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Ok, I am literally tensing up and my heart rate is through the roof right now. I am DEATHLY afraid of them, I think I'd rather kiss a wild lion. Can someone honestly tell me (I'm from VT and they're not really around here, at least not where I am...not enough to make me want to move away) if snakes are prevalent around Raleigh...like how often and WHERE do you see them? We're contemplating a relocation...and so help me....if I EVER found one inside my house....I would move outta there so fast...PLEASE tell me it's not true....
Gross...
Everyone here at work, that doesn't want me leaving CA, keep going on the websites, looking for "bad" things about NC. They came across how many deadly snakes NC has, and they keep sending me pictures of them. They keep telling me about the snakes in the lakes, there are not really snakes in the lakes are there??? I mean if I am on the lake and jump off our pontoon, will I run across a snake??
Liz
Technically, yes, there are. The amount of development on a lake is going to be a good indicator of whether you'll see one or not. If you're in a pond in the woods or swamp somewhere, then yes, you'll definitely have snakes - you may not see one, though. If you're out on a big lake, you probably have a snake somewhere, but it's really unlikely that you'll see him.
Personally, I'm terrified of snakes. I don't want to jinx myself, but I've never had a problem.
Just buy a pet mongoose. They love to eat snakes! Breakfast, lunch, and dinner! I'm joking again. Though it is my understanding they're great snake hunters. At least Rikki Tikki was.
Seriously. I have a friend that lives in Greensboro for a couple years now. They've seen ONE snake on their property, it just slithered away quickly. They didn't even see what kind it was. I visited Raleigh a couple weeks ago. My three kids played in woodsy parks by a "lake". We walked along the "beach" and out on the pier. All we saw were squirrels and birds. Damn squirrel went into our car and tried to eat leftover McDonalds. I'd be more concerned about other things than snakes.
I currently live in NY and have seen a couple snakes in my 20+ years here (I'm only 35, but that made me sound old, heh). Saw one eating a frog at a pond we owned. They typically run away from humans as we're bigger than they are.
I'm more concerned about termites eating my house than coming across a snake. Or fire ants swarming my feet. I didn't see termites or ants on my visit, either, and I was pretty busy and saw 25+ houses all over Raleigh and Greensboro. Overall it's been pretty disappointing in regards to critters. That's a good thing. I do think I saw a couple dead cockroaches in a vacant house I saw. But they could have been some other roach-like insect. It was dark, and they were stuck in cobwebs in the basement corner. But I hadn't heard anyone mention roaches yet.
Wish I could say that you will never come across a snake near your home but thats would be a lie. Just one week after closing on our house I spotted this healthy looking guy hanging out in the back yard.
When I first started walking towards him he headed for the woods quick but then stopped so I could snap a couple pics. I would rather have a big black snake in the back yard then a bunch of mice or rats in my house.
I started looking at the Charlotte Forum and found someone else talking about snakes and found a product called "Dr. T's Snake-a-way" which they said repels snakes. They said you can get at Lowes for about $14 a jug and you put it around the perimeter of your land and it works for about 3 months. Sounds like a good investment to me. My friend in PA said she uses some kind of special sand around the edge of her yard,(and she lives out the country and has seen bears .) and she says it seems to work. Out here on Ventura County Naval Base they have a problem with rattlers and they put up "snake fences" around the yards. But, I am willing to adopt a mongoose, they even go after cobras
I did ask on a previous thread about snakes and black widows and I looked up online the different poisonous snakes in NC and there are rattlers, copperheads, water moccasins, and coral (near the coast). All these are the same snakes we had in Victoria TX. I was stupid enough to go on a canoe ride down the Guadalupe River with my ex-DH. We just get the canoe in the river and across the river we spot a water moccasin. Well my ex-DH decides he will be "smart" and stand up in the back of our canoe and shoot the snake (like he was SUCH a good shot ) and I started screaming at him to sit down since the concussion from the rifle (yes, rifle) will send the canoe tipping and we will then be IN the river WITH the snake . First time he ever listened to me, and sat down. Stopped at one beach area along the river and just as we pushed off, saw one in the tree that was OVER the canoe . I did survive, did not get bit, but still am scared of snakes, and yesssssssss I will be buying a jug of Dr. T's when I arrive there .
Looks like a Black Snake to me. My back yard is only 12foot deep, yet one slithered by last week. Have also seen a Copperhead curled up around one of the trees in my yard. These are poisonous.
Anybody seen a Brown Recluse or a Black Widow? Saw a Black Widow last year in a parking lot by Ebenezer church road last year. The Recluse is so damn small, you'd probably get bit before you see it.
Keep these posts up! We may prevent the northern invasion of our state!
I thought that stuff only somewhat worked for rattlers. Hmm. Will have to look it up again. Thing is we have a balanced environment of wildlife. And I am always happy to see a redtail hawk or a great horned owl. They will eat the snakes. And the Black Rat Snakes (which is in the photo) and non poisonous will eat smaller snakes including copperheads.
I cannot believe I am still here writing as I am freakin' a bit with the photo and having to even think about them ,
I would say snakes in NC are a pretty common sight. But not to the extent where they are everywhere you look and easily spotted. But they are around.
I have had them in my pool skimmer, my garage, my garden, backyard clinging to a tree trying to eat the baby bluebirds. They really are just a pain and inconvenience.
On the blacktop roads at night they will lay on the roads to stay warm, so use a flashlight to walk the pooches.
As for black widows or (widdas) well they usually are in dark and damp areas.
But will take up house under rocks, in doghouses, etc. But for me are not common enough to put me on full alert like the snakes.
As for the brown recluse. Well I take my shoes off in my garage but do not leave them out there. And yes you will probably notice a bite before you can see the tiny spiders.
And I always use garden gloves, and keep them in the house also.
Ok cool photo but I need time to recover,
p.s. mongoose that would do the trick, and just for the record I loved rikki - and the cobras deep voice freaked me out as a child, lol!!
Ok, I am literally tensing up and my heart rate is through the roof right now. I am DEATHLY afraid of them, I think I'd rather kiss a wild lion. Can someone honestly tell me (I'm from VT and they're not really around here, at least not where I am...not enough to make me want to move away) if snakes are prevalent around Raleigh...like how often and WHERE do you see them? We're contemplating a relocation...and so help me....if I EVER found one inside my house....I would move outta there so fast...PLEASE tell me it's not true....
We've been down here over three years and I've seen one...1...six inch garter snake...that is it. And I live by a woods/greenway/creek!!
There are around....but it's not like most folks are tripping over them either.
We've been down here over three years and I've seen one...1...six inch garter snake...that is it. And I live by a woods/greenway/creek!!
There are around....but it's not like most folks are tripping over them either.
Thank you Desdemona;
You seem to be the only kind person, giving it to us gently. I am not the kind of person that really needs to know statistics. I am the kind of person who likes to live with her head in the sand, and if it takes lying to me, I am okay with that.
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That's a good thing. I do think I saw a couple dead cockroaches in a vacant house I saw. But they could have been some other roach-like insect. It was dark, and they were stuck in cobwebs in the basement corner. But I hadn't heard anyone mention roaches yet.
yikes
Autumngirl and Lizardlips
My friend in PA said she uses some kind of special sand around the edge of her yard,(and she lives out the country and has seen bears 
) and I started screaming at him to sit down since the concussion from the rifle (yes, rifle) will send the canoe tipping and we will then be IN the river WITH the snake 
