There are two basic categories of insecticides: topical poisons, which will kill insects for a few hours at most, and residual poisons, which remain active for weeks or even months.
It is vital to understand the difference between the two and to use both in your strategy for pest management.

Short-lived/ Topical Insecticides
Pyrethrum is by far the most common and safest insecticide used by bird fanciers.
It is a natural product made from the powdered petals of  crysanthemum flowers  and is extremely safe for amateur use. The synthetic version, made in the lab, is called a 'pyrethrin' or a 'pyrethroid', - and is far stronger than the original plant-derived poison.  Aerosol pyrethroids like Johnson's 'Anti-Mite' kill mites on the birds or in cages, through direct contact but they have a low 'persistence' - they do not remain active for very long. One application will kills mites for a few hours or a few days at most. Consequently, mites which hatch a week later will not be caught by the first spraying - you need to repeat the process at an interval designed to catch the next generation of mini-vampires before they breed again.
Pyrethrum dusts, like Johnsons 'Rid-Mite' can be dusted directly onto the bird and throughout its feathers where the insect killing effect will arguably be longer lasting. However, it is vital to remember that pyrethrum gradually loses its power to kill insects when it is stored in contact with the air, so the pyrethrum you bought last year needs to be safely disposed of and replaced with new product this year.

Residual Insecticides
In contrast to short-lived aerosols, persistent or 'residual' poisons remain active in the environment for weeks or even months, killing any mite that comes into the treated area. Harker's Duramitex, active constituent Malathion,  is an 'organo-phospate' poison, similar to the chemical  sheep-dip. This is an extremely useful insecticide, but it is also potentially dangerous and should only ever be used with great caution; rubber gloves and an agricultural spray mask are really necessary to protect your own health. Malathion is an organo-phosphate (O.P.) insecticide - one of a family of poisons developed by the Germans during WWII as a nerve-gas. These substances block nerve impulses - so that insects cannot breathe, or move around and quickly die. Malathion does this by blocking an enzyme called 'cholinesterase' - which insects, birds and humans all need for the nervous system to work properly.

One must be very careful when using any poisons which have the words 'organo-phosphate' or 'anti-cholinesterase' on the label, because they will attack the nervous system of any animal that comes into direct contact. Such products kill insects very effectively, but they could also kill your birds and can even make you very ill, if used wrongly. Following the manufacturer's instructions, I always wear rubber gloves and an agricultural spray mask when using Duramitex/ malathion and remove all birds from the room until the insecticide is dried and the room has been fully aired.  Malathion is toxic if you breathe the spray and even more toxic if absorbed directly through the skin on your hands; it would be fatal if swallowed in large amounts. A single dose by inhalation can affect the human immune system and a heavy dose can cause numbness, tingling sensations, lack of co-ordination, headache, dizziness, tremor, nausea, abdominal cramps, sweating, blurred vision, breathing difficulty and slow heartbeat. Very high doses, ingested by mouth, result in unconsciousness, convulsions and death.

I stress this, not to put you off using this extremely useful insecticide, but because it is a serious poison and must  always be used responsibly. A previous contributor to Cagebirds - a senior figure in the canary fancy, actually wrote that he simply emptied a bottle of Duramitex into a bucket of water then hand-dipped his birds into the poison! I strongly advise you not to do anything as suicidal as this, but to use this chemical as the manufacturer's direct - with caution and respect.  It is after all related to WWII nerve gases.

Ivermectin
In America, the modern treatment for Canary Lung Mites, Scaly Leg Mites, Red Mite and Northern Mite is the cattle-drug, Ivermectin (marketed as 'Scatt' in the USA). Used in a much greater dilution for birds, a single drop is applied to the bare skin at the back of the neck, or under the wing, from where it is absorbed direct into the blood. This is a systemic drug which remains in the bloodstream and kills any mite that bites the bird over the next few months; it also kills all intestinal parasites such as tapeworms and roundworms. The active chemical is called Moxidectin but it is universally marketed as Ivermectin or Ivomec. It is generally only available from a vet, unless you are a farmer, in which case you can buy it by the gallon. Just 10 mls of dilute solution will treat over a hundred canaries at least twice per season.
However, many expert fanciers object strongly to the use of a drug with birds, that was designed for cattle; they also object to the idea of using this drug as a 'preventative' or as part of a regular management regime.

                            Graham White

 
 

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