Re: linda - look what I found - Acarolgy studies-bird mites

[Guest guest]

Hey , a long time ago - I asked the world of acarlogists what they knew of bird mites - no response, but today - a farmer who wrote to them had some responses.

Dear all,

I was asked for an information about biting mites and I need your help

since I know only oribatid mites.

A farmer in my country (Alps) has serious infestations of biting mites

every year in spring/summer in his garden.

I extracted some samples and found two different mites

1. poultry litter - of whitish Acaridida en masse (Nymphs or

??? Lepidoghlyphus or similar)

2. bird nest - ??Dermanyssus few adults, large quantities of juvenile

instars

One (or both of them) are responsible for the bites. I have seen

pictures of the bites and they look similar as Neotrombicula. But the

infestation is restricted to the orchard and plant nursery of the farmer

and not outside of the area.

Has someone any idea, also of getting rid of the mites?

Thank you in advance

Best regards

Heinz Schatz

_______________________________________________

Acarology mailing list

Acarology@...

Dear Heinrich - I would put my money on the Dermanyssus. They will often leave the nest of the bird host and bite people, especially after young birds have fledged. Storage mites don't bite, but those with long setae (such as Glycyphagus = Lepidoglyphus) can cause allergic skin reactions in sensitive people.

Hope this helps! - Barry

-So many mites, so little time!Barry M. OConnor phone: 734-763-4354Curator & Professor fax: 734-763-4080Museum of Zoology

e-mail: bmoc@...University of Michigan1109 Geddes AveAnn Arbor, MI 48109-1079

The inquiry by Heinz and Barry’s explanation reminded me of a story happened here a few years ago. Some Dutch girl students in a dormitory of the University of Groningen complained about the bits of tiny creatures. One of them visited a physician/dermatologist and the doctor completely rejected the possibility of any mite or insect causing that problem. The students collected mites from all over the wall and beds, and the sample was sent to me via the Popualtion Biology Department as bird parasitic mites (Dermanyssidae). After mounting, I identified it as Ornithonyssus bacoti (Fam. Macronyssidae) a rat parasitic mite. In that case, birds were innocent and the advice was to get rid of any rats (or rodents)

around.

Dr. Farid Faraji, Senior Scientist/AcarologistMitox Consultants,Science Park 406,1098 XH Amsterdam,The Netherlands

[Guest guest]

Very interesting los. The farmer who said he has a case of biting mites in the spring/summer in his garden was an interesting comment. Does that mean he has no problems with mites the rest of the year? And it is all outdoors only? The one mite is D. Gallinae, the classic bird or rodent mite. The other one mentioned I was not sure about. The bites from all these mites do look almost identical to the bites of the harvest mite (chiggers), or Itch Mite (I looked them up). It is interesting to me that the farmer took samples and but didn't talk about overall body infestation and that the infestation was limited to the orchard and plant nursery and the infestation recurs every year in spring/summer. Mites, nymphs, eggs live for well over a year without a blood feed almost anywhere, even in the Alps (lots of snow and cold). That is why freezing them in your freezer never kills mites. Only heat and certain chemicals kill mites. Maybe there are some types of mites that freezing would kill, such as dust mites.The doctor from Netherlands identified a rodent mite from the family Ornithonyssus bacoti - hopefully the Dutch girl was able to get rid of the mite. Infestations from certain mites are more tenacious than others. It was also interesting to note that the curator from Ann Arbor, MI noted that some of the mite bites, such as D. Gallinae, can cause an allergic skin reaction which is exactly what happened to me. The bites were not true lesions, but allergic bites reactions. What these Professors don't say is that it is becoming more well known that many types of mites now carry Lyme and coinfections, such as Bartonella and who knows what else! I did develop massive rashes at the time of my bites, indicating that the mites were carrying other pathogens that became systemic.Just a few comments. Thanks for posting los! From: "los" <kean2465@...>bird mites Sent: Monday, June 4, 2012 10:42:55 AMSubject: Re: linda - look what I found - Acarolgy studies-bird mites

Hey , a long time ago - I asked the world of acarlogists what they knew of bird mites - no response, but today - a farmer who wrote to them had some responses.

Dear all,

I was asked for an information about biting mites and I need your help

since I know only oribatid mites.

A farmer in my country (Alps) has serious infestations of biting mites

every year in spring/summer in his garden.

I extracted some samples and found two different mites

1. poultry litter - of whitish Acaridida en masse (Nymphs or

??? Lepidoghlyphus or similar)

2. bird nest - ??Dermanyssus few adults, large quantities of juvenile

instars

One (or both of them) are responsible for the bites. I have seen

pictures of the bites and they look similar as Neotrombicula. But the

infestation is restricted to the orchard and plant nursery of the farmer

and not outside of the area.

Has someone any idea, also of getting rid of the mites?

Thank you in advance

Best regards

Heinz Schatz

_______________________________________________

Acarology mailing list

Acarology@...

