 During certain times of the year, insects can cause turmoil for your flock. Insects can cause many kinds of problems that range from mild annoyance to the extreme of death. At the very least, insects such as gnats can mob a flock for several weeks and bite birds mercilessly. Other insects such as mosquitoes and cockroaches are known to carry diseases that can negatively affect your flock. A flock that is completely overwhelmed by insects, be they ectoparasites or just flying insects, can have their discomfort and ill health translate into a drop in egg number or quality. Lastly, your flock may be beloved by your family. But if the neighbors perceive your flock as being a source of insects, then complaints may be made to your homeowner's association or the city or the county that you reside in. Let's start by talking about flying insects that do not live on your chickens. Female mosquitoes will often land on the exposed flesh of the comb or waddles and have a blood meal. The problem with mosquitoes is that they can be carriers of the falpox virus, which is a disease of birds. Falpox can be vaccinated for annually if you live in an area with a high number of mosquitoes. Nats are smaller than mosquitoes but take blood meals from the face area of chickens. Nats can be found in moist areas and will breed in running water. Nats can also carry the falpox virus from bird to bird. Fighting flies are a nuisance to humans and chickens alike. Fighting flies are black flies and can also be referred to as buffalo nats or turkey nats. They can attack in swarms. They carry a toxin in their saliva and can kill chickens if there are enough bites. There are insect parasites that can live or feed on your chickens and we call them ectoparasites or external parasites. The chicken louse or shaft louse are both types of lice that live on chickens. They not only feed on the blood of the chicken but also the scabs and feathers of the bird. Their numbers can quickly get out of control causing birds to lose sleep, lose weight, and then die. Mites are in the spider family as they have eight legs. There are two main kinds of mites you need to know. The northern phalomite and the red mite which is also known as the chicken mite. The red mite feeds on birds only at night while the northern phalomite lives on the birds day and night. Nuisance insects can cause problems with neighbors and be bothersome for you, the flock owner. Cockroaches can take advantage of cracks and crevices in your coop as well as feed on feces and chicken feed. They are known to harbor salmonella which can be passed by the hen to the chick or passed into the yolk of an egg destined for your plate. They also can harbor parasitic worm eggs. Houseflies can get out of control if good management is not used with your flock. This is likely to be one of the first complaints made by neighbors if they perceive your flock is causing an uptick in the number of flies seen. Hoverflies are much like houseflies but they tend to hover in shaded areas or inside buildings. They do not like to land on food or people as much but can still gather in large numbers. When you are working outside you will likely feel the presence of mosquitoes and gnats at about the same time as your chickens. Watch the behavior of your chickens. If they huddle in the coop trying to cover their heads to get away from gnats or biting insects then it is time to take action. Examine your chickens if you see any kind of scab on the comb or head as it may be the dry form of phalpox. There is a wet form which is more dangerous so it is a good idea to examine any wounds that you spot on the chicken's head and face. If you are like many backyard chicken owners you know your chickens by heart anyhow and take action as soon as something looks out of sorts. Damage from ectoparasites is less easily spotted. First spend time watching your chickens. If they are spending more time preening around their vent or under their wings then you may need to give these areas your attention. You will need to closely examine the skin of your bird especially below the vent where feathers are fluffy and easily hide external parasites. Lice and mites crawl on the skin but can also be seen on the fluffy lower parts of the feather. The exception to the rule is the shaft louse which is found on the long feathers like the wing and does not readily move when examined. The chicken body louse runs quickly and is about the size of a half grain of rice. The northern phal mite looks like dirt and moves slowly. They also stay on the bird day and night. The red mite lives in the chicken coop environment and feeds on the bird only at night so take a flashlight to the coop after they have gone to roost and check at the junction of the scales and feathers on the legs. Pick up and examine your birds to make sure they are maintaining a healthy weight. Weight loss could be due to a persistent external parasite problem. Monitoring the fly population is fairly easy. All you need is a pen or pencil, a 3 by 5 inch white index card and a thumbtack. Write the date on one side of the card. This day is the day that you place the card in the coop. Flip the card over and place it inside the space that is most affected by flies. You may wish to have more than one card depending on the number of spaces and countering fly problems. Use the thumbtack to hold the card in place and leave it in the coop for a week. When you take the card out, count the number of fly droppings. If you count a hundred or more fly droppings, then it is time to take action. There are no recommendations for monitoring cockroach numbers for poultry so it is up to you to decide when you want to take action. For annoying blood-sucking insects, your most potent action will be your prevention measures. Mosquitoes and gnats like moist conditions so do not overwater plants or your lawn and you will knock back those numbers. Also take the time to walk around your property and empty out accumulated water. You can look in fountains, children toys, saucers beneath planters and also in old tires. Gutters that do not empty well or downspots with corrugated diverters at the bottom are breeding locations for mosquitoes. You could purchase biting fly traps at many local businesses or through the internet. To make gnat traps, poke several small holes in the lid of a large mason jar and fill the jar halfway with apple cider vinegar. Add a few drops of dish soap to make the fluid. Two viscous for the gnats to escape. Close the jar and place in the coop up high. You may need to make several of these and place them around the outside of the coop as well. Every few days, dump out the collected gnats, wash the jar and refill with the vinegar-soaked mixture. Some vlog owners choose to move a bug zapper into the coop to help in times of severe infestation that may occur in spring. However, keep in mind that it needs to be mounted out of the way of your chickens. In the case of biting flies, you will need to act quickly. If you catch the attack in progress, then you should have a permethrin spray on hand and spray it directly on the birds to deter the flies. Removing external parasites means more than just getting the insects off of your chickens. Thankfully, you can start with a simple bath to get the majority of insects off of your chickens. This does not remove any insect eggs that are attached to the feathers, so you will need to employ an insecticide that comes from the chrysanthemum flower called permethrin. Permethrin is sprayed directly on the skin, but is also used to spray in the coop after a full cleanout. A full cleanout means removing bedding, all equipment, cobwebs, dust and nest boxes. You will then clean the coop with an insecticidal soap like Murphy's oil soap or safer soap, after which you will have to rinse it, let it dry and then apply another coat of permethrin. This whole process can take a couple of days, so it certainly behooves you to keep external parasites under control in order to spend more time enjoying your flock rather than dealing with cleanup. Flies like moisture for reproduction, so keep your bedding dry. If you spill water in the coop or a rainstorm soaks the bedding, it will be necessary to replace the bedding. A manure that is wet from diarrhea or from buildup under purchase needs to be spread out thinly so it dries quickly. Otherwise, compost the manure to prevent fly growth. You can use fly traps to control house and hoverflies, changing them out when they are full, but you can also use sticky fly strips which are also effective. For cockroaches you can use insecticidal gels, but since chickens eat cockroaches, you may opt for shallow bowls containing a 50-50 mixture of sugar and baking soda with water to make a mixture that has some staying power for a few days in the coop. Insecticidal sprays can be used but should be restricted to potential entry and exit points used by the cockroaches. Insects know what they are doing when it comes to living and breeding around the coop. Diseases caused by insects can quickly kill your flock. It is up to you to make sure that you and your flock have the upper hand as the seasons challenge you with new insects. Now you have strategies to keep insects at bay and your flock healthy.