It’s been an incredibly wet year overall, and like many, I was under the impression that drought was the primary driver behind EHD outbreaks. There’s certainly some truth to that drought concentrates deer around limited water sources, which can increase their exposure to midges if they’re present. But what often gets overlooked is that midge populations thrive in muddy, organic-rich environments. In rainy years, those environments become far more widespread, meaning flooded low spots, random puddles (vernal pools), and pond edges all become ideal breeding grounds. That leads to a larger midge population and more opportunities for transmission. Overall, in wet years, EHD tends to be more widespread than in dry ones, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing down here now.
The data says May and June saw nearly double the average rainfall, and July was above average as well. May-July this year saw 6.5" more rainfall than average. I can tell you that I've never seen areas of our property, both at the house and the farm, as wet as they are this year. We might go the entire year without being able to brushhog certain areas because we can't get a tractor in/out at the farm, and that hasn't happened in the 20 years that we've owned the farm.
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