Pest Control
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Bird mites are one of the more distressing problems we deal with. They are tiny, hard to see and they bite, and they often appear suddenly in a bedroom or around a window in late spring or summer. Almost always, the cause is a bird's nest close by: in the eaves, the loft, a chimney or under solar panels.
What are bird mites?
"Bird mite" is a general name for several species of tiny parasitic mites that live on wild and domestic birds and in their nests. They feed on blood, and the females need a blood meal to lay eggs. A nest full of chicks is an ideal place for them, and numbers can build up very quickly, because the whole life cycle from egg to adult takes only one to three weeks, depending on temperature.
The trouble starts when the chicks fledge or the nest is abandoned. With their hosts gone, the mites leave the nest and spread out looking for another. If the nest is in the roof, that search often brings them through gaps around ceilings, light fittings, loft hatches and window frames into the rooms below.
What do bird mites look like?
Adults are around 0.5 to 1mm long, about the size of a full stop. They have eight legs and an oval body, and they are pale or greyish when unfed, turning reddish after feeding. They move quickly. Most people first notice them as tiny moving specks on a windowsill, wall, ceiling or bed, often near a window or close to the side of the house where birds have been nesting.
Do bird mites bite people?
Yes. People are not a suitable host, and bird mites cannot complete their life cycle on human blood, but while they are searching they will bite. Bites usually show as small, red, itchy bumps, often on the arms, neck and upper body. They are irritating rather than dangerous.
The main risk comes from scratching. Broken skin can become infected, and if a bite becomes hot, swollen, increasingly painful or starts to weep, see your GP or pharmacist.
Itchy bites indoors have several possible causes, including bed bugs and fleas, and the treatment for each is different. If you have bites but cannot connect them to a nest, our bed bug and flea pages describe the signs of those.
When are bird mites most likely?
Most problems come between late spring and late summer, when nests are full and young birds are fledging. Starlings, house sparrows and pigeons nesting in roofs are the usual source. Pigeons can nest at any time of year, so problems linked to them are not limited to summer.
What you can do
- Find the nest. Look for birds going in and out of the roof line, chimney or solar panels on the side of the house where the mites appear.
- Vacuum the mites you can see from sills, skirting and carpets, and empty the vacuum outside straight away.
- Wash bedding on a hot wash if mites have been on the bed.
- Do not remove an active nest. If birds are still using it, the law protects it. Mites usually appear once the young have left, which is when the nest can be cleared.
Sprays from a shop will kill the mites they touch, but they will keep coming while the nest is in place.
How we deal with bird mites
We start at the source. Once the nest is no longer in use, we remove the nesting material from the roof, chimney or panels and treat the area around it with a professional insecticide. We treat the affected rooms where needed, and then proof the gap the birds used, so they cannot nest there again next season and start the cycle over. Where a loft has been heavily fouled, we can clear and disinfect it too.
When to call us
Call us if you are finding mites or getting bites indoors and birds have been nesting on the house, or if the problem carries on after you have cleaned. We confirm what the mites are, clear the source, treat and proof. Our bird control page explains the proofing side, or call 01926 632 929.
Bird control and proofing → Starlings in the eaves → Send us a photo →