Oakmont Mites Control

Mites contrary to what people assume are not insects at all and are closely related to Ticks except smaller and with softer bodies. Several species of Mites do attack man such as Itch and Follicle Mites.

Mites can spread Rickettsialpox and sensitized people will show allergic reactions such as Asthma and Dermatosis.

Mite Control at Oakmont Environmental is handled differently, we understand that most Mites species come from the outdoors such as are Chigger, Northern Fowl, Bird, House Mouse, Mushroom, Straw Itch or Clover Mites.

For those of you who are unfortunate enough to have Mites in your home Oakmont uses two methods to rid you of them:

Synthetic chemicals and a True IPM approach
A Green Hybrid approach with a mix of Thermal & Synthetic Pest Control for FASTER Results

Our Green Hybrid uses the thermal mortality of the targeted Mite species with a species specific synthetic residual to prevent re-infestation and is an exclusive Oakmont Environmental product.

We refer to its a “ONE & DONE” Mite Treatment to get your allegory problem under control because there is simply no other method to kill, get rid of or knock down a greater percentage of the Mite population in such a short period of time.

The advantages of a “ONE & DONE” Green Hybrid approach over traditional treatments is numerous such as:

Initial Treatment completed in 1 day with same day results
No Prep as initial treatment uses ZERO Chemicals
KILLS ALL STAGES of Wood Boring Beetles in treated areas

After we have conducted our systematic thermal Mite genocide we can start a strict Green IPM (Integrated Pest Management) program using as few pesticides as possible. Oakmont will create Perimeter Barriers using lower impact synthetics and that will keep the Mites from returning!

Mites are not indigenous to your indoors or outdoor recreation areas and therefore should not be there. The Oakmont first step in our Mite control program is to Restore the Natural Ordermaking insects want to stay outdoors in the soil, where they belong. This is all part of the Green IPM (Integrated Pest Management) approach that we follow at Oakmont Environmental, which mandates that we perform the following: Monitoring, Educating, Communicating, Integrating Controls, Thresholds and Evaluation.

Adhering to these strict Green IPM principles is only one way Oakmont serves both Residential and Business customers better. We also try to use as few pesticides as possible. Instead, we use a hybrid blend of organic, synthetic and nutritional products working in harmony with your surroundings to control invasive insect species.

Common NJ Mites That We Target

Bird or Fowl Mites

“Bird mites”, “Tropical fowl mites” or “Starling Mites” are the common names used to describe the mite Ornithonyssus bursa from the family of mites Macronyssidae. These mites are often incorrectly called ‘bird lice’, particularly within the pest control industry. Bird mites are most active during Spring and early Summer.

Ornithonyssus bursa is a small but extremely mobile mite, barely visible to the eye, with eight legs (except the larva that has 6), oval in shape and with a sparse covering of short hairs. The mite is widely distributed throughout warmer regions of the world. It is a parasite, feeding on the blood of common birds including pigeons, starlings, sparrows, Indian mynahs, poultry, and some wild birds. Bird mites are semi-transparent in color, which makes them difficult to detect on skin until blood is ingested and then digested; when they may appear reddish to blackish.

Contact with humans usually occurs after birds gain entry to roof cavities via broken tiles or through unprotected eaves, of homes, factories, barns and other dwellings to construct their nests in early spring or summer.

However, some infestations also occur from birds roosting on the outside of dwellings such as window ledges or awnings. The mites feed on the unfeathered nestlings, as well as the adult birds, and the large amount of nesting material used by the birds provide the mites with an ideal environment in which to thrive. The mites have a short life cycle (approximately 7 days) and can rapidly generate large populations.

