anyone know anything about snakes in VA? (Richmond, Manassas: crime, houses)

[marilynnp]

Hi all,


Just wondering if anyone knows if their are snakes,Copper heads, Any big insects in Roanoake VA? I know this must sound like a crazy question, But My husband said it would be a good idea to ask, He lived in Florida for a couple of years and found that their were snakes in the back yard, So we don't want to relocate to Roanaoke and find the same thing happening, that happen before, We have children... Any comments would be appreciated...

[deckardc]

It is my understanding, that every state in the Union has snakes. The only state that is free of venomous snakes is Alaska.

There are 4 types of poisonous snake native to North America, the Rattlesnake, Cottonmouth/Moccasin, Copperhead, and Coral Snake. The Copperhead, the Cottonmouth, and the Timber Rattler are all native to Virginia. You would be more likely to run into them in a rural area than in a well populated city. The other snakes you would run into are harmless unless someone's pet python got out of it's cage.

As for big insects, there are roaches but they don't get to be as big as Palmetto Bugs. You might see some big spiders in the woods as well. The majority of the insects I ever had to deal with in VA were mosquitoes, small spiders, daddy longlegs, silverfish, various bees, and ants.

When I was a teenager in Manassas, a Copperhead got under our shed and decided to make her nest there. My mom made animal control come out and remove them. They had to rip the floor of the shed up to get to them.

[marilynnp]

Thanks Deckardc,

I appreciate your response back to me... Very imformativeWow I did not know that Virginia had that many snakes....As for the bugs,(Roaches) I am glad to hear that they are not huge, I do not like any type of bugs especially roaches....

[Cdshiflett]

Here is a good website

Snakes of Virginia (broken link)

[Wi_Girl]

Of course I live on the other side of VA but I am TERRIFIED of snakes!!! In my 7 years living here I have only seen one, and it was dead which was fine by me! Oh and the really small baby snake a long time ago at a golf course. It was enough to jump up onto the car! I SERIOUSLY hate snakes!

[bustedknee]

Snakes -- why God invented shotguns.

Some folks think they are for birdhunting, but not true. Snakes!

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by deckardc

It is my understanding, that every state in the Union has snakes. The only state that is free of venomous snakes is Alaska.

And Hawaii.

Seriously, you need to be scared of alot more things than harmless snakes. They wont chase you, jump on you, hunt you down, etc, like everyone tends to think. If you see one, identify it. If its venomous, give it some room and leave it alone. If its not venomous, grab the sucker behind the head (if youre comfortable doing that) and remove it from your yard, simple as that. Im called up by people every so often while they cower in fear about a snake in their yards. A few minutes later, the snake is located and I cant help but laugh as I see a garter snake sittin there, calm as can be. I pick it up and watch as it sits in my hands w/o a care in the world.

Seriously people, calm down, and actually LEARN something about snakes before you go and freak out. There's nothing to be afraid of and youd be surprised how silly some of you look when you freak out over completely harmless snakes. The reason most people are scared is because you dont know a dang thing about them, and people always fear what they dont understand. I recommend taking a trip to a local pet store and ask to handle a snake, your fear will more than likely pass once you understand them. Ophidiophobia is a crippling fear to have, do what you can to rid yourself of it.

And to the genius who thinks its cool to shoot snakes, youre the type of person who I wouldnt feel pity for when taking a bite from a 6' Crotalus adamanteus. Shooting snakes is ridiculous, and a crime in many areas. People who kill wildlife because theyre cowards and ignorant seriously **** me off. Leave em alone!

[seanpecor]

Cottonmouths are isolated to the far southeastern portion of Virginia. Rattlesnakes exist in Central through Southwestern Virginia but are pretty rare. Copperheads can be found throughout Virginia. A fatal copperhead bite is very rare. Copperheads bite the most folks in the U.S.A. (they're very aggressive and will bite multiple times if cornered) but they also have the weakest venom. Rattlesnakes are the most dangerous in Virginia, but even so, 96% of those treated will survive. Cottonmouths are somewhat less dangerous than Rattlesnakes.

