Swallows Nest...Now Possible Bird Mites..Help! (grow, bugs, Canada)
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Okay, noticed a nest a few weeks back right outside my front door...discovered it was a swallows nest. Soon after, the eggs hatched, and we have been watching daily out the front window, the babies grow and thrive. Because they do make quite a mess under the nest, I have been going out there every other day and washing off the bird poop with hot water/soap and a sponge. Today, after I did so (and after I took a picture or 2 with my phone's camera), I was sitting on my couch, and noticed a tiny little black bug crawling across my phone's screen. I tried to squish it...it wouldn't squish (much like a tick, but REALLY tiny). I wiped it off with tissue, and flushed it. About an hour later, I noticed a "crawling" sensation on my leg.....looked down...and yep, another one.
Now, I know they state that most bird mites are clear, and become reddish after eating, but there is also another strain that are blackish in color (which these were). Now, I've had the feeling for the past few hours of things crawling on me(although I have found no more), and not sure if it is the Google searches, or if some of these bird mites found their way inside by me cleaning the bird poop from under the nest? I have ordered some DE to put outside my front door and in my living room....but I also know most swallows have a second set of young. I do not want to tear down the nest when the babies leave in a few days because of this (and it's been a joy to watch the babies..and the parents eat 60 flying insects per hour for 12 hours a day!!), but I also do not want my home infested by these mites, or the next batch of young to be infested (as I hear this can cause the babies to basically jump from the nest prematurely to escape the mites).
Probably not a mite, but rather a louse. Lice coevolve with a species, so they are usually very specific. The lice that you find on barn swallows, for example, are not likely to suddenly find success on humans or in a human dwelling and they probably have nutritional requirements that you and your family can not provide.
I would get a positive ID on the insect and, if bird lice, not worry about it much.
That's a nice family of barn swallows you've got there. Yes, barn swallows do typically nest twice a season having two broods. At a nature facility near my house, they have barn swallows that come back every year and build a nest right outside a patio door that leads to a garden. By another door on the side of the building, they get phoebes that nest above a light fixture there. In both these places, you can see the droppings that build up over the nesting period. But they don't clean them up until sometime after nesting season. I've helped them with the clean up on some occasions. Here at home, I have phoebes that also build a nest on the side of the house above a vent. I usually clean the area sometime in the fall.
In all the years that's been going on, I have never heard staff or volunteers mention any type of infestation going on there resulting from the birds. I've never had any problems from the birds nesting here at home either. It's possible that the source of your bugs is coming from someplace else.
If you are very concerned about it, I would do what NoMoreSnowForMe suggested about collecting a sample. I personally would send it to my state's extension center where they can identify it instead of to a commercial pest outfit though.
If you are very concerned about it, I would do what NoMoreSnowForMe suggested about collecting a sample. I personally would send it to my state's extension center where they can identify it instead of to a commercial pest outfit though.
Good idea. I was just afraid it might be a dreaded "bedbug" but didn't want to use the "b" word.
I agree with other posters - first positively identify the insect. Most parasites are species-specific and there may not be a need for concern for your health.
Enjoy your barn swallow tenants. The swallow family is pretty cool to watch and a mated pair, once they have successfully raised a clutch at a location, will be elastic to that nest for the rest of their lives... Unless some tragedy befalls them like a screech owl pulling the fledglings out of the nest or, God forbid, some human intervention dislodges them.
Another thought... Bird lice don't often "drop" from a bird nest. It's common to get them on your hands if, for example, you are a bird hunter or you are handling precocious fledglings that have dropped out of the nest, but it may be more likely that what you saw on your iPhone screen was, in fact, a nymphal stage deer tick... Bird lice squish pretty easily. Ticks, not so much.
I know...I can't stop taking pictures and even my kids are starting to make fun of me, lol. I didn't so much think they had dropped out of the nest, but possibly from me cleaning up the bird poo under the nest? I ended up finding one more on me later last night(this one I was able to "squish", unlike the others)...and kept feeling that invisible "something is crawling on me" sensation...it could have be psychological? I ended up washing the clothing I was wearing when I cleaned up the bird poo, and taking a long hot shower...and the "crawly" sensation left after that, and nothing sighted or felt today.
But we do have deer ticks....found one on my dog two weeks back, one on myself the next day, and then my son found one on himself. But these bugs were SO tiny..I'd say smaller than a speck of pepper. So is it possible that I just got a few on my hands while cleaning up under the nest and transferred them into my home? They didn't jump or move very fast..they were crawling. And whatever they were, they didn't actually bite me...just crawled on me, lol. If I find another one, I'll try to preserve it in some clear tape and take it to a pest control specialist just to make sure....hopefully they were just nymph stage ticks as mentioned.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cleonidas
By the way, I forgot to mention...
Enjoy your barn swallow tenants. The swallow family is pretty cool to watch and a mated pair, once they have successfully raised a clutch at a location, will be elastic to that nest for the rest of their lives... Unless some tragedy befalls them like a screech owl pulling the fledglings out of the nest or, God forbid, some human intervention dislodges them.
Another thought... Bird lice don't often "drop" from a bird nest. It's common to get them on your hands if, for example, you are a bird hunter or you are handling precocious fledglings that have dropped out of the nest, but it may be more likely that what you saw on your iPhone screen was, in fact, a nymphal stage deer tick... Bird lice squish pretty easily. Ticks, not so much.
Could they be fleas? I'm not sure about smaller birds like swallows, but when I worked at our local Humane Society years ago, someone brought in an injured Canada goose. It was literally crawling, head to tail with fleas. Ugh!
Yes, I have two dogs, but they both have the Frontline treatments, as well as are sprayed every other day with a natural spray (peppermint oil and cedar extract combination), and have never had a problem with fleas...but these bugs are not fleas...they don't jump, just crawl. When you pick one up off you, it will not try to escape or crawl faster....but I did "squish" one in tissue today, thought it was dead..then touched it again, and it started moving again...so maybe like another poster said they are tick nymphs? And almost certain they came from nest area, as the fledglings left the nest this morning(I was so sad I missed it), so I went out to clean up the poo under the nest again...even was extra careful with rubber gloves, & washing all the way up to my biceps after cleaning. Within minutes, I felt the crawly sensations again...and found one on my chest, and another two on my shirt.....again washed everything I was wearing in hot water, showered, and sprayed down the couch with Lysol...and have not found anymore, so almost positive they are coming from me cleaning the bird poo from under the nest.
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