The Dallas Morning News ran the following story in November 2007:
"My son returned from Iraq and thinks he brought back biting mites that are infesting his house. He has set off insect bombs and sprayed and mopped with orange oil, but nothing helps. Do you know about this mite and how to get rid of it?
R.J., Canton
"I'm not familiar with such a bug, but here are a few suggestions. First, don't use bug bombs. They are toxic, coat the entire house with chemicals and don't work.
Wash all clothing and bedding. Add a cup of hydrogen peroxide and a capful of orange oil to each wash load. Spray the house with orange oil mixed with a product called Plant Wash or a mild liquid detergent. Use 1 ounce of Plant Wash or liquid detergent and 2 ounces of orange oil per gallon of water. Spray surfaces well and then wipe them dry with a cloth. This will help get rid of pests and clean residue left by the bug bombs. (If you cannot find Plant Wash in stores, the manufacturer's Web site is www.soilmender.com.)"
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Saturday, June 21, 2008
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.
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.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Suggestion on Why Biting Mites Are Spreading Now.
It seems that increasing temperatures are affecting the population of bugs. National Geographic reports that at an earlier time with higher temperatures, bugs began to eat plants much more--they got the "munchies" (article here). Other scientists speculate that a warmer climate will cause some insects in tropical areas to die off and for a larger number of species to move toward the warming temperate regions (article here). We are already seeing animals that are used to warmer climates moving their range north. Recently, the BBC reported that the stink bug, which was not able to live in Britain, has now established itself into the British climate. They speculate that growing urban heat islands may be allowing warmer-climate bugs to survive in England (article here).
If I may say so, I do not believe the idea that some tropical insects will become extinct due to warming temperatures. Why? For one thing, they are already moving north. If it becomes uninhabitable in current tropical regions, they will survive in the new tropical regions. Secondly, the warming climate is causing humidity to go up (and glaciers are even growing due to this) which will result in increased precipitation.
In the book, Unstoppable Global Warming by Dennis T. Avery and S. Fred Singer, the authors point out that past warm climate cycles have been warmer than the current one we are experiencing. On this would indicate that our bugs are in no trouble at all. However, we, humans, are in a lot of trouble with these bugs. They record in their book that past warm cycles have seen a change in horticulture to warm-climate plants in northern regions, which seems to correlate with the idea that fauna are also migrating toward previously colder regions. To add to the issue of a growing global humidity (which actually buffers the rise in sea levels), naturally warmer regions received great amounts of rainfall and became very soggy.
So, it appears to me that whatever may be causing a global increase in temperatures, this increase is allowing bugs that normally could not live in more northern regions to live there and it is increasing humidity to allow for humidity sensitive bugs to thrive in areas where they were previously checked by dry air (and cool weather).
The suggestion that vermin and disease spreads with climate cycles is not far fetched (here's one article). Both major outbreaks of the plague can be traced to changes in climate as rat carried climate appears to have broken out at a cooling phase in the cycle, once in the Dark Ages at the end of the Roman warming and again at the end of the Medieval Warming--the plague was directly related to the migration and population size of rats, which were apparently reacting to climate change (and their fleas, which also may have been affected by climate change). Furthermore, malaria has been known to flourish as far north as Scandinavia if the conditions are correct. Some scientists have speculated that malaria could return to the US with the bugs that carry it (yes, there was a time we had malaria here, Washington, DC, was built on a malarial swamp).
So, higher humidity and warmth are allowing bird and rodent mites to fourish. Maybe this has happened before, between 1000 and 1300 AD, when we had a trend toward a warmer world. We just don't read about peasants fighting these crazy mites. The best thing would be to bring back DDT, it will prevent the spread of many anthropod born illnesses and was shown to be quite effective against rat mites, and most likely would be just as effective against all bird mites (article). Then, this long term hell of months of fighting invisible biting crawling monsters could be finally over.
If I may say so, I do not believe the idea that some tropical insects will become extinct due to warming temperatures. Why? For one thing, they are already moving north. If it becomes uninhabitable in current tropical regions, they will survive in the new tropical regions. Secondly, the warming climate is causing humidity to go up (and glaciers are even growing due to this) which will result in increased precipitation.
