Snakes in North Carolina? (Charlotte, Raleigh: new home, buy, to live in)

[mm_mary73]

Originally Posted by Apple Annie

Tell 'ya what .... if you see the snake I was formerly married to, shoot him on the spot.

Girlfriend! Read my post on the "snakes" on main board! LOLOL

[cornbread]

I've lived in NC all my life and I've seen lots of snakes, mostly black snakes, but I have seen several copperheads. I killed 5 in the last 10 years, 3 of them around my house. I killed one of them behind a house I was working at after I unknowingly stepped over it. This happened in a big city, just in case you don't think they are there. Adult copperheads are not normally deadly unless you are elderly, very young, or already sickly. Baby copperheads, on the other hand, can't control their venom and are actually more dangerous. I've only seen one live rattlesnake in the wild in NC and that was in the mountains, but there are isolated colonies throughout NC. They even study mating pairs at one state park in the Piedmont. Contrary to what one person posted on this site, rattlesnakes are more deadly than copperheads. There are also coral snakes in eastern NC, but they have to chew into you to release their venom. Nonposionous snakes are good to have around the house so I never kill them. We catch lots of the harmless ones every summer (worm snakes, garter snakes, etc.), but I will say some nonpoisonous snakes will still bite. Black snakes will bring the blood in a hurry if you don't catch them right.

[Swimmom32]

OMG mm I did..I WANT TO DIE..LOL....and well Corn just made it worse..LOL well what can I say, I dont have a choice we love it there and I cant make this a deciding factor..what can I say You will hear me screaming from Union County...HAHAHAHHA call the parametics PLEASE.....LOL

Staci

[FLtoNC]

This thread is making me extremely nervous. How prevalent are snakes in Union County? I am from FL & have come into close contact with snakes on at least 4 occasions that I can remember. These were not pleasant moments! We have woods behind the house we purchased, and I walked in them, not even thinking about snakes - UGH! I don't care whether the snake is poisonous or not - any snak would scare me! On another note, are there frogs in NC? I don't like them either, and if I never saw one again, that would be fine with me!

[Apple Annie]

The warmer and more humid an area is, the more snakes, spiders, bugs and critters you will have, they thrive on warmth. There are small lizards here too, chameleons; and frogs everywhere. Seriously, you just need to get used to them.

The best way to find out what type of pests are in a particular area is to call a pest control company and ask them what you need to do to keep your home pest free. I used to be terrified of spiders and snakes; very phobic, but now am used to them and don't even kill spiders anymore. Unless of course they are in the house. I do spray around the inside perimeter of my garages and steps to the kitchen regularly with a chemical I got from the pest company. We also have black widows and brown recluse in the Carolinas, and I have seen a nest of copperhead snakes too in my neighbor's barn. You want to be careful of woodpiles and dark places where they hide. Not trying to alarm you, just the facts.

[MIKEJ]

I just discovered this thread on snakes in NC. I have been planning to move
to NC since August. That's when I picked out a house in (the dreaded) southeast area of Raleigh. I never even thought about snakes. I am
absolutely terrified of snakes. I'm in MD and the thought of snakes just
might keep me from moving to NC. How worried should a real wimp like me
be about encountering snakes?

[cowboy_wilhelm]

Be VERY careful around woodpiles. This was how my great uncle was bitten by one and you get very sick from a bite. Copperheads can camouflage in bark and leaves very well, so make sure you keep the leaves swept up and away from the house.

Copperheads are also nocturnal and, like any reptile, love heat. Be careful at night if you have a brick or stone path that will give off radiant heat at night after being heated by the sun all day. They love to lie on these. I've heard many stories about people just barely missing (or actually stepping) on one this way after going out their door. Those small decorative landscape lights could help prevent this.

Like any animal, they're also drawn to water for hunting and hydration.

I haven't seen a Rattlesnake myself, but I know they're around this area. I'm more afraid of Copperheads though. Rattlesnakes will rattle before striking in most cases. With a Copperhead, you get no warning.

Don't just go on a snake hunt though. Most of the snakes you'll probably see aren't even poisonous. They're all very important for the ecosystem and eat other rodents that can cause problems around the house. You don't have to worry about a snake eating wires! Just think about the size difference between a human and a snake. They're going to avoid you at all costs and only attack as a last resort of self-defense. I have no idea if the numbers even exist, but I'm willing to bet you're more likely to be bitten by a neighbor's dog than by a snake... much less a poisonous one.