When the young birds leave the nest, or die, many mites (often many tens of thousands) are left behind in the absence of a suitable host, and these will disperse from the nest into and throughout the dwelling searching for new hosts. Most mites will die within 3 weeks without a blood meal from a bird host. They will bite humans they encounter but cannot survive on humans.

http://blog-yard-garden-news.extension.umn.edu/2009/08/bird-mites.html
http://medent.usyd.edu.au/fact/birdmite.html

Chigger Mites

Are very small, reddish mites that feed only in the larval stage on humans and other animals, particularly rodents. The red color of the larvae is not blood but a natural red pigment. On animals, chigger larvae remain attached to the skin for several days but on humans, they are usually dislodged within several hours of attachment.

Unlike scabies mites, chiggers do not burrow into the skin. They feed at the base of a hair follicle or in a pore. Chiggers generally attach to those areas of the body where clothing fits tightly, such as at the sock line and waistline. Larvae ingest lymph and partially digested cells after the chigger attaches. The bites commonly cause itching in about 3 to 6 hours and dermatitis develops in about 10 to 16 hours. Some people experience allergic reactions to the bites and develop blister-like lesions.

Chiggers do not transmit any disease agents to people. The adults and nymphs are free-living predators of insects. In the South, chiggers are active virtually year round. They are commonly encountered at the woodland borders, along the periphery of swamps, and in shrub thickets and unmowed areas of lawn. Areas that contain thick layers of pine straw, leaf litter or thatch are suitable habitats for chiggers and their prey.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/scabies-and-chiggers/

Clover Mites

Plant feeders that occasionally invade homes. These mites do not attack people, and although vast numbers of them can enter homes, they will not reproduce under indoor conditions and will perish shortly of their own accord. Since the conclusion of World War II, the mite has become more common as a household pest. This increase in activity may be related in some way to an increased use of lawn fertilizers.

The soil nutrient level or plant vigor and the proximity of the lawn to the house are factors that appear to govern the incidence of infestation. It is during the spring, however, that the mites become the greatest nuisances to homeowners. As early as mid-January warm weather spells can produce activity from overwintering mites.

Mites located in the vicinity of buildings may climb the exterior walls and gain entrance around windows or doors. If the mites are overwintering under the building siding or within the wall voids, they may become active and enter the living areas rather than exiting to the outside.

http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/clover-mites

Follicle / Demodx Mites

Two species living on humans have been identified: Demodex folliculorum and Demodex brevis, both frequently referred to as eyelash mites. Different species of animals host different species of Demodex. Demodex canis lives on the domestic dog. Infestation with Demodex is common and usually does not cause any symptoms, although occasionally some skin diseases can be caused by the mites.

The Demodex mite is an eight-legged (an arachnid) ectoparasite (living on the surface of the host) that can reside in our hair follicles and sebaceous glands. Of the 65 described Demodex species, only Demodex brevis and Demodex folliculorum are found on humans. Demodex is contracted and spread by either direct contact or dust containing eggs.

The adult D. brevis mite is about 0.2 mm long and tends to live inside the lash’s sebaceous glands and in meibomian glands. It has been suggested that D. brevis can be associated with meibomian gland disease and subsequent tear lipid deficiency. D. folliculorum buries itself face down near the root of the eyelash and it is associated with anterior blepharitis.

D. folliculorum is longer, at about 0.4 mm in length, and has a more slender, tapered body than D. brevis. D. folliculorum often live in clusters, where D. brevis are more solitary.

http://goo.gl/KvEYZ3

Grain Mites

The grain or flour mites are one of the most important mites infesting food and feed products, cereals, dried vegetable materials, cheese, corn and dried fruits. Grain mites proliferate under high moisture conditions and are often found in conjunction with fungal growth. Severe infestations result in brownish tinge over the commodity, called “mite dust” because of the light brown coloring of the mite legs. This “mite dust” gives off a “minty” odor if the mites are crushed.

Grain mites are widely distributed throughout the temperate regions, but only occur in tropical areas unless a constant influx of new mites is supplied via contaminated goods. Grain mites primarily attack the germ. However, they will feed on other parts of the kernel, as well as mold growing on the grain. These mites are responsible for the spread of various fungal spores throughout a grain mass and into adjoining bins.

