Drained lake and snakes (Columbia, Greenville: houses, subdivision, living)

[sosoftail]

I moved to this area of Spartanburg 5 years ago. The first summer I saw a very large snake in back and to protect my Golden Retrievers I got the shovel and killed it. Never sure what kind it was but it was very aggressive striking at shovel with a flattened head, blackish-brown and very fat. Someone looked at it before we did away with it and said it was a cottonmouth.

Next summer I killed 2 more but pretty sure they were black snakes though they were quite aggressive too. Guess I would be too if someone was trying to kill me with a shovel. I called an exterminator after that. Had him spray for spiders, kill a giant fire ant mound and put out snake away. No problem for 2 years. I normally keep grass short and prune all shrubs and bushes so I can see under them.

This year looks like a new problem has come up. There is a small lake a stones throw from my house and they drained it. A lot of building going on now and this is a subdivision so some animals I see are a surprise to me.

I often put out a lot of bird feeders, baths and houses. Love those song birds. I lost my 100 year old oak last year due to a storm breaking it and almost destroying my home. It was hollow. The squirrels moved into another oak that is along the road so the power company butchers it and it is also hollow. I watched as a trio of squirrels grabbed a bird feeder and tipped it to pour out the seed on the ground. They scratch through the seed weeding out the sunflower seeds and leave the rest on the ground in a mounded mess so I now put sunflower seed in a container on the ground along with water and they pretty much leave the bird feeders alone now.

I had trouble with chipmunks from the beginning but with 3 Golden Retrievers ( They mostly stay indoors but have a pet door that allows them outside to the fenced-in back) the chipmunks moved mostly to neighbors that don't care about their lawns. I still have a few and they will often hide in a woodpile on the carport.

It was starting to get dark and I was pruning shrubs and a rose bush that got damaged in a big wind while it was heavy with roses. When I went into the backyard my granddaughter ran out there ahead of me. I have a burn pit out back where I burn all clippings and such. Well one of my dogs started to growl. I looked and saw a snake curled up in a ball and lying on the concrete splash under a rain gutter. All 3 dogs now were in the fray and I was afraid they would get bitten. It was striking at them. I yelled for my daughter and sent my granddaughter inside and had my daughter close the other door that keeps the dogs in. I had just double checked and it was still there. In a split second it disappeared. Getting dark now I took a flashlight and let the dogs back out and looked for it but did not find it. We thought at first it might have went up the drain gutter but I did not think it could do that. There is a door under my house for the crawlspace. A big metal plate covers about a 2 foot square hole in the ground and the door is at the back of it against the house. A few bricks are missing.

By then my son-in-law was home. He helped me pull off the plate and I looked with the flashlight. There was a hole almost as big around as a tennis ball in the front corner and a huge pile of fresh dug dirt. I did not know if a chipmunk made that or the snake. We thought we saw a wavy mark in the fresh dirt leading to the hole and one of my dogs did smell that spot and started digging in the hole until I pulled him away. I got the kerosene jug and poured some down the hole and we waited a while while I watered some plants but nothing came out so we covered it back up with the metal plate. I went back out a short time later and the dogs went nuts again. About 4 foot from the hole we covered was an even bigger hole. It was huge on top (about the size of a cantaloupe) but got smaller as it went down with no dirt piled around it. I figured whatever was down the hole came out that way. This was against my foundation.

It has been very hot and dry for the past month. Heat getting around 100 now and no rain so I expect to see a lot of animals looking for water which I supply all over my yard and have even seen a few deer come to it though they often get killed in the highway. We live on a busy 4-lane. I wondered if draining that lake has anything to do with the snakes coming now or a combination of all the stuff I talked about? I never saw what kind of snake it was but saw it showing some white underbelly and it was dark along with being dark outside. It was poised like a cobra and head seemed somewhat flat.

