Watch Out For Snakes

By Guest Columnist Doug Carter, MS Cooperative Extension Service This spring I have had several phone calls about snakes in yards and around homes.  One of my daughters even had an encounter with a snake in our yard. Once it gets warm in the spring, snakes start moving around.  Snakes need their body temperature to rise, so they can be active searching for food, after not eating anything all winter, and searching for mates.  Their diet consists of rats, mice, moles, and other pests.  

Pay attention, when walking in tall grass, around brush piles, next to fallen logs, in wooded areas and stepping over fallen logs.  Be cautious when moving items outside, such as old boards, metal, and items left on the ground.  Always wear long pants and boots, when in areas, where snakes could be. There are over 50 species of snakes in Mississippi with only six types, being venomous.  However, even non-venomous snakes can still bite and have the potential, for leaving a nasty infection.  It is not always easy to distinguish one type from another, so the best option is to leave all snakes alone. 

Approximately 75% of snake bites happen when a person is trying to kill or otherwise harass the snake.  Snakes are not aggressive. Snake bites only happen when they are being threatened.  Most try to avoid people or lie motionless in an effort, to blend into their surroundings, and escape notice.   No fumigants, toxicants, or repellants are registered for snake control.  Diet, body temperature, and other biological aspects of snakes, complicate the potential for developing such snake controls, that would help control these populations. If you are attempting to identify a snake, make sure you are not within its striking distance, which is usually 2/3 of the snake’s body length. Treat dead snakes as you would live snakes.  They can still bite and inject venom, even from a cut off head. The same antivenin is used for all bites, from venomous snakes in Mississippi, with the exception of the coral snake. Taken from MSU Dawg Tracks Safety Newsletter June 2020