When present in large numbers, the flour or grain mites promote sweating and impart a disagreeable odor to the grain. Grain mites can cause “grocer’s itch” in humans exposed to the mites. Some persons may be allergic to mites.

http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/flour-and-grain-mites

House Dust Mites

The house dust mite (HDM) is a cosmopolitan pyroglyphid that lives in human habitation. Dust mites feed on organic detritus, such as flakes of shed human skin, and flourish in the stable environment of dwellings. House dust mites are a common cause of asthma and allergic symptoms worldwide. The mite’s gut contains potent digestive enzymes (notably proteases) that persist in their feces and are major inducers of allergic reactions such as wheezing.

The mite’s exoskeleton can also contribute to allergic reactions. The European house dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) and the American house dust mite (Dermatophagoides farinae) are two different species, but are not necessarily confined to Europe or North America; a third species Euroglyphus maynei also occurs widely.

Unlike scabies mites or skin follicle mites, house dust mites do not burrow under the skin and are not parasitic. House dust mites are associated with allergic rhinitis and asthma. Efforts to remove these mites from the environment directly by homeowners have, however, not been found to be effective. Most dust covers have also not been found to be effective.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_dust_mite

Itch or Scabies Mites

Commonly known as the scabies, mange or itch mite, is a parasite of humans and other animals. Scabies mites are host-specific. The varieties of scabies that infest domestic animals can penetrate the skin of humans and cause the typical itching and rash, but they cannot complete their life cycles there.

The adult female burrows into the outer layer of the skin (epidermis) where she feeds on tissue fluids and lays eggs that she cements to the floor of the burrow. Females lay eggs at a rate of up to 3 per day for a period of 8 weeks, producing about 200 eggs over her lifetime. These eggs hatch in 3-4 days and the newly-hatched larvae emerge from the burrows onto the surface of the skin and molt to form the first nymphal stage.
The rash and intense itching associated with scabies occurs when the nymphs burrow into the skin and begin feeding. These symptoms usually appear several weeks to a month after the initial infestation. The majority of mites are found in lesions in folds of skin between the fingers, on the sides of the feet, on the wrists and genitals, and in the bends of the knees and elbows.

After feeding on tissue fluids, the nymphs molt to become adults. The life cycle, from egg to adult, can be completed in about two weeks. Scabies mites are readily transmitted within families and within institutions such as nursing homes. Personal contact, particularly holding or shaking the hands of an infested person, is a principal method by which the mites are spread. Intimate contact and sleeping with an infected person can also spread the mites.

http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/scabies/gen_info/faqs.html
https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/mites.htm

Tropical Rat / Rodent / Mice Mites

Ornithonyssus bacoti bacoti is a hematophagous parasite commonly referred to as the tropical rat mite. They feed only on blood and serum from many hosts. They can be found and cause disease on rats and wild rodents most commonly, but also small mammals and humans when other hosts are scarce. Outbreaks tend to occur in older, less maintained buildings.

The mite however can travel several hundred feet on its own if necessary to find a host and can survive for extended periods of time without a host. This along with the nonspecific dermatitis it causes can prevent accurate and fast diagnosis of rat mite dermatitis. The scarcity of reports, due in part to misdiagnosis and also the mildness of its symptoms makes the disease seem less common than it is. The tropical rat mite can be found in both temperate and tropical regions or rather all continents except the arctic and Antarctic.

When the tropical rat mite bites its host, it causes an inflammatory reaction to its saliva and then pruritic nonspecific dermatitis. In children especially, vesicular or eczematous reactions sometimes occur. Secondary excoriations due to scratching are common. Papular urticaria has been suggested as developing in some people.

Lab demonstrations have proved that the mite is at least capable of vectoring murine typhus, rickettsialpox, tularemia, plague, coxsackievirus and Q fever although it has not been known to do so outside the lab. There were some reports by Selmire and Dove and Ram et al that the mite was capable of vectoring human typhus but these reports are not generally accepted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornithonyssus_bacoti