Red mite is the most economically significant ectoparasite in poultry globally, causing anemia, stress, and reduced welfare in hundreds of millions of laying hens.
Red mite infestation causes chronic suffering — hens in infested flocks show restlessness, perch avoidance, anemia, and reduced immunity. The stress of nightly blood-feeding drives behavioral changes that persist even after treatment. At commercial scale, affecting hundreds of millions of hens across Europe alone, red mite represents one of the largest causes of preventable poultry welfare harm.