By Meg Muckenhoupt

When you ask land surveyor Sandy Peabody about hazards he’s encountered at work, the threat at the top of his list is tick-borne disease.

“I’ve been bitten by a brown recluse spider, and 32 yellow jackets, and a rattlesnake bit through my snake boots,” Peabody said, “But alpha-gal is the worst.”

Tick-borne diseases including Lyme disease and alpha-gal syndrome are serious workplace hazards for surveyors, who often spend their days walking through tick territory. Peabody, 53, was bitten by a lone star tick while surveying a wooded area in Willamsburg County, South Carolina, in May 2024.

Joseph Mock, a 27-year-old second-generation land surveyor in Savannah, Georgia, was constantly exposed to ticks in the field prior to his Lyme disease diagnosis in 2020.

 “My record for pulling off ticks at the end of the day was 16,” Mock said. Other surveyors in Mock’s family have contracted Bartonella, Babesiosis, and Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS).

Both men had frustrating delays in diagnosis and suffered severe limitations on their work and health due to tick-borne disease. Peabody has experienced joint swelling, gut issues, and brain fog.

“Some of the symptoms were very similar to when I had that snake bite, with my ankle swelling and numbness,” Peabody said.

Mock started having vague symptoms in 2018, suffering fatigue and pain, and eventually losing his gall bladder to Lyme disease.

Lyme, AGS make field work impossible

Surveying in the field is a very physical job, and tick-borne diseases can make doing that job almost impossible.

“Surveyors are super-active,” Peabody said. “Our job is like CrossFit—you’re constantly jumping fences, digging up property corners. This [AGS] has slowed me down. If I were 28, I’d go back to designing roads instead of fieldwork.”

He added: ”I went from being able to chop bushes and cut through brush for eight hours a day to not making it in the field for more than a couple of hours. Alpha-gal has worn me out.”

AGS has also created mental challenges for Peabody. “The brain fog is really rough. It’s closed the door on finishing the product, doing the final maps. Doing a 15-minute function takes two hours now.”

Like bones wrapped in barbed wire

Lyme disease derailed Mock’s career for years before he found effective treatment. “It takes a million times more effort to drive, to get out of bed, to go to work every day. Every day felt like my bones were wrapped in barbed wire,” he said.

“I was in pain long enough to forget what normal felt like.” Mock left the lucrative private sector to take a lower-paying government job with better benefits when his health declined.

“My boss was frustrated. He was understanding, but I would miss one-to-two months of work out of the year on sick leave or vacation.”

Peabody, who has worked in surveying since 1994, is self-employed. He has long-term staff and relatives who have pitched in to keep the surveying business going.

“I’ve got a good team, but for the last two days I had to have 3-4 hours in bed during the day. If I were working for someone else, I’m not sure they’d tolerate it,” Peabody said. “I’m muscling through it as best I can.”

Peabody has had experience with Lyme disease as well. “Prior to alpha-gal, I always had achy joints and body pain–but not brain fog like alpha-gal. I’ve probably had chronic Lyme for 10-15 years,” he said. “I thought it was my day job–it’s tough on the body–or my diet was bad.”

But Peabody had several inflamed tick bites, and blood tests following his AGS diagnosis showed evidence of Lyme infection, too.

Advocating for prevention

Now, he is working to raise awareness among surveyors that tick-borne diseases are a workplace hazard, and to help them prevent tick bites.

Peabody has spoken at meetings of the National Society of Professional Surveyors about how land surveyors can stay safe from ticks.

“I personally think the gold standard is permethrin-treated clothing, along with double-sided carpet tape on pants and tick checks before and after work,” Peabody said.

Peabody makes a special effort to communicate with young surveyors starting out in the field.

“I tell surveyors pre-treated clothing is a must—and don’t let your guard down. It can affect you later in your career or end your career.”

Mock’s advice is more direct. “Take every tick bite seriously. It’s a very real danger that can completely change your life. It can turn your world upside down in a heartbeat.”

Meg Muckenhoupt works with Alpha-gal Information, an Alpha-gal Alliance project.