Please tell me about sweet itch and midges...

[Jane&Ziggy]

Because I don't understand why, if sweet itch is caused by a midge saliva allergy, horses prone to sweet itch are less likely to suffer from it if kept far north, such as in Shetland.

Aren't far northern places haunted by droves, swarms, clouds of midges in summer?

Wally, you must know the answer to this one!

 

[learningcurve]

I think midges don't like windy open locations or places near the coast.

 

[Cortrasna]

I think midges don't like windy open locations or places near the coast.

This in a nut shell. I think main land Scotland is a nightmare for them - but up as far as the Islands the open windy conditions preclude midge activity - or so I have been told?

 

[popularfurball]

There aren't midges on Shetland as its too harsh same as Iceland which is why icelandics often suffer as they don't have a natural immunity

 

[Wally]

They have midges in Iceland, Myvatn is translated as midge lake. But it's the wromng kind of midge. The midges at Myvatn are so bad in summer they cover the road and cause road accidents with cars skidding one them.

There are several types, we have biting ones that don't inject saliva.

Fákur still hates being bitten by them on the very rare still warm day they can get in the air.

We do not have the midges like they have in Scotland at all. We have teeny tiny bitey ones, not the DC 9s they have in SCotalnd and Norway

 

[notpoodle]

basically, the fewer midges (or the fewer of the wrong kind of midges!!) the better! i keep mine on a hill by the coast - always windy = less of the beasties! my former severe itcher (eg no mane, hardly any tail) is now out 'just' in a rambo hoody and has a long mane, tail and forelock! my other SI pony does seem to be more affected though and suffers from a general hypersensitivity to all manner of skin irritants so is still affected ...

Julia

ps: Iceland is another example. Many icelandicsn outside ICeland suffer SI, but they don't on iceland!

 

[Wally]

my other SI pony does seem to be more affected though and suffers from a general hypersensitivity to all manner of skin irritants

This is Fákur, in mainland UK he has terminal sweet itch, horrendous, he was a walking scabby wreck. Here he is totally free of it, but in summer he will occasionally come up in all manner of unidentified lumps and bumps, all allergic type reactions to something unknown. But only ever needing teatree lotion or some such gentle soothing cream.

There is no doubt that there are sweet itch hotspots all over the UK, but geberallt high hillsides, coastal regions and islands are best for sweet itch sufferes.