How do chicken mites reproduce? - briefly
Female mites deposit eggs on the host’s skin; the eggs hatch into larvae that progress through protonymph, deutonymph and adult stages, completing the cycle in roughly a week under warm conditions. Mating occurs on the bird, with males fertilizing females to produce the next generation.
How do chicken mites reproduce? - in detail
Chicken mites undergo a direct, sexual life cycle that progresses through five distinct stages: egg, larva, protonymph, deutonymph, and adult. Each stage requires a blood meal from the host bird before molting to the next form. The entire cycle can be completed in 5–7 days under optimal conditions (temperature 25–30 °C, relative humidity 70–80 %).
Females lay eggs on the surface of the bird’s skin or within the nesting material. An individual can deposit 1–2 eggs per day, with total clutch sizes reaching 30–70 eggs over her lifespan. Eggs are elongated, whitish, and hatch after 2–3 days.
Larvae emerge without functional legs and feed briefly before molting into protonymphs. The protonymph, equipped with three pairs of legs, requires a blood meal lasting several hours, then molts into a deutonymph. The deutonymph, larger and more mobile, also feeds before the final molt to the adult stage.
Adult mites are sexually dimorphic: males are smaller, possess elongated forelegs for grasping females, and live only a few days. Females mature within 24 hours after the final molt, begin oviposition shortly thereafter, and can survive up to three weeks if a host remains available.
Mating occurs shortly after adult emergence. Males locate receptive females using pheromonal cues, grasp the female’s abdomen, and transfer sperm via a short copulatory organ. Fertilized females store sperm in a spermatheca, allowing continuous egg production without repeated mating.
Population expansion accelerates in warm, humid environments where host birds are densely housed. Under such conditions, a single female can generate several hundred descendants within a month, leading to rapid infestations. Control measures therefore target environmental parameters (temperature reduction, humidity control) and interrupt the reproductive cycle by eliminating eggs and immature stages through thorough cleaning of nesting areas.