I have a 128 acre farm and I'm out and about for hours a day in fields, on trails, in the woods, etc. I've _never_ seen a rattlesnake and I've seen a copperhead only once. We do, however, have plenty of blacksnakes which are almost completely harmless to humans and not at all venomous. I'm of the opinion that the more blacksnakes the better. They eat other snakes and are very territorial. It is said that if you have blacksnakes, then you won't have rattlers or copperheads. So when we find blacksnake eggs in our sawdust bin, we move them to a safe place to help ensure they hatch. We also have a very, very small rodent population around our barn.

Blacksnakes and many other non-venomous snakes make our lives much easier and safer. First of all they curb the rodent population significantly. A snake has never started a house or barn fire that I know of. However, rodents have burned plenty of houses down (they will eat wiring, wiring conduit, insulation, etc). I believe if you live in a suburban, semi-rural or rural area then you should respect and honor the snakes around you because without them, you and your children would be more exposed to disease and fire risk. Snakes can't coexist with humans in a dense metro environments. Big sewer rats don't exist outside of dense metro environments. That should tell you something.

Sean

[Richmond Commuter]

There are something like 400 species of snakes in the U.S. and, as has been pointed out, FOUR venomous. C'mon, folks, let's think critically here.

Yes, I have seen snakes in my yard several times - but I also did when I lived in NJ. So far I have seen a black rat snake (impressive looking but harmless, unless you're a rodent) several garter snakes (totally harmless), a rough green snake (even less than totally harmless) and a legless lizard (not the same as a snake but easily confused with one).

Best thing to do with a snake is just leave it alone - they are more scared of you than you are of them. One day I saw my neighbor in my old neighborhood running around his yard with a toilet plunger in one hand and an axe in the other! I was thinking "what the heck" until I saw him lunge with the plunger and then strike with the axe. I went over to see what the commotion was, and sure enough, the brave warrior had hacked to bits a beautiful little rough green snake. What an idiot. Not only are they totally, utterly harmless to humans, they are beneficial to have in your yard.

And shooting snakes with a shotgun? Seriously. Just let them go on their way.

As far as bugs, there do seem to be an overabundance of spiders in the Richmond area - perhaps that's how the U of R teams got their names. In the past few months, we have found four black widows in our back yard. And yes, there is no doubt whatsoever that they were black widows. No biggie, though - again, just leave them alone. Most people get bit by snakes because they were messing around with them.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Richmond Commuter

There are something like 400 species of snakes in the U.S. and, as has been pointed out, FOUR venomous. C'mon, folks, let's think critically here.

Yes, I have seen snakes in my yard several times - but I also did when I lived in NJ. So far I have seen a black rat snake (impressive looking but harmless, unless you're a rodent) several garter snakes (totally harmless), a rough green snake (even less than totally harmless) and a legless lizard (not the same as a snake but easily confused with one).

Best thing to do with a snake is just leave it alone - they are more scared of you than you are of them. One day I saw my neighbor in my old neighborhood running around his yard with a toilet plunger in one hand and an axe in the other! I was thinking "what the heck" until I saw him lunge with the plunger and then strike with the axe. I went over to see what the commotion was, and sure enough, the brave warrior had hacked to bits a beautiful little rough green snake. What an idiot. Not only are they totally, utterly harmless to humans, they are beneficial to have in your yard.

And shooting snakes with a shotgun? Seriously. Just let them go on their way.

As far as bugs, there do seem to be an overabundance of spiders in the Richmond area - perhaps that's how the U of R teams got their names. In the past few months, we have found four black widows in our back yard. And yes, there is no doubt whatsoever that they were black widows. No biggie, though - again, just leave them alone. Most people get bit by snakes because they were messing around with them.

A most excellent post. Rep points for you!!