advice pls? Snakes, chiggers, ticks, poison ivy + (Greenville: live, garden)

[chattyme]

Unfortunately, the cottonmouths in trees is true - if you're in the water. I remember fishing with my dad when I was a small girl - and he advised me of the same thing. My dad didn't make up stuff - or joke - about water moccasins. They also get pretty p****y about boats in "their water" and will try to enter your boat if you're not aware

Am thinking this all over. Trying to figure out what I can handle and what I can't.

My b/f hikes all over the place down there in the wildest areas man probably hasn't crossed in ages. He's made me aware of a lot of the creatures. He has indeed encountered p.o.'d cotton mouths -- and a cotton mouth that wasn't too interested in him as long as he didn't proceed further. He's also retired military and can handle any sort of thing nature wants to dish out. He lives there and knows the place like the back of his hand.

He's fine with it all. I'm the delicate one.

Isn't it funny though - that although there are wild hogs, and possible cougars which seem to be snatching pets, and whatever else is big and wild in the woods - I feel I can keep myself sensibly safe from those. However, it is these tiny creatures that you can't always see or detect which upset my apple cart.

Hmm. Must think.

[christina0001]

We have chickens and turkeys in our yard and I don't believe guineas could do any better with eating bugs and ticks.

I've lived in rural MO for a few years now. I hadn't had much of a problem with ticks and none at all with chiggers and poison ivy until we moved last year. This new place has some lovely flower beds that had grown over, and last year I got my share of chigger bites ripping up an overgrown bed. Same with the poison ivy. I have a small spot of poison ivy again this year, right now... apparently I have some growing in one of my flower beds and I didn't notice. >

Because of my poison ivy, I was just reading up on this subject yesterday.
Missouri's Most Irritating Plant | MDC
Apparently poison sumac does not grow in MO, and poison oak is uncommon, only occurs in a handful of counties (Douglas, Mississippi, Ozark, Scott, Shannon, and Taney).

I don't think the snakes, wasps, spiders, etc. are a big deal. If you keep your lawn cut, your house clean and swept, and don't go traipsing through the forest or fields with high grass, you will be just fine. If you are looking to buy, and you buy something that is overgrown, you will probably have to deal with this stuff until you get things cleaned up a bit.

Welcome to MO!

[chattyme]

Thank you, Christina. That's very kind of you! Sorry you're a bit itchy right now.

Oh! My bad - I don't know why I said poison sumac when I meant to say virginia creeper. They're growing up the trees and through the brush in the front yard of my friend's places. I've dreamed of hiring a herd of meat goats to come and eat it all. (We get poison ivy, virginia creeper and sumac where I live now - I guess I started mixing and matching our weeds.) My friend said he had poison oak - so now I'm confused about what that was.

Thanks for that link, I'll be sure to read it.

I'm soooo glad to hear your chickens and turkeys do such a bang up job. Great critters to have around for so many reasons.

The places my friends have are very overgrown. I guess that's making a big help to the snakes and other creatures. That seems to be a big key to what I experienced when I was there.

Thanks again, Christina. I'll keep thinking it all through.

[Curmudgeon]

My advice about snakes, chiggers, fleas, ticks, poison ivy, etc.: stay away frum 'em!

[lifelongMOgal]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

My advice about snakes, chiggers, fleas, ticks, poison ivy, etc.: stay away frum 'em!

Pearls of wisdom.

[chattyme]

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

My advice about snakes, chiggers, fleas, ticks, poison ivy, etc.: stay away frum 'em!

That might just be the idea.

[mes_00]

Something you might try if going hiking or hunting in brush or tree'd areas is flea and tick collars around your wrists and ankles. I remember sending them to my family in Iraq in care packages.

For poison ivy look around and find Jewelweed soap. Jewelweed is a weed that's similar to a cure that actually grows near poison ivy. I used to find it at the Amish stores and natural/whole foods stores.

A few ladys I worked with always wanted hedgeballs from our hedge trees. They placed them in crawl spaces, attics, dark areas away from people too keep away spiders. Not sure if it actually works but they always asked for them every year.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by lifelongMOgal

Are you serious? Cottonmouths in trees? I've been too busing looking down to keep an eye out for rattlers & copperheads in the woods, now I have to worry about cottonmouths springing to attack from trees? I usually don't worry about running into them unless I am near a water source.

Are you pulling our leg or serious?

I have to stick with the DEET products. There is nothing about Skin So Soft that smells remotely good to me. Infact, it is worse than being attacked by the cosmetic gals with pewfumes at the department store, IMO. YMMV.

Pretty funny commentary on the Guinea fowl Dave. I'd never heard of anyone disliking them. I have heard that they are more dependable on warning of strangers approaching than the best yappy watch dog. I have heard that keeping them alive can be a challenge as they aren't supposed to be the brightest birds .....more like the 10 watt CFL.

Mogal, I cant count how many times I've floated the Current and Jacks Fork and seen cottonmouths hanging in the trees over the water.....we learned early to stay away from those overhanging trees.

[lifelongMOgal]

Originally Posted by kshe95girl

Mogal, I cant count how many times I've floated the Current and Jacks Fork and seen cottonmouths hanging in the trees over the water.....we learned early to stay away from those overhanging trees.

As long as I don't have to watch for them hanging out of trees when I am in the woods.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by lifelongMOgal

As long as I don't have to watch for them hanging out of trees when I am in the woods.

LOL!
When I was a girl, we had a summer house in Greenville, part of the morning routine was to go play tennis while it was still cool.
Mom would pass out razor sharp hoes that she kept in an umbrella stand by the front door, with admonitions to chop the heads off of any snakes we encountered.
There would always be at least one snake on the asphalt of the tennis court.......they didnt live long.