G'day Mo
I have the same reaction now as you are having
And like you i never used to, similar thing happens to me with leeches too, the swelling is unbelievable now if i get sucked by one
Never used to worry me once
Lyme disease is a worry now through the ticks too
Apparently Guinea Fowls will clean up tick areas well if you can get some in
I have 8 acres here and am having same problem as you are
I always wear socks and ankle covers over my feet and try to keep the grass as short as you can, will help a lot too, as that is where they mostly are, waiting to hook onto you
They reckon they don't actually suck onto you for up to 2 hours so a good visual insp would help after walking outside (and wear light coloured clothes, so you can spot them )
I lost one of my chooks to a shellback earlier this year, found it embedded under it's eye, but too late alas..
They thrive in warmer weather so that'd be why they're bad atm, i'd say..
And apparently they never go much higher than 50cm waiting for a host to latch onto
So the old tale about dropping off trees onto us is false they say
Maybe a good spray of Aerogard on your legs or DEET before you go out would help too
That's what i do, if the grass is long
