poisonous snakes...help?!

[Louisa]

Hello all,  stopping in to get some advice...

We are facing a scary problem here at home and I am not sure what to do.  In the last month, three copperhead snakes have been found around our property.  Two were found in our neighbors yard while he was mowing (he disposed of them apparently)  and one was found behind my little red garden shed in the yard (it got away before he could do anything about it).  Just a few weeks ago, literally at the beginning of June, Zoey was digging like crazy back there after a chipmunk.  Finally I went back and grabbed her because she was starting to dig up my shrubs, but I am so worried about the dogs!   

I cant imagine having to worry every time I let them out, we waited so long for summer to get here and now I have to confine them from their own fenced backyard because of snakes?    I need to get rid of these nuisances somehow.  Anyone have any ideas?

I have never once in all my years come across a copperhead before even in the woods, let alone three in 2 months in the darn suburbs in my backyard. Worst I have seen is a black snake in the woods or a milk snake.  We had a garter here or there in the yard, that's it. I don't mind those little guys as long as they stay clear of the house.

I didnt even know they were around here!  My brother is the one who actually found it, he was visiting helping me weed whack & somehow came across it.

Any advice?  Anyone else have to deal with this?

[JoeF]

I wouldn't think they'd stay around if there iss no food source such as mice.

I did find this on the web. Don;t know if it works

http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page98.html

for professional removal
http://www.usanimalcontrol.com/pittsburgh-pa-animal-control-removal-bat-skunk-raccoon-snake-wildlife-attic-walls-chimney-pest-rodent-rat-mice-opossum-deer-fecal-insulation-cleanout-colony-fox-cyote.html


Good luck

[dort]

Sorry, I don't have any advice, but maybe your local cooperative extension might?  I would really hate having to worry about snakes....ick!

[Jason]

Louisa,

My wife and I lived in rural Australia and we have many deadly snakes around here - mostly eastern brown snakes which are very poisonous.  We have had a lot of success killing the snakes by putting, what we call in Australia, bird netting on the ground around the garden in places snakes are likely to travel.  Get the fine netting and preferably black in color.  Bird netting is what farmers put over fruit trees to stop birds and bats from eating the fruit.  You may call it something different in your country.   We buy it my the  yard from the hardware store.

The snake crawls over the netting and gets its scales caught in the netting.  The more it fights to get free, the more it becomes entangled.  Use a tent peg, or similar, to fasten the netting to the ground in case the snake crawls off with it.

We caught 4 brown snakes this way last summer.

[Savage]

I just suggest calling animal control and see what they have to say about getting rid of them