DESCRIPTION
Bird mites often called bird lice, are parasites of host birds and can cause severe itching to humans if they invade the human habitat. They are small approximately 1mm. They are greyish in colour or ginger when filled with blood and can often be seen in the thousands as they migrate down walls from the bird nest in the ceiling.
LIFE CYCLE
Bird mites develop from the egg to larvae, to nymph, to adult. Females require a blood feed to reproduce and the adults and nymphs accumulate on the bird, in the nesting material, and in the surrounding areas. Once bird mites leave the warmth of the host they generally survive only for about 10 days. This of course can vary according to the temperature.
HABITAT
Being parasites they require a host. Most often these are sparrows, starlings or pigeons. They like warm conditions and are usually present from September through to April, which coincide with the breeding and nesting patterns of these birds. The birds themselves often carry the mites that can be dislodged and fall on to people and surfaces below.
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