I'm sick of these motherberkeleying snakes in my motherberkeleying garage

Was just cleaning the garage. Grabbed a handful of zip ties, cords, etc...and a snake skin.

Fortunately, someone was there to get film of my reaction:

Count your blessings.  Without snakes, the mouse population would skyrocket out of control.

I took a can of expanding foam this year and went all around the garage. Any gaps I could fit the nozzle in that I could see from inside or out got filled up. Knock on wood, none yet in the garage or house, but it's still early. Usually get a few a year. Hate those fixing things.

I have to replace the floor in my shower soon, I'm procrastinating as much as possible because I don't want to pull the boards and find a nest. Figure the floor is already cracked and the wood is rotting anyway, what's the harm in waiting until after the first frost?

1988RedT2 said:

Count your blessings.  Without snakes, the mouse population would skyrocket out of control.

I have cats. Don't need snakes.

My SIL has lost cats to snakes

My old shop/barn had a few 10-15' black snakes, about as big around as my forearm.

They went wherever they pleased. I assure you I wasn't going to berkeley with them..

Their skins were the least of my concern. Every once in a while I'd come across a snake where I didn't expect and jump out of MY skin!  Like in engine compartment- I elected not to work on the car that evening after all.

Moth balls if you can stand the smell, snakes can't.  This from a plumber friend that crawls around under  houses.

1988RedT2 said:

Count your blessings.  Without snakes, the mouse population would skyrocket out of control.

Snakes are great for that. So are bigger spiders. Get some today.

RevRico said:

I took a can of expanding foam this year and went all around the garage. Any gaps I could fit the nozzle in that I could see from inside or out got filled up. Knock on wood, none yet in the garage or house, but it's still early. Usually get a few a year. Hate those fixing things.

I have to replace the floor in my shower soon, I'm procrastinating as much as possible because I don't want to pull the boards and find a nest. Figure the floor is already cracked and the wood is rotting anyway, what's the harm in waiting until after the first frost?

I spoke to too soon. Just shot a 4.5 foot black snake in my garage.

In reply to RevRico :

Aren't black snakes basically harmless and awesome at controlling mice and rats?

In reply to dculberson :

That's what the hawks, cats, possums, foxes, bobcats, and raccoons are for. Snakes are trespassers on my property and in my house, and are dealt with like other trespassers. 

gunner said:

1988RedT2 said:

Count your blessings.  Without snakes, the mouse population would skyrocket out of control.

Snakes are great for that. So are bigger spiders. Get some today.

I want nothing to do with spiders big enough to eat mice. 

I accidently caught a garter snake on a sticky trap in my garage a couple of weeks ago.  I poured cooking oil on the snake & trap & left it alone a couple of hours; when i came back the snake had escaped.

I had a black racer drop out of the sky when I opened up the garage door one time, he was warming up on the backside of the sunny door. Some really choice words were used, and I'm pretty sure the snake felt the same way about the whole ordeal. He went his way and I went mine. 

RevRico said:

In reply to dculberson :

That's what the hawks, cats, possums, foxes, bobcats, and raccoons are for. Snakes are trespassers on my property and in my house, and are dealt with like other trespassers. 

That snake is eating something in large quantities to get to 4.5ft long. Whatever it is will now be more prolific and live longer since the snakes gone. 

The other day when I was out sailing, the winds were very fickle, I was being "chased" by a good sized garter snake across the Harbor in St. Michaels

At least twice today, I sat and watched the kitten gif for about five minutes.

Cat videos.  Whod'a thought they could be such a big part of life?

In reply to dculberson :

Trust me, no matter how much I don't like it, there are far more of them that size and bigger around here. Biggest I've seen on property was an 8 foot black snake and a 4 foot copperhead, at different times of course. Honestly I'd rather have the mice or some spiders that eat mice. 

As far as I'm concerned, there are 1200 square miles of viable snake land in Westmoreland county. My two acres, and my 1200 combined square feet of house and garage more importantly, can afford to be snake free. 

Here in Wisconsin, I find it a rarity to see a snake and it will be a garter. Like not necessarily every year, rare. 

Why do people dislike all the creatures that eat pests? Snakes eat mice and rats, spiders eat flys and roaches, a single bat eats 3 to 5000 (yes, five thousand) mosquitoes a NIGHT.  Anybody that likes mice and rats over a snake or two has a screw loose. Plagues that killed hundreds of thousands were spread by mice and rats

In reply to bludroptop :

Not sure where you live but I want to live further north of you.  Those Chicago winters?  

My wife got home before me yesterday, and went to get the mail, but she saw a snake lounging on shoulder of the road in front of the mailbox. She texted me and told me, I would have to get the mail. It was gone when I got home.

RossD said:

Here in Wisconsin, I find it a rarity to see a snake and it will be a garter. Like not necessarily every year, rare. 

I saw about 10 garter snakes in a one hour period in Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek this summer. One was probably 4-6 feet long. Additionally, over in the Mississippi river basin you'll find timber rattlers.

In reply to dculberson :

Nothing that can bite you and draw blood or inject something is harmless.  Snakes, spiders, rodents, mosquitoes, ... not harmless.  Around the home, they need to be managed.