General
General
Dermanyssus gallinae, the poultry red mite, chicken mite or roost mite, is a major pest of fowl, pigeons, and other caged birds worldwide. A parasite especially common to poultry breeding and egg production operations, it is directly responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in egg industry losses every year. Despite its common names, Dermanyssus gallinae can parasitize a wide range of hosts, including mammals. Infestation rates are often higher in less intensive farming systems, such as barns, free-range and organic farming because the environments provide more opportunities for the mite to evade chemical control measures.