We have developed a, what appears to be, hay mite infestation in our warehouse. We stock feed, hay etc and need to eradicate without damaging the stock. We live in a hot climate so this is just going to get worse and recent attempts at spraying have not been effective. They keep coming back.
Can you guide us in the right direction.
Regards,
R. N.
Hay mites in small numbers will tend to go unnoticed in most any environment. But if you keep large quantities of hay or straw in storage or processing facilities like a warehouse, at some point there will be some migration into the facility itself. If conditions are right, any one migration can lead to an ongoing problem as explained in our HAY MITE CONTROL article. It sounds like this has finally happened inside your warehouse.
Treating the hay mite infestation will involve an ongoing pest control program. Since you didn’t state what the hay will be used for, I’m not sure if you will be limited in treatment options. If the hay is not to be eaten or consumed by animals, I’d recommend either spraying or fogging with PERMETHRIN. This odorless active works well on hay mites and can provide 2-4 weeks of residual. In theory you should be able to keep the hay mites in check by treating on a regular basis. Use a good PUMP SPRAYER to apply the Permethrin but if your plant is large, a FOGGING MACHINE will prove to be a more efficient way to do the work.
If the hay is to be used as food for animals you should limit your treatments to something which won’t have an active residual. Such treatments can still control the mites but keep the hay safe to consume. VEGETABLES PLUS uses the same active but has a 7-14 “days to harvest” labeling which means after this time period, the treated item can be consumed safely. Since the product won’t last as long you will probably need to increase the frequency of applications. I would suggest once a week to start and then adjust as needed.
Hay mites can be a challenge to control when the local environment is warm, moist and large. Regular pest control treatments can eliminate the infestation but if you’re bringing in regular shipments of hay, there will always be a new supply of the mites available. To establish long term control in such conditions, it’s important that you treat on a regular basis. If you have further questions, give us a call on our toll free 1-800-877-7290.
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