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I grew up in NC in a very wooded area. When I was a child my parents checked our heads every night for ticks between about April and October. I'm not that rigorous with my kids, but I do check them every time we've been in a wooded area. I don't really worry about snakes for my kids. I'd never seen a copperhead before a couple of years ago (though I saw a lot of non-poisonous black snakes as a kid and I think they were keeping the copperheads away). As kids we were trained to make a lot of noise in the woods and stomp the ground to scare of any snakes and it must have worked.
I've actually run into more of the local rodents in public parks. That's where I've seen all the copperheads I've seen (most on the Black Creek Greenway, some in Bond Park) and my kids got their first fire ant bites at Pullen Park a couple weeks ago. My husband has gotten chiggers about once a year around Lake Crabtree and the Black Creek (apparently he has to learn to stay out of tall grass once every year).
I've never seen a black widow.
So yeah, I'd agree that you really don't need to do a lot of worrying.
Snakes hate noise and vibration; just start your lawn mower a few days a week and they will naturally move away. I have heard of people doing something with sound for moles too. I would suspect that might help repel snakes as well.
The tick issue is a big one here in NC. We lead the country in Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and I can tell you first hand it is no fun. I have read between 20% and 50% of the people who get it will die. At higher risk are people of Middle Eastern or African ancestry due to inability to use some antibiotics. I spray for ticks before any walk in natural areas, and shower after any backpacking or outdoors sports. Even doing this I have had two tick born bacteria of which both put me in the hospital.
In NC I think the tick is a much bigger danger than the snake. A lot uglier too.
I guess we're lucky. We don't have a tick problem even though we have woods out behind our lot, but the lot itself is a wide open space and we keep the grass mowed. You'd think the dogs would pick up a tick here and there, but so far none this year. Last year I think we only found a couple of ticks.
I don't see the problem, what you have is a black king snake, they eat rats, poisonous snakes, toads, frogs, birds. It will be a very good neighbor. I live back in the woods, when I moved in I went around to all of my neighbors and asked that, when they see a black snake, please don't kill it, call me. My yard is 2.5 acres cleared out of my 11.25 acre patch of woods. In all I collected 8 or 9 blacksnakes and put them in different points around my yard. We do not see poisonous snakes and we have a LOT of blackberry bushes. Also, no rats, or mice. Blacksnakes are good neighbors.
I don't see the problem, what you have is a black king snake, they eat rats, poisonous snakes, toads, frogs, birds. It will be a very good neighbor. I live back in the woods, when I moved in I went around to all of my neighbors and asked that, when they see a black snake, please don't kill it, call me. My yard is 2.5 acres cleared out of my 11.25 acre patch of woods. In all I collected 8 or 9 blacksnakes and put them in different points around my yard. We do not see poisonous snakes and we have a LOT of blackberry bushes. Also, no rats, or mice. Blacksnakes are good neighbors.
Is the black snake also called a "racer"?
Our little snake turned out to be a rat snake, and people at the museum in Raleigh told me we were very lucky to have a rat snake. I hadn't seen it around for close to a year, but the other day I saw a snake that is not 18" any more, but is about 3 feet! The rat snake is doing well, thank you, and the mouse count is way down!
Yeah, I have a large black rat snake that is thriving at the front of my house...dining on mice and chipmunks. The copperheads keep to the backyard. If you want to get rid of a snake, get rid of the food, which is birds (pretty impossible) and mice (letting them go does not get rid of them...they will just find there way back).
I recommend Critter Control. They will help you understand snakes, mice, etc and how to live with them or get rid of them.
Yes, sometimes Black snakes are called Black Racers, they are quick, we have one that is over 8 ft. long. This one is really good at being a Black Snake.
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