Current Protocol.

Use your own discretion if you try any of this, read labels, follow directions, research their safety, I am not responsible for any action taken in relation to whether someone does what I am doing. This is what I'm doing right now. I've gotten a bit sick from past things I've done and if you get sick from anything, stop right away.

1) Shower before bed and when getting up (after breakfast).

2) After shower, thick vaseline around ankles and in areas that themites like, for me on the inner thighs, pubic area, chest,shoulders. I shave off all body hair and since I'm a guy, my head. Iput the vaseline on after both showers. Once when I tried notputting it on, I got bad bites in those areas.

3) Spray bed with Witch Hazel (by rubbing alcohol in stores)with adribble of tea tree oil and eucalyptus oil before shower so it driesout a bit by the time I get to it, you can buy these in largerquantities at GNC and Vitamin Shoppe etc. Witch Hazel is good fromgeneric brands.

4)I spray myself from head to toe with Cedarcide before bed andsometimes I spray my bed as well. This repels them so well, I eatbreakfast with the stuff on, but because of the smell, I need to washup before I go out of the apartment. Some people have been able toget rid of them completely by fogging their house several times witha trijet fogger using Cedarcide (Joan).

5) I take Garlic and Cayenne Pepper supplements several times a day.I used to take B1 and Vitamin C a lot but I've cut down.

6)Thick layer or Borax on car floor (thanks Rita) and 50 gallon blackgarbage bag over car seat.

7)Synthetic clothing--sports wear (thanks Myrtle Maui). The bugsdon't infest them very easily and they wash easier.

8) Avoid sugar and alcohol.

9)Use foot powder in your shoes. Puff some in there and then shakeit so it spreads inside. Take out the sole of the shoe and do it,then do it again with the sole inside.

10) After wearing shoe, spray inside with Witch Hazel conction(mentioned earlier) and rubbing alcohol.

11) Sarna anti-itch lotion on itchy bites.

12) Hemp lotion seems to repel them--I've largely shifted to hemplotion (from Nature's Gate from Whole Foods) when I used to useCutter repellant that contains Picardin. I still use Picardinrepellant on the outside of clothing when I go to my car.

13) Baby powder can be poofed liberally inside underwear when thebugs start biting or crawling.

14) Rubbing alcohol can be sprayed on crawling areas or biting areas,it kills on contact. Try not to inhale it. I spray the floor andseat of my car with it before going in, but you need to air it outthen.

15) In addition to the Borax etc. in laundry, for drying, I use threeBounce sheets and 4 Arm and Hammer "Essentials" sheets. "Essentials"contain essential oils that seem to help a lot in killing/repellingthe mites. I ran out just recently and it seems I had much moretrouble with clothes that I hadn't treated with "Essentials."Lavender is a good scent with this. I'm now going to experiment withanother.

16) Stromectol brand ivermectin every week. This is a prescription drug. Your doctor would have to be willing to sign off on its use as an off label use. This is a decision that you will have to make in consultation with your doctor. To my knowledge, ivermectin has never been approved for long term use in humans and may have unexpected and possibly dangerous side effects.

19) Shave all body hair and if you can, your head.

20) I wash with Dial Anti-Bacterial Soap the entire body and then with Tea Tree Oil Shampoo. I've used a variety of brands of Tea Tree Shampoo. The American Crew worked well for me but I can't find it now. I've also used Jason, Nature's Gate, and Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap.

I have full spectrum lights in my room, but I don't know how wellthey help. I also have a dehumidifyer, that I believe helps a lot,and an ionic air purifyer that creates small bits of ozone and helpsa bit, I think.I am limited in how well I can treat this. I can't use an ozonegenerator or spray stuff, or put down diatomacious earth or Borax onthe floors, so I can't take care of it as whole sale as I would like to, but these are ideas.

Also, check for birds or rodents in your house or around your house.Put out rodent traps just to see if you catch any and poison to seeif it gets eaten (if you don't have pets). Rodents can get in reallytricky places and they can bring this plague of mites on us. I thinkI may have rodents nearby and they may be making things worse. This all started for me with a dead rat.

Tips for Mite Control In Cars

I don't think I've thought of any of these ideas on my own, but I've read them in a number of places, including the yahoo group birdmitesorg where people discuss methods of controlling biting mite infestations. Since I've heard so many of them, I thought it would be good to put in one place. Many thanks to those who have tried these things!

1) Spread Borax/Diatomacious Earth on the carpet where you sit, lay it on thick. One person said she uses the whole box on the seat back, seat, and carpet in front of the seat. Leave the powder there while you drive. One person uses towls to protect her clothing from the powder, changing a clean towel every time. I use a bag (see 4).

2) If it's winter, don't turn the heat on, leave your coat on and keep it closed tightly. The mites are less likely to make it on you if it's subzero temperatures.

3) Put a 50 gallon black garbage bag over the seat, if you treated the seat with Borax, leave the Borax there, this will also protect your clothing from the white powder. When you enter the car, you can spray down the bag with alcohol and wipe it to make sure there are no mites on the bag when you sit. A similar idea I read is to put a shower cap on the head rest. A combination may be needed if the seat is too big.

4) If you're being infested from the steering wheel, use latex gloves.

5) Have your car detail cleaned/steam cleaned

6) Use free car-wash car vacuums to vacuum the inside of your car.

7) If you're tracking mites in your car on your shoes, wipe the bottoms with Windex, Ammonia, or Alcohol.

8) Spray your shoes, socks, feet, legs and pant legs with an insect repellant such as Lemon Eucalyptus or Picardin repellants (available from Repel, Cutter, and Off).

9) Spray your car with a mixture of epsom salt and water, the epsom salt should be quite concentrated, you can wipe plastic areas clean with a wet rag to avoid residue.

10) Make sure there are no rodents living in your car. In Texas, Michigan, and the East Coast, there have been numerous reports of mice, rats, and squirrels making nests or living in cars that are not used on a daily basis. These rodents will often seek shelter in the car during winter months and may be the source of a continued mite infestation.

While rodent mites generally infest rodents, even bird mites can maintain an infestation on a rodent. If the rodents are in your cabin, you can use snap traps (or if your desperate, poison--although it might rot in your car).

You can also take rodent control measures around your car, putting poison or traps in the garage etc. Some people have used Fox urine or ground Irish Spring soap in little cups to keep rodents at bay. Don't put anything flamable or meltable in the engine compartment. If you have a nest in your car, take the necessary protective measures to remove the nesting material (gloves, breathing protection etc.)

11) Treat the car with an ozone generator. More than an hour of running a generator should expose the mites thoroughly enough. Beware that high concentrations of ozone can be lethal to breath.

12) Fog the car with Cedarcide for some 10 to 15 minutes. Move "through the car" when you fog and make sure each crevice, nook, and cranny is fogged thoroughly. The trijet fogger sold by Cedarcide has the habbit of not reaching areas "in the shadows"--that is, not directly exposed to the stream coming from the fogger. The mist also moves from up to down, so you will need to make special attention to fog under seats and hard to get places.