By Willie Chance
University of
Georgia

Someone recently came by my office and brought a harmless mud
snake for me to see. I thought I would show the secretaries the
snake, too. Big mistake!

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension county agents seem
to get a lot of snake calls in the late summer and fall. What
can be done to prevent snake problems?

First, be more watchful this time of year. Snakes usually avoid
people. Don’t do things to corner them or put them in a
defensive mode.

Take care walking in the woods or tall brush. In dry weather,
snakes also have to find water. Be careful working in areas
around water.

Put out the unwelcome mat for snakes. Snakes need food, water
and cover to live. Clean up brush and trash piles, mow tall
grass and weeds and remove things snakes hide under.

Clean up clutter in yards, open garages, on porches and in open
storage buildings. Remove shrubs and other things close to the
ground. This is especially important around buildings. Snakes
like damp, cool and dark spots. Look for and change these sites
if you can.

Leave snakes alone! Many people are bitten trying to catch or
kill a snake. Know your venomous snakes. There are only a few
in Georgia. If it isn’t a venomous snake, then you have much
less to worry about. For information on how to identify
snakes, see the UGA Savannah River Ecology Lab’s Herpetology
Web site at www.uga.edu/srelherp/.

If you can identify the snake you can determine what it’s
eating. This may tell you what attracted it to the area. If
possible, do not let pet or bird food sit out. This attracts
rodents, which in turn attract snakes. Clean food storage areas
regularly and keep food and trash sealed.

Insects attract some snakes. Identify the insects that snakes
eat and control them. Frogs and lizards are another food
sources. Controlling moisture will reduce frogs. With less
food sources available, perhaps the snakes will leave.

Snake repellents have been shown to be unreliable. Even if they
work, they must be reapplied regularly.

Some snakes are climbers and will crawl into houses. The shed
skins of these snakes are sometimes found in attics. To prevent
snakes from entering your home, seal holes around and under the
house. Fall is a good time to exclude snakes since they may be
looking for warmer temperatures or a place to spend the
winter.

Despite your efforts, if a venomous snake gets inside your
home, seek professional help. The most likely venomous snake I
would expect around homes would be the copperhead. This does
not rule out finding one of the other venomous snakes near a
house. (Moccasins may be found around wet areas.)

To remove a nonvenomous snake, pile damp towels or burlap in
the area where the snake was seen. This will attract the
snake. Then remove the snake and take it far from the house for
release.

You may also trap a snake on a glue board available at hardware
and other stores. Once you catch the snake, take the snake and
board far from the home and pour vegetable oil on the snake and
trap. The oil should counteract the glue and allow the snake to
eventually escape.

Several companies remove wildlife for a fee. They can evict
wildlife house guests and take measures to prevent them from
returning.

Evicting unwanted guests requires hard work and perseverance.
However it is important for your family’s health and safety.
For more information on how to responsibly handle wildlife
damage problems, see The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage
Management Web site at http://wildlifedamage.unl.edu/.