I’m here in MO too. My area is tick infested. When I went into the woods in IL and WI 80s and 90s, never had a tick. I’m sure in WI they were there, but not in numbers.
Something has happened the last 10 years. Ticks seem to be exploding in numbers and their disease carrying ability has mutated. A Phd in FL has hypothesized that the Lone Star tick (which is common in MO) may now be carrying a disease that mimics Lyme. It might be what I have or maybe I have Lyme.
Had to go out of state for treatment because Docs here in MO say “we don’t have lyme in MO”. Sure, lyme ticks respect borders and travel only where they are supposed to go according to the CDC.
I have a creek bed bordering my backyard with large trees and even with spraying and fogging I still get one now and then on me or the dogs. Go for a walk in the Busch wildlife area and you most likely will get one.
I think it is because our winters are now normally warmer. When I was a kid in the St. Louis area we had ice on the ponds for a month or 2. Now we are lucky if we have ice for a week or two.
I grew up outside in Il. I remember someone else at scout camp in WI that had a tick and remember checking for leeches after swimming. I never had a chigger bite until I moved to the KC area. (I still have never seen one!)
http://www.aljohnsons.com/about-us/
http://www.aljohnsons.com/goat-cam/
(Its getting dark. The goats are not on the roof!)