In the book, Unstoppable Global Warming by Dennis T. Avery and S. Fred Singer, the authors point out that past warm climate cycles have been warmer than the current one we are experiencing. On this would indicate that our bugs are in no trouble at all. However, we, humans, are in a lot of trouble with these bugs. They record in their book that past warm cycles have seen a change in horticulture to warm-climate plants in northern regions, which seems to correlate with the idea that fauna are also migrating toward previously colder regions. To add to the issue of a growing global humidity (which actually buffers the rise in sea levels), naturally warmer regions received great amounts of rainfall and became very soggy.
So, it appears to me that whatever may be causing a global increase in temperatures, this increase is allowing bugs that normally could not live in more northern regions to live there and it is increasing humidity to allow for humidity sensitive bugs to thrive in areas where they were previously checked by dry air (and cool weather).
The suggestion that vermin and disease spreads with climate cycles is not far fetched (here's one article). Both major outbreaks of the plague can be traced to changes in climate as rat carried climate appears to have broken out at a cooling phase in the cycle, once in the Dark Ages at the end of the Roman warming and again at the end of the Medieval Warming--the plague was directly related to the migration and population size of rats, which were apparently reacting to climate change (and their fleas, which also may have been affected by climate change). Furthermore, malaria has been known to flourish as far north as Scandinavia if the conditions are correct. Some scientists have speculated that malaria could return to the US with the bugs that carry it (yes, there was a time we had malaria here, Washington, DC, was built on a malarial swamp).
So, higher humidity and warmth are allowing bird and rodent mites to fourish. Maybe this has happened before, between 1000 and 1300 AD, when we had a trend toward a warmer world. We just don't read about peasants fighting these crazy mites. The best thing would be to bring back DDT, it will prevent the spread of many anthropod born illnesses and was shown to be quite effective against rat mites, and most likely would be just as effective against all bird mites (article). Then, this long term hell of months of fighting invisible biting crawling monsters could be finally over.
Academic Research on Tropical Rat Mites.
Since I compiled this bibliography on academic sources on Tropical Rat Mites, I've added a few more sources, so I'm posting that post again on this link.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Cyanide Gas Used Against the Tropical Rat Mite.
Reading a medical journal article from 1942, I found that in 1942, the Tropical Rat Mite was still newly introduced to the American continent. Pest control operators were using cyanide gas to destroy mite infestations in the San Diego area (Link to article). While I don't think this is used in pest control anymore, it shows how extremely difficult it is to eradicate this mite.
Monday, March 17, 2008
A Mite Story With a Happy Ending.
Everyone who has suffered from bird or rodent mites knows the distress and agony that one goes through. These mites infest the person, clothes, bed, carpets, cars, work places, and homes entirely and are extremely difficult to eradicate. In addition to this, the scientific community often prefers not to research the matter further and because the issue is unfamiliar, they allow the people to suffer and cope on their own. The person feels isolation due to avoiding friends and family so as not to infest them and also from the fact that while this disease is common, it is still quite unknown and poorly understood by society at large.
This brings me to the tale of a young mother of two children and the wife of a minister. She lived happily in a Northern Virginia town, attending to her children's needs and assisting her husband in any matter that needed her attention.
Then, one day, she began receiving bites and a crawling sensation. No one else in the family felt these sensations, but her loving husband believed her. This crawling was intense and went all around her body, in her hair, back, legs, and arms. They researched the condition on the internet and did everything they could to stop it. They were convinced it was bird or rodent mites, although they were not entirely sure.
The young couple decided not to talk about what was going on with the children. They didn't want the children to be afraid or too worried. One day, as the mother was taking the curtains off the window as part of the cleaning protocols fighting the unknown and unseen mites, she had the children assist her take down the curtains. It was at that moment that she received confirmation that the mites were real as the children complained that it was as though something had pricked them with pin-like pricks. The curtains were infested with mites and as they took them down they bit the children.
