Thank you for your reply. I think it's coming to an end now here in Suffolk, but it has been awful and I feel that I can't allow it to happen again next year. The dog is showing improvement since the steroid injection and she has steroid tablets for the next few weeks.
The bites are really awful and I only had a few, but my poor husband was badly bitten, and of course you can't see the perpetrators, so it was a mystery until we looked into it further.
Looking into possibly using diamataceous earth - wondering if we dusted the garden plants and soil frequently we may be able to kill them off before the life - cycle starts again next spring.
If anyone has any experience with diamataceous earth in terms of killing harvest mites please let me know.
It sounds awful ... does anyone know if this is a relatively new problem ... I lived in Suffolk most of my life ... on farms and smallholdings in rural areas and never had a problem with mites ... mozzies yes, but never came across mites either on me or my animals.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
As I have now looked into it and read everything I can on the subject, it appears that they can be (for example) in one garden and not in a neighbour's garden. The vet said that they have had a lot of victims in the surgery, very few from the town area, but a lot from outlying villages. We are in a rural village.
I recall we all had a few mystery bites last year, assumed they were mosquito bites. This year another level completely. We need to find a solution as the dog spends a lot of time in the garden and she has had such a miserable time, biting and licking constantly. We thought she had fleas, bathing her and treating her for fleas, but never found anything on her. Now we know it was harvest mites and you can't see them - they have usually bailed out before the itching starts and are too small to see.
I have ordered the diatomaceous earth (think I got the spelling right that time!) and will see if it works. Probably a long wait until next summer but let's see if we can kill them off before spring! Any advice gratefully received!
When they retired my parents lived for some years on the Suffolk coast and walked their dogs on the surrounding heaths ... I recall one of their dogs suffering badly from what the vet diagnosed as mites one year ... if I remember correctly the problem was said to be an allergic reaction to the bites ... I think my parents said they'd been told that some dogs suffer badly, others don't seem to be affected.
Certainly my parents never said they'd been bitten themselves.
Hope you can sort something out.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Please invest in the spray for the dog, and do let me know if your product works, I'm very interested. I can see them on my dog with a magnifying glass, they go to the furless places, between the toes and the belly, armpits etc. You spray it onto your hand (wear gloves) then rub onto the dog.
As I have now looked into it and read everything I can on the subject, it appears that they can be (for example) in one garden and not in a neighbour's garden. The vet said that they have had a lot of victims in the surgery, very few from the town area, but a lot from outlying villages. We are in a rural village.
I recall we all had a few mystery bites last year, assumed they were mosquito bites. This year another level completely. We need to find a solution as the dog spends a lot of time in the garden and she has had such a miserable time, biting and licking constantly. We thought she had fleas, bathing her and treating her for fleas, but never found anything on her. Now we know it was harvest mites and you can't see them - they have usually bailed out before the itching starts and are too small to see.
I have ordered the diatomaceous earth (think I got the spelling right that time!) and will see if it works. Probably a long wait until next summer but let's see if we can kill them off before spring! Any advice gratefully received!
Hello websteruk. My garden is also full of harvest mites so much that I am thinking of redesigning it using gravel and isolated plants instead of the messy but bee-friendly cottage look I have now. I have just read abot this diatomaceous earth, did it work for you? I am also worried about harming beneficial insects. Thank you.
Hi everyone my first post! I have been looking on this site for ages and saw this post so had to join. I get really bad harvest mites or used to until a friend of mine recommended skin so soft original as a deterrent for bites. It's by Avon (I promise I don't sell it) and it worked! It's something in the formula that harvest mites hate. I spray it on before going in the garden... no bites. I forget... Bites. Not sure you can use it with dogs or cats (I have a cat)but seems to work on humans.
Hello all, I’ve been battling harvest mites in the garden for a few years now, have tried Avon original skin so soft but (sorry Minnie12)it doesn’t seem to work for me. Tried the diamaceous earth last year, didn’t work but maybe I applied it at the wrong time? Had to reluctantly try an insecticide this year (in May/early June) and have also had all the grass removed down to about 4 inches below …..but have just had my first bite!
Any ideas as to what I can do next would be so gratefully received- am I treating the garden at the wrong time of year do you think? Have just ordered my usual bulk supply of antihistamine and calamine lotion ☹️
Hi Susanamiller21. I have been battling them for years now. It is getting worse. This is what I do.
Long trousers, long sleeves sprayed with anti tick specifically for clothes (insecticides do not work). I pay particular attention to the bottom of the legs, the elastic of socks and the waist of trousers. I also spray my shoes. I do not spray gloves as I would be touching plants and don't want to poison bees. But I sellotape my wrists with wide double sided tape (the b...ds should get stuck if they try to climb). I also tend to garden early mornings, afternoons are a no. Hope this helps.
Posts
Thank you for your reply. I think it's coming to an end now here in Suffolk, but it has been awful and I feel that I can't allow it to happen again next year. The dog is showing improvement since the steroid injection and she has steroid tablets for the next few weeks.
The bites are really awful and I only had a few, but my poor husband was badly bitten, and of course you can't see the perpetrators, so it was a mystery until we looked into it further.
Looking into possibly using diamataceous earth - wondering if we dusted the garden plants and soil frequently we may be able to kill them off before the life - cycle starts again next spring.
If anyone has any experience with diamataceous earth in terms of killing harvest mites please let me know.
Thanks in advance!
It sounds awful ... does anyone know if this is a relatively new problem ... I lived in Suffolk most of my life ... on farms and smallholdings in rural areas and never had a problem with mites ... mozzies yes, but never came across mites either on me or my animals.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
As I have now looked into it and read everything I can on the subject, it appears that they can be (for example) in one garden and not in a neighbour's garden. The vet said that they have had a lot of victims in the surgery, very few from the town area, but a lot from outlying villages. We are in a rural village.
I recall we all had a few mystery bites last year, assumed they were mosquito bites. This year another level completely. We need to find a solution as the dog spends a lot of time in the garden and she has had such a miserable time, biting and licking constantly. We thought she had fleas, bathing her and treating her for fleas, but never found anything on her. Now we know it was harvest mites and you can't see them - they have usually bailed out before the itching starts and are too small to see.
I have ordered the diatomaceous earth (think I got the spelling right that time!) and will see if it works. Probably a long wait until next summer but let's see if we can kill them off before spring! Any advice gratefully received!
When they retired my parents lived for some years on the Suffolk coast and walked their dogs on the surrounding heaths ... I recall one of their dogs suffering badly from what the vet diagnosed as mites one year ... if I remember correctly the problem was said to be an allergic reaction to the bites ... I think my parents said they'd been told that some dogs suffer badly, others don't seem to be affected.
Certainly my parents never said they'd been bitten themselves.
Hope you can sort something out.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Please invest in the spray for the dog, and do let me know if your product works, I'm very interested. I can see them on my dog with a magnifying glass, they go to the furless places, between the toes and the belly, armpits etc. You spray it onto your hand (wear gloves) then rub onto the dog.
Luxembourg
This is what I do.
Long trousers, long sleeves sprayed with anti tick specifically for clothes (insecticides do not work). I pay particular attention to the bottom of the legs, the elastic of socks and the waist of trousers. I also spray my shoes. I do not spray gloves as I would be touching plants and don't want to poison bees. But I sellotape my wrists with wide double sided tape (the b...ds should get stuck if they try to climb). I also tend to garden early mornings, afternoons are a no.
Hope this helps.
Luxembourg
Sounds like one of these would be just the job @coccinella