Activation of the poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae (Acari : Dermanyssidae), by increasing temperatures

The poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae, is a parasite of layers in Europe. In order to improve our understanding of the host-searching behaviour of these mites their sensitivity to slowly increasing temperatures was studied under laboratory conditions. Temperatures increasing as slowly as 0.005 degreesC/s (over a one min period) were effective in activating the mites. The speed of the temperature change is more important than the temperature change itself for this activation process. This knowledge of the host-searching process could facilitate the development of new control strategies.