Dear Heinrich - I would put my money on the Dermanyssus. They will often leave the nest of the bird host and bite people, especially after young birds have fledged. Storage mites don't bite, but those with long setae (such as Glycyphagus = Lepidoglyphus) can cause allergic skin reactions in sensitive people.

Hope this helps! - Barry

-So many mites, so little time!Barry M. OConnor phone: 734-763-4354Curator & Professor fax: 734-763-4080Museum of Zoology

e-mail: bmoc@...University of Michigan1109 Geddes AveAnn Arbor, MI 48109-1079

The inquiry by Heinz and Barry’s explanation reminded me of a story happened here a few years ago. Some Dutch girl students in a dormitory of the University of Groningen complained about the bits of tiny creatures. One of them visited a physician/dermatologist and the doctor completely rejected the possibility of any mite or insect causing that problem. The students collected mites from all over the wall and beds, and the sample was sent to me via the Popualtion Biology Department as bird parasitic mites (Dermanyssidae). After mounting, I identified it as Ornithonyssus bacoti (Fam. Macronyssidae) a rat parasitic mite. In that case, birds were innocent and the advice was to get rid of any rats (or rodents)

around.

Dr. Farid Faraji, Senior Scientist/AcarologistMitox Consultants,Science Park 406,1098 XH Amsterdam,The Netherlands

[Guest guest]

- really interesting! Were the lint bugs lothing fibers with mites inside?AandrayaOn Jun 4, 2012, at 2:01 PM, Goldstein@... wrote:

Very interesting los. The farmer who said he has a case of biting mites in the spring/summer in his garden was an interesting comment. Does that mean he has no problems with mites the rest of the year? And it is all outdoors only? The one mite is D. Gallinae, the classic bird or rodent mite. The other one mentioned I was not sure about. The bites from all these mites do look almost identical to the bites of the harvest mite (chiggers), or Itch Mite (I looked them up). It is interesting to me that the farmer took samples and but didn't talk about overall body infestation and that the infestation was limited to the orchard and plant nursery and the infestation recurs every year in spring/summer. Mites, nymphs, eggs live for well over a year without a blood feed almost anywhere, even in the Alps (lots of snow and cold). That is why freezing them in your freezer never kills mites. Only heat and certain chemicals kill mites. Maybe there are some types of mites that freezing would kill, such as dust mites.The doctor from Netherlands identified a rodent mite from the family Ornithonyssus bacoti - hopefully the Dutch girl was able to get rid of the mite. Infestations from certain mites are more tenacious than others. It was also interesting to note that the curator from Ann Arbor, MI noted that some of the mite bites, such as D. Gallinae, can cause an allergic skin reaction which is exactly what happened to me. The bites were not true lesions, but allergic bites reactions. What these Professors don't say is that it is becoming more well known that many types of mites now carry Lyme and coinfections, such as Bartonella and who knows what else! I did develop massive rashes at the time of my bites, indicating that the mites were carrying other pathogens that became systemic.Just a few comments. Thanks for posting los! From: "los" <kean2465@...>bird mites Sent: Monday, June 4, 2012 10:42:55 AMSubject: Re: linda - look what I found - Acarolgy studies-bird mites

Hey , a long time ago - I asked the world of acarlogists what they knew of bird mites - no response, but today - a farmer who wrote to them had some responses.

Dear all,

I was asked for an information about biting mites and I need your help

since I know only oribatid mites.

A farmer in my country (Alps) has serious infestations of biting mites

every year in spring/summer in his garden.

I extracted some samples and found two different mites

1. poultry litter - of whitish Acaridida en masse (Nymphs or

??? Lepidoghlyphus or similar)

2. bird nest - ??Dermanyssus few adults, large quantities of juvenile

instars

One (or both of them) are responsible for the bites. I have seen

pictures of the bites and they look similar as Neotrombicula. But the

infestation is restricted to the orchard and plant nursery of the farmer

and not outside of the area.

Has someone any idea, also of getting rid of the mites?

Thank you in advance

Best regards

Heinz Schatz

_______________________________________________

Acarology mailing list

Acarology@...

Dear Heinrich - I would put my money on the Dermanyssus. They will often leave the nest of the bird host and bite people, especially after young birds have fledged. Storage mites don't bite, but those with long setae (such as Glycyphagus = Lepidoglyphus) can cause allergic skin reactions in sensitive people.

Hope this helps! - Barry

-So many mites, so little time!Barry M. OConnor phone: 734-763-4354Curator & Professor fax: 734-763-4080Museum of Zoology

e-mail: bmoc@...University of Michigan1109 Geddes AveAnn Arbor, MI 48109-1079

The inquiry by Heinz and Barry’s explanation reminded me of a story happened here a few years ago. Some Dutch girl students in a dormitory of the University of Groningen complained about the bits of tiny creatures. One of them visited a physician/dermatologist and the doctor completely rejected the possibility of any mite or insect causing that problem. The students collected mites from all over the wall and beds, and the sample was sent to me via the Popualtion Biology Department as bird parasitic mites (Dermanyssidae). After mounting, I identified it as Ornithonyssus bacoti (Fam. Macronyssidae) a rat parasitic mite. In that case, birds were innocent and the advice was to get rid of any rats (or rodents)

around.