If you do find a poisonous snake, there is usually someone around crazy/stupid enough to catch it and take it away from your house if you're worried about it. Not recommended, but I would only kill one if there were an immediate danger from it.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by MIKEJ

I just discovered this thread on snakes in NC. I have been planning to move
to NC since August. That's when I picked out a house in (the dreaded) southeast area of Raleigh. I never even thought about snakes. I am
absolutely terrified of snakes. I'm in MD and the thought of snakes just
might keep me from moving to NC. How worried should a real wimp like me
be about encountering snakes?

I am so amazed at all this talk of snakes recently on the threads! Snakes exist in every state folks. You may not see them where you are, but they are there somewhere.

From an article by the group PARC - Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation :


In a few rare instances in the United States, a bite from a venomous snake can be lethal. Yet, in most years, fewer than a dozen of the more than 250 million people in the country die from snakebite. In addition, in at least a quarter of the bites by U.S. snakes, the snake actually injects no venom or very little. Hence, many bites, even from big snakes, are not serious. So by using a little caution and some common sense, we are not likely to suffer a severe snakebite.

In addition, most snakes will not bite when someone is standing beside them or in many instances even when stepped on. Most try to escape. As many as half the total number of U.S. snakebites result from someone trying to kill or pick up the snake. When you put all the probabilities together, the danger from snakes is greatly overrated, especially when compared to some of the other activities of everyday life.

[Swimmom32]

Loves You know I feel ya..lol and I hear ya, however I think the fact that one of our my mommy boards in the developments we are looking at more than 1/2 of them have had them in their hous, yards and so on, and to have them in front of your back door??? it is just a little bit too close for comfort...NJ where we live we dont have snakes, and if we do they are in the mountains....I never have to worry about letting my kids out in my backyard or my dog, I have a silky terrier and they are hunting dogs which really concerns me, he is our family...Maybe Im reading too much into this, but too many people have been honest which I do appriciate and beileve me THIS IS MY 1 MAJOR CONCERN....besides of course the Fire ants...I will make sure I Hire an Exterminator as I have one here...Ive had to have my front and back saturated (spray) for the ticks, and both my kids have been tested for Lyme Disease and the dog after finding 14 ticks on my dog and 8 on my son....anway, I can deal with other things but knowing that they can come into my house, my garage, omg a friend of mine today said her SIL has had them under her kitchen sink....well anyway I have to get over this, maybe there is some other areas that are less prone to snakes...My dh and I love Nc so either I suck it up or look for somewhere else other than NC to live...I would rather not of course...

Staci
Sorry everyone I didnt mean to alarm everyone this is just something I needed to know because its easier said than done

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by NJmomof2

Loves You know I feel ya..lol and I hear ya, however I think the fact that one of our my mommy boards in the developments we are looking at more than 1/2 of them have had them in their hous, yards and so on, and to have them in front of your back door??? it is just a little bit too close for comfort...NJ where we live we dont have snakes, and if we do they are in the mountains....I never have to worry about letting my kids out in my backyard or my dog, I have a silky terrier and they are hunting dogs which really concerns me, he is our family...Maybe Im reading too much into this, but too many people have been honest which I do appriciate and beileve me THIS IS MY 1 MAJOR CONCERN....besides of course the Fire ants...I will make sure I Hire an Exterminator as I have one here...Ive had to have my front and back saturated (spray) for the ticks, and both my kids have been tested for Lyme Disease and the dog after finding 14 ticks on my dog and 8 on my son....anway, I can deal with other things but knowing that they can come into my house, my garage, omg a friend of mine today said her SIL has had them under her kitchen sink....well anyway I have to get over this, maybe there is some other areas that are less prone to snakes...My dh and I love Nc so either I suck it up or look for somewhere else other than NC to live...I would rather not of course...

Staci
Sorry everyone I didnt mean to alarm everyone this is just something I needed to know because its easier said than done

Hey Staci, sorry you've got this to worry about now! The only thing I can figure is this - since so many of the people you are talking to are also living in new construction there must be a problem with the snake population being displaced out there in Union county. In other words, all those new neighborhoods going up are shrinking the snakes territory and they don't know how to move on and find new territory? Or maybe there is just no place for them to go, ya know? We sure don't have this type problem in the established neighborhoods in Charlotte. I guess as Charlotte was being developed the snakes all migrated to Union county! Hopefully in a year or two when the development slows down the snakes will have adapted and moved on!