More Exquisite Details About Bird Mites as They Relate to My Well Being

 Just for form, I'll round off the bird mite story, even though the saga does continue. We asked the management team to spray for bird mites outside, where the pigeon nest must be. And while they're at it, we suggested, they might locate a nest (as there must be one,) remove it, and take measures to deter further nesting. Some buildings have netting, some have those bird spikes. Careful and comprehensive Internet research told us that the mites wander around looking for fresh blood as soon as the baby pigeons leave the nest. So management did go out there and look around, and did some spraying which, by the way, is a very inadequate solution, and to what degree it's not, pretty temporary. At this point they apparently thought, and acted like, they were done with this whole issue thank goodness. 

Partner continued to research pigeon nesting behavior and bird mite behavior. She found something interesting. Bird mites, when they do wander off, only go a very short distance--just a "few yards," due to the fact that they are so tiny, and move so slowly. I don't know what size monitor you have, but I'll bet a dozen or so of these little guys could stand on the period at the end of this sentence. Or the head of a pin, if not for those pesky dancing angels. 

Armed with this new piece of certainty, that is, the short travel distance of which mites are capable, I measured up the room and the location of the electric outlet through which the mites always arrived. Then we walked around the building and into the alley and did a little measuring and brick counting and looked at the outer wall of the building five flights up, to the part of the wall just opposite the electrical outlet in said room. There was a vent way up there, with no grill. I ran and got my camera, put the zoom lens on it and returned to the scene and got this picture: 

That is a mama pigeon head.

Voy La, as they say. I went to the management again and explained how that is the vent and this is the location of the nest and that is why bird mites are getting into my bedroom and biting me, and please do something about this. 

I said I measured and counted bricks carefully. This vent, along with the nest and pigeons and mites in it, is maybe seven feet from my side of the bed just on the other side of this wall. I mean, it's a stroll in the park even for a little bird mite. 

End of story so far. Five days have gone by. Today I asked about the progress on the bird mite mitigation project, but, no, haven't called the critter control company yet and I'll get back to you as soon as I do. Yup. Thinkyew. Later.

Next Post:  It's almost SepSceneWriMo time, which, like NaNoWriMo, is meant to create a reason to write something only this is looser and seems almost possible and, actually, more interesting. I hope to participate in this. Which springs eternal.  Hope, that is.