Bird Mites

 

With birds creating nests in porches, rooftops and undercover areas at times it can bring insects coming from the nest and getting all over the surrounding areas. These are called Bird MItes and they look like pepper flakes, they are round and black, gray, or transparent. Bird mites are barely visible to the naked eye because of their small size and semi-transparent colour, making them difficult to detect on the skin. They have eight legs and are oval in shape with a sparse covering of short hairs. The bird mite is an extremely mobile parasite which is widely distributed throughout warmer regions of the world. They feed on the blood of common birds including poultry, pigeons, starlings, sparrows, Indian mynahs and other birds. Once they have a blood meal they appear reddish to black in colour. Contact with humans occurs from birds nesting in building intended for human habitation. The nesting material provides a perfect environment for bird mites to live in, even after birds have vacated the nest. Bird mites are most active during spring and early summer, coinciding with nesting seasons.              SOLUTIONS Try using Pyrethrum insect powder (a natural pesticide) in the nest and the affected areas. Cleaning the area with standard cleaners should also help.