Author Topic: Feather mites (Read 1552 times)

UrsusNil · « **on:** November 19, 2019, 05:45:40 PM »

I noticed some of my fletching has been sampled by feather mites. I keep my arrows in the shipping boxes, and just added some cedar sachets. I'm thinking mothballs might give my arrows an undesirable smell, but then again, the deer just might think some little old lady was out for a walk in the woods, nothing to fear!

How do you guys keep the mites at bay?

the rifleman · « **Reply #1 on:** November 19, 2019, 07:11:01 PM »

I use mothballs all the time. They work and I don't think ive ever alerted a deer by their smell.

McDave · « **Reply #2 on:** November 19, 2019, 07:21:33 PM »

I've had some feathers eaten by mites or something from time to time. I'm not enough of an expert to say exactly what was eating them. I've never treated the arrows to try to stop it. What I noticed was a little bit of eating, and then it stopped. It's like some bugs hatched, ate, and then either died or flew away. If they flew away, they didn't come back. My guess is that they probably died, or I would see more eaten spots on the feathers. Anyway, it's just a thought that maybe if you do nothing, it will stop on it's own.

Daniel G. Banting · « **Reply #3 on:** November 19, 2019, 07:26:09 PM »

Borax is a good repellent.

Captain*Kirk · « **Reply #4 on:** November 19, 2019, 08:11:45 PM »

Hard to say. Most of my feathers get all torn up before any sort of bug can find them.

Orion · « **Reply #5 on:** November 19, 2019, 08:36:49 PM »

Freeze them. The feathers, or entire arrows. That will kill the mites. I got this advice from as an entomologist friend. To prevent recurrences, I throw my feathers in the freezer occasionally, though I suspect some of the other remedies mentioned also work.

Hot Hap · « **Reply #6 on:** November 19, 2019, 09:25:23 PM »

I had that problem back in the 60' s and 70's. I was told Borax. Put a teaspoon in with feathers and no mites.

Hap

M60gunner · « **Reply #7 on:** November 19, 2019, 09:31:49 PM »

I also have read that freezing kills the mites. I believe it was on another site during a conversation about processing feathers from harvested birds.

Roy from Pa · « **Reply #8 on:** November 19, 2019, 09:48:55 PM »

I had boxes of wild turkey feathers in the shop, they got infested with mites, what a mess...

LoneRanger · « **Reply #9 on:** November 20, 2019, 05:18:01 AM »

Could someone share a picture of mite damaged feathers?? I don't believe I've ever seen this!

KentuckyWolf · « **Reply #10 on:** November 20, 2019, 07:15:28 AM »

Only ever had it happen on fresh turkey feathers....freeze them right a away...and never had the problem again.

Kudu Kid · « **Reply #11 on:** November 20, 2019, 08:27:22 AM »

I give my a misting of permethrin.

Jon Stewart · « **Reply #12 on:** November 20, 2019, 08:52:42 AM »

I freeze for a week, pull them out for a few days and freeze again. I do this 3 or 4 times in case there are mite eggs to hatch. I have not had a problem since I started doing this.

MCNSC · « **Reply #13 on:** November 21, 2019, 09:00:55 AM »

Been wondering about this, I have some old arrows I would like to display and was wondering how to keep mites away. You just use borax powder or mix it with water , also does it leave any residue or discoloration?

Daniel G. Banting · « **Reply #14 on:** November 21, 2019, 10:49:18 AM »

Just use the Borax dry. If you are going to do fletched arrows I'd put a little in a plastic bag then put the fletched end of the arrow inside and give it a bit of a shake. I suppose there is "some residue" or else it wouldn't act as a repellent but it is not visible. Best of luck with your display.

Ps. All that was mentioned about freezing is correct as well. I keep all the primaries from birds I've shot in the freezer until I actually process them.

MCNSC · « **Reply #15 on:** November 21, 2019, 04:30:41 PM »

Danial, thanks for clarifying that for me.

Eric Krewson · « **Reply #16 on:** November 22, 2019, 10:39:30 AM »

Daniel has it, I have been doing the same for the last 20 years. I put my full length ground feathers in a huge ziplock bag with a few tablespoons of borax and give them a shake periodically, no bugs.

UrsusNil · « **Reply #17 on:** November 23, 2019, 04:55:07 PM »

Quote from: LoneRanger on November 20, 2019, 05:18:01 AM

Could someone share a picture of mite damaged feathers?? I don't believe I've ever seen this!

McDave · « **Reply #18 on:** November 23, 2019, 05:45:30 PM »

I notice that your feather mite damage is on a dyed feather, as were mine. It seems that most of the people who have continuing feather mite problems have those problems on natural, undyed feathers. As I said in my earlier post, I have had this problem from time to time, but the damage doesn’t seem to spread beyond the level you show in your photo, and I don’t treat my feathers with anything. I wonder if there is something in the dye that kills the mites so they can’t spread?

UrsusNil · « **Reply #19 on:** November 23, 2019, 08:05:12 PM »

McDave, this is from a feather I just purchased, fresh out of the package. I just happened to have the picture because I sent it to the vendor. They are a very reputable company and I wanted them to be aware of the problem so they can catch it.

I've never had a problem with mites before this year, and I've been shooting with feathers for quite a few years!


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Author Topic: Feather mites (Read 1552 times)

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