When the woman went to a dermatologist, surprisingly the doctor believed her. He prescribed a lotion that begins with an "L," although the woman does not remember what it was. It was a lotion she could apply daily and it changed the Ph of her skin. She found some relief from this lotion, although now she does not remember the name (not Lindane as Lindane cannot be applied daily and does not change the Ph of skin).
This battle lasted from the beginning of October to the end of December, for three months, and one day the bites and crawling simply ceased.
Since this incident occurred, three other similar mite infestations have occurred in the same area--two are known to have involved rodents.
Considering the time of year, fall, and the fact that only one person in the household suffered from the mites, it was most likely rat mites as infestations by this species of mites are most common in the fall and winter and are known to affect only one or a couple people in a household--most likely through pheromone communications that allow large numbers of mites to communicate concerning a chosen host.
While this mite invasion was likely due to an animal abandoning its nest as it did stop on its own, many other people suffer from rodent and bird mites as the host animal is still present and many others have discovered that not only are the mites difficult to eradicate, they can use a human as a host for extended periods of time--perhaps even reproducing off of humans (while scientists deny this can happen a reasonable scientist should at the very least allow for such a possibility, there are many things that are not fully understood in biology and even rare or non-existent cases of disease can appear and become prevalent--simply denying that something can happen and refusing to research or study some phenomenon is not responsible science, it could be called laziness or arrogance).
This brings me to the tale of a young mother of two children and the wife of a minister. She lived happily in a Northern Virginia town, attending to her children's needs and assisting her husband in any matter that needed her attention.
Then, one day, she began receiving bites and a crawling sensation. No one else in the family felt these sensations, but her loving husband believed her. This crawling was intense and went all around her body, in her hair, back, legs, and arms. They researched the condition on the internet and did everything they could to stop it. They were convinced it was bird or rodent mites, although they were not entirely sure.
The young couple decided not to talk about what was going on with the children. They didn't want the children to be afraid or too worried. One day, as the mother was taking the curtains off the window as part of the cleaning protocols fighting the unknown and unseen mites, she had the children assist her take down the curtains. It was at that moment that she received confirmation that the mites were real as the children complained that it was as though something had pricked them with pin-like pricks. The curtains were infested with mites and as they took them down they bit the children.
When the woman went to a dermatologist, surprisingly the doctor believed her. He prescribed a lotion that begins with an "L," although the woman does not remember what it was. It was a lotion she could apply daily and it changed the Ph of her skin. She found some relief from this lotion, although now she does not remember the name (not Lindane as Lindane cannot be applied daily and does not change the Ph of skin).
This battle lasted from the beginning of October to the end of December, for three months, and one day the bites and crawling simply ceased.
Since this incident occurred, three other similar mite infestations have occurred in the same area--two are known to have involved rodents.
Considering the time of year, fall, and the fact that only one person in the household suffered from the mites, it was most likely rat mites as infestations by this species of mites are most common in the fall and winter and are known to affect only one or a couple people in a household--most likely through pheromone communications that allow large numbers of mites to communicate concerning a chosen host.
While this mite invasion was likely due to an animal abandoning its nest as it did stop on its own, many other people suffer from rodent and bird mites as the host animal is still present and many others have discovered that not only are the mites difficult to eradicate, they can use a human as a host for extended periods of time--perhaps even reproducing off of humans (while scientists deny this can happen a reasonable scientist should at the very least allow for such a possibility, there are many things that are not fully understood in biology and even rare or non-existent cases of disease can appear and become prevalent--simply denying that something can happen and refusing to research or study some phenomenon is not responsible science, it could be called laziness or arrogance).
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Gentrol and Suspend Worked for Someone.
Someone wrote the following:
"You are working very hard at this. For you home and car and work Use Suspend SC 4 oz per Gallon with 4 OZ Gentrol IGR. Mix in sprayer and cover about 1000 Square feet of building. Also spray car and work. Works like a charm. This has a residue effect of several months but respray in 3 weeks. Both Suspend and Gentrol are approved for indoors. Hospitals, homes, and schools. Just let it dry before you reenter the building. Several hours
Good luckStart living again. You can have people over to your home in a few weeks and you will be mite free. Take baths and Coat your bed blankets with the above Suspend Gentrol cocktail also. You will now sleep well also.GOD Bless you."
