Bird Mites

The panic that can ensue from a suspected bird mite infestation can be overwhelming and intense. I found this to be true when a site that I take care of called me for a bird problem they were having in the ceiling. It was reported that the room the birds were found in had people reporting getting bitten and itching. When my pest control person went in there and took down the drop ceiling tile there was a giant nest and he pulled 4 birds out of there. The nest fell in and the room was full of bird mites. They were able to be seen best on the black phone as they scurried. The room and nest was treated with Talstar, a miticide, and sterifab, and the room shut down for a few days. A few days later the housekeeper went in and threw away the nesting, bleached the entire room, and all was fine.
I decided to investigate bird mites further on the Internet that night and found a site that gives some alarmist information and frankly the info was not true. My fear was these mites could infest peoples homes and, like fleas, take a blood meal from their human hosts, reproducing and becoming a major problem. The website I found that is in question would have folks fumigate their homes and go through crazy measures to get rid of a problem that is not a human problem but bird problem. The facts are as follow:
Bird mites need a bird blood meal to reproduce, not a human blood meal.
Bird mites can bite and be a problem for people, but if you find the bird nest they are coming from, get rid of it, and treat your home as normal, you can get rid of them. They will not multiply into million of mites taking over your entire home.
The fact of the matter is there is no need to panic. Identify the problem and treat. Simple.
For more info that is factual look at this site from Penn State.
http://www.ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/birdmites.htm