Snakes in Pinehurst

[jlbour]

I moved to North Carolina from New England eleven years ago. I've lived in rural areas, and urban areas. I've never had a problem with snakes. I've seen one baby black one in my yard a few years back. Depending on the area, some places spray for them. When traveling through agricultural areas in the afternoon I've seen some snakes slither across the road. They won't bother you if you don't bother them. The spiders took some getting used to. The large orb spiders became science experiments as they would build their beautiful webs in the landscaping so we would check in on them daily to see how things were going, and what they had for dinner that day. They were harmless. Saw several black widows mainly around dark or damp places - think hose water spouts, mailboxes, along the foundation, etc. You can buy some spray to address them. Again, if you don't bother them, they won't bother you. Most people treat the perimeter of their homes with some type of insecticide or spray to prevent bugs from getting in. Those that do, are dead by the time you find them.

To the person who mentioned fire ants ---- YES!!! They are awful. Depending on what part of the state you're looking at they are worse than others. They are difficult to treat/kill and their bites are painful. You don't want to walk around barefoot where they are. Good luck!

[OrganicSmallHome]

We have a black snake that lives in our basement, and we occasionally see him when he exits at dusk to go hunting; otherwise, he stays in his home in the rafters. The only reason I discovered he was there is because when our plumber was replacing water lines in the basement, he suddenly said to me, "You have a tenant," and pointed to this little face poking out of the crawlspace ceiling. Petrified, I asked him what we should do (BIG snake!) and he said, "Nothing. Leave him alone, he has no interest in meeting you and will take care of any rodent problem you might have." That was three years ago and I have seen him only twice: once, climbing up a tree in our front yard, and the second time, sauntering right by us--beneath our feet-- as we sat on the front porch steps. We've gotten used to him being there and honestly hardly ever think about it.