Homestead
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If you go to feed your livestock and notice the grain seems to be swirling, you probably know something’s not right.
You’re seeing grain mites, also called flour mites, tiny arachnids that are related to spiders and scorpions. The mites are almost too small to see on their own, but when an infestation is severe, they collect in drifts of “mite dust.”
They multiply fast: each female can lay hundreds of eggs.
These mites aren’t the only pest that can harm your stored grains and your animals, but they can follow you home from the feed mill, eat the nutritional parts of the grain that your livestock need, sometimes spread disease-carrying fungi and hitchhike to your pantry.
Feed mills and supply stores are common sources of grain mites, although they could also come in from the outdoors or travel to the barn with you from the kitchen.
Mites travel easily on the wind and by hitchhiking with animals, insects and people. They thrive in hot, humid conditions, so the winter will slow down their reproduction — although possibly not enough to kill them off completely.
If you find mites, throw away remaining feed and feed containers or, if it’s a small amount, put it in the freezer for a few days to kill the mites. It’s risky to feed it to your animals. In addition to the lost nutritional value, the mites can cause intestinal inflammation, diarrhea and allergic reactions in horses, for example.
Then, scrub out the storage area, paying special attention to any cracks and crevices.
You can use soap and water and/or a chemical miticide. If you don’t want to use an insecticide, sprinkling diatomaceous earth around can dry out the mites.
Don’t be discouraged if you need to do this more than once; the mites have about a month-long life cycle, so it may take some time.
Like with any pest, it’s best to avoid getting them in the first place. You can do that in a few ways.
If you can, order small amounts of feed so it isn’t sitting for months at a time. Clean and sanitize feed bins between each order, and avoid storing them in hot, humid places. Inspecting your grain regularly for any signs of the mites can help you catch them before they reach the swirling-vortex point.
If you do find grain mites in feed you’ve purchased from a mill, report it to the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Spokesperson Jim Britt said the department hasn’t received any reports of contaminated feed; if it does, the department’s quality assurance team will investigate and test feed samples.
If the investigation shows contamination came from just one seller, the department will work with that business to recall bad feed and contact customers who bought it. The department might continue monitoring afterward.
If it’s a large-scale contamination, the protocol is different, Britt said. Vendors might be asked to recall the feed, and if they aren’t willing to, the department could issue a recall together with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A review afterward might recommend changes for the seller.
