How to Treat Horse Mites (Naturally!)
Channel: Southland Organics
Date: 2024-01-18

Horse Mites are a pain to deal with, but can also jeopardize the health and happiness of your horse.
https://www.southlandorganics.com/blogs/news/how-to-treat-horse-mites-naturally

So what should you do if your horses face this microscopic threat? How can you kill these pests without harming your horses? Let's talk about treating feather mites without threatening your horse with harsh chemicals.

Feather mites (a.k.a. chorioptic mites) are the most common type of mites in horses. A feather mite likes to feed on skin debris, and if there's enough food, adult mites adult mites can survive on a host for almost 70 days. Mites live in horse's hair and the crusts on their legs.

Mites' presence on horses leads to discomfort, itching and possibly even health complications. If left untreated, a feather mite infestation can lead to open sores, hair loss and damaged feathers. These issues, if prolonged, can threaten your horse's wellbeing.

One elevated issue feather mites can cause on horses is chorioptic mange, which is essentially a hyper-irritated skin condition caused by feather mites. Chorioptic mange causes horse's skin to be dry, which leads to dandruff. This which allows for harmful fungi and bacteria to thrive, which can lead to mud fever.

Feathered horses have characteristically long hair on their lower legs, which makes a perfect home for these particular mites. This is why chorioptic mange is sometimes refereed to as leg mange. Other types of mange include mane mange, demodectic mange, psoroptic mange and sarcoptic mange, the latter of which is the most severe and most rare.

A mite infestation on your horses can typically be identified by lots of scratching and instances of irritated skin. If there's a really bad infestation, horses will even stamp their hooves due to discomfort. Lower limbs affected my mange can develop scaling and skin thickening, which could even get infected if left untreated. And to make it worse, some horses are allergic to mite saliva and have an allergic reaction that comes with intense itching, called sweet itch.

If your horses are itching and expressing discomfort but you're not certain that it's because of mites, you can ask your vet to do a clinical test called a skin scraping. Your vet will shave the feather to get some dead skin cells from your horse, then look at the cells under a microscope to determine if there are clinical signs of a mite infestation.

Usually, a skin scraping is not necessary to tell if your horse has mites. However, it can help tell you for certain the species of mites your horse is infected by and if there are any specific steps you need to take to fight them. If your horse is itching and has irritated skin, you can generally come to the conclusion that they are battling with mites.

There are a few options for treating chorioptic mites, including injectable wormers, topical treatments, nutritional supplements and, our favorite, all-natural mite spray Desecticide.

Though originally designed as a treatment for mites and darkling beetles on chickens, Desecticide has proven to be an effective treatment for mites on horses and other livestock as well.

Desecticide is a non-toxic insecticide based on essential oils and surfactants. It's safe to spray in horse stables and directly on horses. It kills insects on contact by suffocating live mites and their eggs.

Pests cannot build resistance to Desecticide, so you don't have to worry about rotating products. There is no re-entry wait time or re-application limit, and it is safe for the environment.

Safely kills soft-bodied insects, like feather mites, harvest mites and straw itch mites

Can be used in horse facilities and directly on horses and other animals

Pests will not build resistance

No application license or veterinary assistance required

Desecticide it is just as effective on mite populations that impact horses. While homemade remedies can help out, they really can’t eliminate a mite infestation like Desecticide can. And while traditional pesticides can be effective, they can be expensive and expose you and your horses to harsh chemicals.

One of the best benefits of Desecticide is that you can spray it in your stable and directly on horses. No need to worry about taking them out and making them wait before returning to their home! Your equine friends will be completely unbothered by this pest control spray. 

Desecticide is effective in 24 hours, so you can get rid of your infestation quickly. Bugs can’t build resistance to Desecticide, and there is no-reapplication limit. So you can use Desecticide until your mite problem has been solved. Plus, Desecticide is safe for the environment, so no need to worry about your garden, pasture or lawn being hurt by it. 

Desecticide can be applied easily by you- no professional services needed! Simply apply 6 ounces of Desecticide per ½ gallon of water and apply with a sprayer around the stable. Mist your horses where the mites are.