Dr. Farid Faraji, Senior Scientist/AcarologistMitox Consultants,Science Park 406,1098 XH Amsterdam,The Netherlands

[Guest guest]

I am not sure Dray... maybe Kajay can comment on that. It may be they are able to hide in fibers, especially fiber balls.From: "Aandraya" <aandraya@...>bird mites Sent: Monday, June 4, 2012 1:28:48 PMSubject: Re: linda - look what I found - Acarolgy studies-bird mites

- really interesting! Were the lint bugs lothing fibers with mites inside?AandrayaOn Jun 4, 2012, at 2:01 PM, Goldstein@... wrote:

Very interesting los. The farmer who said he has a case of biting mites in the spring/summer in his garden was an interesting comment. Does that mean he has no problems with mites the rest of the year? And it is all outdoors only? The one mite is D. Gallinae, the classic bird or rodent mite. The other one mentioned I was not sure about. The bites from all these mites do look almost identical to the bites of the harvest mite (chiggers), or Itch Mite (I looked them up). It is interesting to me that the farmer took samples and but didn't talk about overall body infestation and that the infestation was limited to the orchard and plant nursery and the infestation recurs every year in spring/summer. Mites, nymphs, eggs live for well over a year without a blood feed almost anywhere, even in the Alps (lots of snow and cold). That is why freezing them in your freezer never kills mites. Only heat and certain chemicals kill mites. Maybe there are some types of mites that freezing would kill, such as dust mites.The doctor from Netherlands identified a rodent mite from the family Ornithonyssus bacoti - hopefully the Dutch girl was able to get rid of the mite. Infestations from certain mites are more tenacious than others. It was also interesting to note that the curator from Ann Arbor, MI noted that some of the mite bites, such as D. Gallinae, can cause an allergic skin reaction which is exactly what happened to me. The bites were not true lesions, but allergic bites reactions. What these Professors don't say is that it is becoming more well known that many types of mites now carry Lyme and coinfections, such as Bartonella and who knows what else! I did develop massive rashes at the time of my bites, indicating that the mites were carrying other pathogens that became systemic.Just a few comments. Thanks for posting los! From: "los" <kean2465@...>bird mites Sent: Monday, June 4, 2012 10:42:55 AMSubject: Re: linda - look what I found - Acarolgy studies-bird mites

Hey , a long time ago - I asked the world of acarlogists what they knew of bird mites - no response, but today - a farmer who wrote to them had some responses.

Dear all,

I was asked for an information about biting mites and I need your help

since I know only oribatid mites.

A farmer in my country (Alps) has serious infestations of biting mites

every year in spring/summer in his garden.

I extracted some samples and found two different mites

1. poultry litter - of whitish Acaridida en masse (Nymphs or

??? Lepidoghlyphus or similar)

2. bird nest - ??Dermanyssus few adults, large quantities of juvenile

instars

One (or both of them) are responsible for the bites. I have seen

pictures of the bites and they look similar as Neotrombicula. But the

infestation is restricted to the orchard and plant nursery of the farmer

and not outside of the area.

Has someone any idea, also of getting rid of the mites?

Thank you in advance

Best regards

Heinz Schatz

_______________________________________________

Acarology mailing list

Acarology@...

Dear Heinrich - I would put my money on the Dermanyssus. They will often leave the nest of the bird host and bite people, especially after young birds have fledged. Storage mites don't bite, but those with long setae (such as Glycyphagus = Lepidoglyphus) can cause allergic skin reactions in sensitive people.

Hope this helps! - Barry

-So many mites, so little time!Barry M. OConnor phone: 734-763-4354Curator & Professor fax: 734-763-4080Museum of Zoology

e-mail: bmoc@...University of Michigan1109 Geddes AveAnn Arbor, MI 48109-1079

The inquiry by Heinz and Barry’s explanation reminded me of a story happened here a few years ago. Some Dutch girl students in a dormitory of the University of Groningen complained about the bits of tiny creatures. One of them visited a physician/dermatologist and the doctor completely rejected the possibility of any mite or insect causing that problem. The students collected mites from all over the wall and beds, and the sample was sent to me via the Popualtion Biology Department as bird parasitic mites (Dermanyssidae). After mounting, I identified it as Ornithonyssus bacoti (Fam. Macronyssidae) a rat parasitic mite. In that case, birds were innocent and the advice was to get rid of any rats (or rodents)

around.

Dr. Farid Faraji, Senior Scientist/AcarologistMitox Consultants,Science Park 406,1098 XH Amsterdam,The Netherlands