Another mild winter and yet again precious little snow or cold weather. Well, there was a week or was it two when it seemed to stay cold. The problem is that we rely on some hot summers and cold winters to keep the general level of infection down. Most infectious organisms cannot withstand being desiccated, bombarded with UV, frozen and thawed!
However, with mild winters and dismal summers, then expect a slow and steady build up of problems. Nothing stays the same. The current outbreak of H5N8 strain of Avian Influenza is the culmination of slow spread globally for the last 10 years. During this time the virus has also changed and mutated, so that it now kills waterfowl rather than merely use them as a means of global spread.
It is not just ‘Flu’, other diseases and
ectoparasites (parasites that live on the skin or feathers of birds and other animals) are also spreading. The freedom to take your dog on holiday to Europe and the failure of owners to check for ticks or apply tick treatments prior to returning to the UK. Is believed to be the reason that a new species of tick has been introduced into the UK. Our generally warmer climate is allowing it to settle in the UK. Unfortunately, this tick also carries the infection of canine babesiosis (Lyme Disease) which can be a killer.
Your pigeon loft with its multiple age groups and pigeon racing provide an ideal setting for new infections to be introduced, build up and then spread when racing or at shows. If blood sucking mites, biting flies and beetles become infected. Then they can both maintain and spread infection within your loft.
Ectoparasites require warmth and moisture to reproduce. If it is too hot or too cold, then reproduction is impaired and some will die. Of course, for the last few years that really has not happened at least in the south of England. The result is that more parasites remain dormant through the winter months waiting for warmer weather and a new supply of suitable hosts to feed on.
This is not a new phenomenon. I have said it before when discussing the benefits of using Interkokask RTU to inactivate and prevent the build up of diseases and coccidial oocysts within your loft. The same will apply to mites, flies and beetles within your loft. They can find all the difficult to get at nooks and crannies where they can exist through the winter months.
If mother nature is not going to come to our aid, then we must use alternative methods to reduce the population of these ectoparasites
CBM8 MV is a new persistent combination product that both knocks down and kills .
Problem diseases and parasites Breaking the cycle of infection
International Racing Pigeon