratched. Bird mite bites are most likely to occur at night and may cause a crawling sensation on your skin.
If you’re worried about a bird lice infestation, reach out to us for an inspection.
How to treat bird lice bites
Use insect repellent to prevent getting bitten
Choose brands that contain diethyl meta-toluamide (DEET) or 3-methyl-n-diethylbenzamide.
Rinse and gently scrub your skin with water and soap
This will remove crawling bird mites and disinfect the bites.
Apply soothing anti-itch products
Reduce the temptation to itch by applying over the counter creams, lotions and serums.
If your pet or bird is bitten, take it to the vet for treatment
Your pet may need oral medicine, spray, bath products or grooming.
How to prevent bird mite outbreaks
Regularly maintain bird cages
Thoroughly clean and wash your bird cage/s, and frequently change bedding and litter.
Maintain a clean home
This is especially if you have pets or birds. Make sure to vacuum carpets daily, wash and change bed linen and clothing regularly, change pet litter and wash their bedding.
Check over new pets and birds before bringing them inside your home
If you’re unsure, take them to the vet first.
Regular building maintenance
The best way to protect yourself from bird mite is to prevent pests from birds and their nests by:
- Inspecting for possible entry points and sealing them, particularly around the roof, eaves, check for gaps or loose tiles
- Keeping chimneys covered when not in use
- Ensuring vent covers are secured
- Cleaning and maintaining your solar panels: learn more about Allstate’s solar panel maintenance service here
- Read our blog for more advice about managing pest birds
Roof cavity cleaning
Sometimes, despite your best preventative efforts, pest birds can still find their way into your roof space. Not only are they noisy and messy, they bring bird mites inside as well. Even worse, it can be difficult to access and clean your roof space to fix the issue.
That’s why Allstate, we offer a roof void cleaning service to remove any debris (and subsequent insects) left behind by pest birds. That way, you won’t have to worry about bird mites stopping you from getting the good night’s sleep that you deserve! Learn more about roof void cleaning here.
Bird mite outbreaks in businesses
Over time, bird mites become a major distraction to your day-to-day operations, tarnish the reputation of your business, and can lead to significant fines for breaching health and safety regulations. To top it off, you may need to purchase new carpets, furnishing and linen if there is a severe outbreak.
Hospitals, medical centres and aged care facilities
These places are frequented by people who are already experiencing health issues, so a bird mite infestation will disrupt and further complicate treatment and care programs.
Read more about pest control for aged care here.
Hotels, hostels and accommodation facilities
Guests often cut their stay short if they’re unhappy with the hygiene standards, and are much more likely to leave negative reviews if they realise there is a bird lice outbreak.
Read more about pest control for accommodation facilities here.
How do I manage bird mites – will they go away on their own?
Kill them with insecticide surface spray or powder
You can get DIY insecticides from a hardware store. However they must contain pyrethrin to be effective against the mites.
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth in infested areas
Sprinkling diatomaceous earth around areas where bird lice roam can manage them by disrupting their waterproof outer lining
Destroy and replace heavily infested items
Anything heavily infested with bird mites should be removed and destroyed. This includes carpets, rugs, furniture, linen, clothing and bedding. Always wear protective clothing and gloves when handling your affected belongings.
Get professional pest control
Some Adelaide bird mite problems are best handled by the professionals. This includes instances when:
- The infestation is heavy
- There is a large affected area
- Bird nests are located in hard to reach places
- The nests have been abandoned – these are best handled by our technicians to limit the spread of bird mites
Also Read: How to keep Pests away in Summer
How to manage a heavy infestation
1. Pre-treatment inspection
We will conduct a thorough assessment of the roof, entry points, all possible nesting places, and inside the building, to come up with a plan to treat the outbreak.
2. Bird nest location and removal
Before getting rid of the mites, it’s important we remove any bird nests, which are the underlying cause of the problem.
3. Treatment
We apply insecticide powder and surface spray to all affected areas. All products we use are safe for people and pets, and approved by the Australian Veterinary Medicines and Pesticides Authority.
4. Follow-up treatment
Bird mite eggs are often well hidden and take a few days to hatch, so more severe outbreaks need to be treated in more than one visit. In our follow-up treatment we will review the situation and replenish the treatment as needed.
5. Report
We will send you the details on how we treated the outbreak. This also serves as a handy reference for you to keep in the case of any future issues.
Need urgent bird mite control?
Our expert team is ready to help you now
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Why choose Allstate?
Reach out to us 24/7, from any suburb in Adelaide
Use our chat box on the bottom right of this page.
Prompt, reliable service and emergency response
We won’t leave you feeling stuck – our team responds quickly to urgent cases.
We have a 100% money back guarantee
Because we want you to be satisfied with our bird lice removal treatments in your home or business.
We offer interest-free payment plans
Don’t let tight finances prevent you from getting on top of an outbreak.
We offer targeted, effective solutions with follow ups
We’ll thoroughly assess and inspect your outbreak to come up with an immediate and long term treatment plan.
Our treatments are non-toxic
We only use products that are child, pet and environmentally safe.
We work around your schedule
This will minimise disruption to your home and business.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you manage bird mites?
First, grab the vacuum cleaner. These mites are tiny, but they’re no match for a quick vacuuming session. Make sure you throw out the vacuum bag straight away — no need to give them a second chance. Next, use a damp cloth to wipe down surfaces where mites might be hiding, from windowsills to walls, and corners. And if they keep coming back? It’s time to call the pros. Allstate Pest Control offers expert services to manage bird mites and make your home mite-free for good.
Can humans get mites from birds?
Yes, bird mites can crawl onto humans. Gross, right? Sometimes, they even bite, leaving you with red, itchy spots. But they’re not often here to stay. Bird mites can’t survive on humans for long. They’re just looking for their next bird host. If you’ve been exposed to bird mites, a hot shower and a good body wash will usually do the trick.
Can bird mites live in my bed?
The short answer? Yes, they can. If you wake up with itchy spots on exposed skin, that could be a bird mite’s work. They can hang out in your bed, but don’t worry — they can’t survive there for long without a suitable host, like a bird. Still, if you suspect they’re in your bedding, wash everything in hot water. It’s the best way to stop them in their tracks.
Are bird mites scabies?
Nope, bird mites and scabies aren’t the same. Scabies mites burrow into your skin, causing a contagious infestation. Bird mites, on the other hand, crawl on you but don’t burrow. They may leave you with intense itching, but they won’t cause a long-term human infestation.
What is the best bird mite killer?
If you’re serious about getting rid of bird mites, you’ll need a professional-grade solution. Insecticides like permethrin, deltamethrin, and ß-cyfluthrin work effectively, but they’re best applied by experts. And that’s where we come in. Allstate Pest Control specialises in bird mite infestation treatments that target the problem at its source, whether it’s bird nests, cracks in walls, or your roof space.
Time to Act
Bird mites may be tiny, but they can cause a lot of headaches. Itching, swelling, and red spots on the skin are caused by mites injecting saliva into you. Don’t wait for the infestation to take over your home.
Reach out to Allstate Pest Control for a lasting bird mite treatment by dialling