Should I try kerosene down all holes I find, get snake away, call an exterminator, flood with water or something else. I won't get rid of the bird feeders and such. They kill a lot of insects as well as filling the yard with beauty and song. I am scared for not only my dogs but my 5 year old granddaughter. I noticed a lot of neighbors are now cleaning in their yards so not as much stuff for snakes to hide in. My closest neighbor says I shame them all into it by keeping mine so neat.

Strange we have had a tough time with fire ants and this year almost nothing. All the neighbors are remarking on this. I won't rest now until I find that snake that got away and told my granddaughter to not go outside until we check for snakes first.

Any experts have ideas on this or just someone that knows enough will be fine by me. I am no city girl. Raised on a farm and saw many snakes. Always hated them and loved fishing but we always took along a gun. Some snakes we saw looked as big as an anaconda. We fished backwoods riverbanks in Virginia. Hated catching a turtle or eel. That is when I had my dad take it off. He liked Catfish and I liked Perch. Ahhhhh....those were the good ole days.

Thanks a bunch! CC

[flgargoyle]

First of all, PLEASE don't dump kerosene, or any other petroleum product on the ground. It is illegal, and poisons the ground for a long time. When you live out in the country, and invite critters into your yard with feeders, etc., you have to take the good with the bad. I guess an exterminator would be your best bet, or move to the city. I don't know what 'snake away' is, but it sounds like it worked for you before? It would probably help to get a field guide, and learn to identify the snakes before taking action. Snakes are quite beneficial, although it makes sense to get rid of poisonous ones near dwellings.

[SCSKier]

Snakes hate the smell of Sulfur, which is what "snake away" is made of. (Smells like rotten eggs) Spreading sulfur around the yard will deter any snakes from approaching your yard.

[highbid]

dont kill it if you aren
t goint to eat it !

[p2y2r7o]

Originally Posted by highbid

dont kill it if you aren
t goint to eat it !

While I agree for the most part, I would have no problem killing a copperhead or another venomous snake. Especially if I had pets or kids who played in the back yard. I would never kill a blacksnake, and nobody should. They're harmless and help a lot with rodents and such.

I'm sure the lake being drained is one of the main reasons for the snakes heading into your yard. I'm not a snake expert, but I do know that copperheads love the water. We find them occasionally in a creek behind my friend's house. Personally, I would kill a copperhead that's within a close distance to my home. I'd rather it be dead than in my bed. (my friend walked into his living room once to find a snake sitting on top of his television...it wasn't a venomous snake, but definitely enough to scare the crap out of you!)

[g-man430]

First: Cottonmouths do NOT live in the upstate. They only live from Columbia south. What you saw was most likely a black rat snake. Very common and very big. Also, they're harmless and not venomous. See what spending time in classes at the zoo when you were younger will get you?

Second: You do realize you could go to jail and face a very large fine for dumping kerosene on the ground. Hear about that couple in Spartanburg who poured metal liquid waste on that 12-mile stretch of road and went to jail for it?

[AcadianIrish]

[quote=g-man430;4007714]First: Cottonmouths do NOT live in the upstate. They only live from Columbia south. What you saw was most likely a black rat snake. Very common and very big. Also, they're harmless and not venomous. See what spending time in classes at the zoo when you were younger will get you?

So are there any venomous snakes in Greenville area?

[christopherinsc26]

Poisonous snakes in South Carolina include the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the cottonmouth, and the copperhead, which you may eventually encounter if you spend enough time outside. Avoiding them is usually simple enough: Just give the snake a wide berth. Remember that there are at least four-dozen species of snakes in South Carolina, only a handful of which are poisonous.

And I got this info from SC Trails Hiking Trails

[g-man430]

Originally Posted by AcadianIrish

So are there any venomous snakes in Greenville area?

You better believe it. That's what living next to the mountains will get you. The copperhead is probably the most popular but there's also rattlesnakes too. You didn't think those only lived in the southwest did you?

[p2y2r7o]

Yep, I've seen plenty of copperhead here. Even in the Reedy River at Falls Park.