Leech info??

[Shezbug]

Every now and then I’ve come across one of these leeches in our yard but I’m not sure if they’re a bad thing or just a thing. At our last house every now and then we’d find these dark ones with the stripe down their back, some really cool electric blue ones and some bright orange ones. I’m not sure if they’re a problem or not and we don’t find them often but my curiosity has the better of me as I’m only really familiar with the blood suckers that might be found in dams or creeks sometimes.

Should I be doing anything about the fact there’s the odd one of these galavanting about my yard?

Sorry the pic isn’t the best.

 

[.........]

I don't know if it might be different in aussie, but here we sometimes will find worms really similar to that under the horse troughs, I have been told that they're endangered and native but again this is NZ
Edit : Google disagrees that they are good
Invasive species or something, I didn't hear anything about being a danger to people, apparently no known way to kill them off (or I didn't find out an article suggesting so)

 

[Shezbug]

Yeah right, that’s interesting! I’ve not been able to find anything saying they’re worms. Every Google search I’ve done comes up with leeches. Maybe a Google search for rare native worms for Aus might get me a different hit, hmmm might do that later.
We originally thought they may have been worms as they were first found in or near our open worm farm at our last house.
I might try to get one in a container and send it off to the Museum for identification.

 

[.........]

I searched up flatworms if that helps
Native here but some people thought they were bad in Aussie
Edit again : Heh now I found that some are native some aren't, sending one off to the museum sounds like a good idea!

 

[Shezbug]

I searched up flatworms if that helps
Native here but some people thought they were bad in Aussie
Edit again : Heh now I found that some are native some aren't, sending one off to the museum sounds like a good idea!

They actually kinda gross me out lol. I don’t see them too often but next time I do I might just find something to put it in and send it off!

 

[.........]

Yup, me too
They look too slimy for my liking

 

[rocky'smom]

Leeches in the USA are mostly found in lakes, rivers, and streams. They are water related. And they BITE because they feasting on blood. Any type of blood human, fish and other mammals.

Leech - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The best way I have found to remove them is salt. Cover the leech in table salt and they dry out fall off. They leave a nasty bloody ring that quite often gets infected. We use them for fishing.

 

[MiniMacaw]

Looks like an Australian Bush Leech (chtonobdella Limbata) to me (but I have minimal leech knowledge so take that for what it’s worth lol). They’re relatively harmless, with no known ability to transfer diseases to people. They do suck blood of course, and can leave behind an itchy swollen blood ring. Allergic reactions can happen with hives, etc, but almost never serious. I think most people probably see them as pests, but I wouldn’t classify them as harmful.

They stand in an upright position, use their sense of vibration to detect any host, usually mammalian and attach. No one usually feels this part. Once they’re full of blood they’ll drop off and find a shady hidden spot to digest. Then the person starts to feel itchy and that’s usually the first time they realize they’ve been bitten.

 

[Shezbug]

Looks like an Australian Bush Leech (chtonobdella Limbata) to me (but I have minimal leech knowledge so take that for what it’s worth lol). They’re relatively harmless, with no known ability to transfer diseases to people. They do suck blood of course, and can leave behind an itchy swollen blood ring. Allergic reactions can happen with hives, etc, but almost never serious. I think most people probably see them as pests, but I wouldn’t classify them as harmful.

They stand in an upright position, use their sense of vibration to detect any host, usually mammalian and attach. No one usually feels this part. Once they’re full of blood they’ll drop off and find a shady hidden spot to digest. Then the person starts to feel itchy and that’s usually the first time they realize they’ve been bitten.

Will look that up a little later!

 

[Shezbug]

Looks like an Australian Bush Leech (chtonobdella Limbata) to me (but I have minimal leech knowledge so take that for what it’s worth lol). They’re relatively harmless, with no known ability to transfer diseases to people. They do suck blood of course, and can leave behind an itchy swollen blood ring. Allergic reactions can happen with hives, etc, but almost never serious. I think most people probably see them as pests, but I wouldn’t classify them as harmful.

They stand in an upright position, use their sense of vibration to detect any host, usually mammalian and attach. No one usually feels this part. Once they’re full of blood they’ll drop off and find a shady hidden spot to digest. Then the person starts to feel itchy and that’s usually the first time they realize they’ve been bitten.

Im not certain but I’m pretty sure you’re right!!

I’ve never seen them stand up or even really look any different to the photo I posted but it sounds like it could be them- normally when I’ve seen them it’s rained and everything is quite damp and soggy still. I guess I had a hard time believing they were definitely leeches as they’ve not been found in my pond or other bodies of water they could hang out in but bush leeches are quite different to the ones that live in water.

I wonder what they’re feeding on as I’ve never noticed any lumps or wounds on my dog or any of us and if they got me I’d almost guarantee I’d be filled with hives given I get them if the neighbour sneezes lol

 

[Shezbug]

Leeches in the USA are mostly found in lakes, rivers, and streams. They are water related. And they BITE because they feasting on blood. Any type of blood human, fish and other mammals.

Leech - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The best way I have found to remove them is salt. Cover the leech in table salt and they dry out fall off. They leave a nasty bloody ring that quite often gets infected. We use them for fishing.

We also have them yucky ones found in some bodies of water. I’ve personally only seen them a few times in my whole life and that’s way more than enough for me lol. Thankfully I’ve never had to deal with one of them on me- I seriously hate slimy things which should never come into contact with my skin and I’m really grossed out by parasites…. I gave some doctors and other people a great giggle once when I had a weeny tick on me because of how I described what was happening and what I needed their urgent help with lol I don’t do well with certain things such as insects surviving off me by eating me!
I really don’t know how you voluntarily interact with them horrid things… I’d be happy not having fish ever if that was the only way to catch them

 

[Solly]

Can’t say they are one of my favourite things but occasionally I find them in the horses water troughs (normally just the babies), apparently here they aren’t a threat to humans. They also have a brown stripe on them, might be worth a quick google to see if that’s what they are?