To buy Gentrol: http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/gentrolaerosol.htm
To buy Suspend: http://www.pestproducts.com/suspend_sc.htm
Keep in mind that you need to find a host or a source of the mites and if possible get the mites identified. If you do not remove a host or source, it is likely that the mites will continue to reproduce. Look into rodents or birds. Setting traps or poison for rodents is a good idea as they often go unnoticed if they are in the house. Check attics and crawlspaces. Nearby garages and sheds should also be inspected and tried with poison or traps. Same for birds, check attics and the eaves of roofs, balconies, chimneys, and trees or bushes near the house.
Bird mite infestations are most common in the Spring and Summer (due to bird nesting cycle), while rodent mites are most common in the Fall and Winter (due to rodents seeking shelter for the winter). These are not strict limits, the birds and rodents don't read science text books and both types of infestations can occur during any time of the year.
After finding the source, you should take mite control measures AND THEN take measures to destroy or remove the source of the mites, otherwise the mites will migrate from the animal or nest into the living quarters and things will get much worse. Don't expect to be free of the mites before you remove the source, just begin the process of destroying the mites first but don't wait for the mites to be gone before removing the source.
The mites may stay in the environment for a while after finding the source and taking mite control measures. You will have to fight them with patience and do all you can to destroy them. Also, if you trap one rat or find one bird's nest, don't assume there aren't others. Keep trapping, poisoning, and looking throughout your fight with the mites.
Another idea, some bird mites have been known to reproduce off of rodents. If you have removed a bird's nest and are trapped in a permanent state of infestation, it may still be worth your while to look into destroying all potential rodent hosts. To fight the mites, see links in right hand column.
"You are working very hard at this. For you home and car and work Use Suspend SC 4 oz per Gallon with 4 OZ Gentrol IGR. Mix in sprayer and cover about 1000 Square feet of building. Also spray car and work. Works like a charm. This has a residue effect of several months but respray in 3 weeks. Both Suspend and Gentrol are approved for indoors. Hospitals, homes, and schools. Just let it dry before you reenter the building. Several hours
Good luckStart living again. You can have people over to your home in a few weeks and you will be mite free. Take baths and Coat your bed blankets with the above Suspend Gentrol cocktail also. You will now sleep well also.GOD Bless you."
To buy Gentrol: http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/gentrolaerosol.htm
To buy Suspend: http://www.pestproducts.com/suspend_sc.htm
Keep in mind that you need to find a host or a source of the mites and if possible get the mites identified. If you do not remove a host or source, it is likely that the mites will continue to reproduce. Look into rodents or birds. Setting traps or poison for rodents is a good idea as they often go unnoticed if they are in the house. Check attics and crawlspaces. Nearby garages and sheds should also be inspected and tried with poison or traps. Same for birds, check attics and the eaves of roofs, balconies, chimneys, and trees or bushes near the house.
Bird mite infestations are most common in the Spring and Summer (due to bird nesting cycle), while rodent mites are most common in the Fall and Winter (due to rodents seeking shelter for the winter). These are not strict limits, the birds and rodents don't read science text books and both types of infestations can occur during any time of the year.
After finding the source, you should take mite control measures AND THEN take measures to destroy or remove the source of the mites, otherwise the mites will migrate from the animal or nest into the living quarters and things will get much worse. Don't expect to be free of the mites before you remove the source, just begin the process of destroying the mites first but don't wait for the mites to be gone before removing the source.
The mites may stay in the environment for a while after finding the source and taking mite control measures. You will have to fight them with patience and do all you can to destroy them. Also, if you trap one rat or find one bird's nest, don't assume there aren't others. Keep trapping, poisoning, and looking throughout your fight with the mites.
Another idea, some bird mites have been known to reproduce off of rodents. If you have removed a bird's nest and are trapped in a permanent state of infestation, it may still be worth your while to look into destroying all potential rodent hosts. To fight the mites, see links in right hand column.
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