Mites from hay - I'm being bitten, not the piggies!

[Sue991]

I've brought a hay bale and have found that I'm getting loads of bites. My dog is on flea treatment so I'm pretty sure it's not fleas. Is it possible that there could be something in the hay causing the problem? The piggies appear to be OK but my OH and myself are being eaten alive!

Thanks.?/ :{

 

[MrsM]

sounds nasty. No idea what it can be but I feel really sorry for you guys.

 

[Leilalouise]

I had the same problem! I had a new bale of hay & after about 2 days of using it I had loads of little tiny bites everywhere & was scratching like mad. Like you I initially suspected the dog (bless, she gets blamed for everything) but she's flea'd regularly & nothing to see on inspection so I deduced it could only be the hay as nothing else had changed. I spoke to a few friends & they suggested steaming the hay, as you would for horses. So I made myself a DIY steamer (black plastic bin with a slot cut out at the top so I could put a pole across it, put a few litres of boiled water in the bin, fill a haynet with hay, hang it on the pole & put the lid on, leave for about 30 mins-1 hr - et voila, steamed hay). I have to say this worked a treat; no more itching since & piggies don't seem to be bothered by the steaming & tuck in heartily.

 

[susie_q]

Maybe pop along to your doctors and get the bites checked out - perhaps they'll be able to identify them. Could they be from midges? I've noticed that they've suddenly all appeared so maybe the midges are getting you on your evening walk!

I've never heard of mites, which are animal specific, or lice (which I also belive can be animal specific?) biting humans. :S Fleas are a different matter though.... Try not to scratch too much!

 

[Shiltontwister]

My vet told me one way to get rid of mites in hay is to put it in the freezer for a little while. I don't expect he meant the whole bale at once, so I put some in a black bin bag and put it in freezer like that.p

 

[cluuuuur]

You might find that it's not mites. I have quite bad hayfever, with allergies to a range of different pollens and grasses. If my arms, neck or hands come into contact with hay I come up in tiny, itchy red welts...as I found out the first time I climbed into the hayloft at a riding stables!

If it's hay from a new place, you may find that it's a different type of hay to the one you were using before, hence the allergy.

If you're safe to, you could try some over the counter allergy tablets to see if this helps at all. If it seems you are allergic, the best thing you can do is keep covered when coming into contact with the hay (and unfortunately the pigs for a while, until you go back to a hay to which you don't react)