Request: Black Snakes in Trees?
Archived on 05/10/2009
My husband found this house he wants to buy and the people around there said the only problem you might see a few black snakes! I am very, very afraid of any kind of snake, dead, rubber, alive, whatever! The girl who had lived there previously told me they fall out of the trees when it rains! I honestly had to lay down last night because of it my heart was beating 100 miles an hour.
My husband does not understand and thinks it is funny. My opinion is if he loved me why in the heck would he want me to be scared to death. What can we do to get rid of them out of the trees and yard? Somebody please respond.
Martha from Spartanburg, SC
Feedback:
RE: Black Snakes in Trees?
I found this on http://www.stretcher.com/stories/04/04sep06a.cfm
Advice on getting rid of black snakes or "rat snakes":
Remove the Food Source
The black snakes are there to catch rodents. Remove the mice and rats and the snakes will leave. In the meantime, I would suggest you go through every room and make sure all holes are patched so the varmints (rats, mice, snakes) cannot get into your living quarters. Pay special attention to drain and water pipe holes. When there is no food for the snakes, they will leave of their own accord. Carolyn in Arkansas
Cut Away Branches
Black snakes climb trees. If there are any tree branches near or touching the house, the snakes can easily get in. Remove all branches close to the house. The snakes that are in the house will most likely find a way out of the house and will not be able to come back in. There are probably mice in the house, which is what attracted the snakes in the first place. When the mice are gone, the snakes will leave to find another food source. Sandy
Scatter Mothballs
Place mothballs in your attic/around your house. Not only does the smell keep moths from eating clothing, but it also repels snakes. Just make sure that small children and pets do not have access to the mothballs. Trisha
Advice from Pest Control
I work for a pest control company and there are two things that we recommend. One is a product called SnakeAway. It can be bought at home improvement stores like Lowe's. The other is less expensive. Throw around some mothballs. The snakes cannot breathe around them and they will stay away. JoAnn
Sulphur Solution
Ask your County Agent to bring sulphur gas foggers out and set several off on each floor and underneath the house. We live in Texas and there was no charge. The sulphur odor will permeate the entire structure and all pests will leave. Then spread water-soluble granulated sulphur about 12 inches out from the perimeter of the house and also the perimeter of the yard. We spread it throughout our yard because ticks and fleas trouble us during the summer. Sulphur is not harmful to people or animals, but it will make most undesirable "varmints" leave the premises. Then the granulated sulphur will prevent them from returning. Water the sulphur into the ground after spreading. When you no longer can see the granules, it is time to reapply.
Pat
In True Stretcher Form
First of all, it sounds like you have "rat snakes," which also means you have rodents of some kind living up there or close by. When you get rid of the snakes, you might have a mouse problem on your hands. I suggest that you try to get rid of the mice, and the snakes should leave on their own.
There is a product called "Snake Away," which should be effective in getting rid of them, but it can be expensive. In typical stretcher form, I'll tell you what's in it. It contains Napththalene, which is also found in mothballs.
Napththalene also repels bats and many other ground crawling animals. By virtue of the fact that it works on bats, I would think that it might work on mice as well. The only drawback is that your attic will smell pretty strong for awhile. Once your critters have left, be sure to plug the holes. The easiest way to find the holes in your house is to put a super bright light source in the attic at night, turn it on, and go outside to look for shafts of light. (07/16/2008)
RE: Black Snakes in Trees?
Black racers do, indeed, climb trees. They are harmless, unless you are a rodent or other small critter. They do have a curious habit of shaking the tip of their tail in the leaves to try to fake you out (into thinking they're rattlesnakes) for their own protection.
You can keep them out of trees by painting a ring of "Tree Tanglefoot" or other similar product around the trees--they won't climb past it. In the wild, certain types of birds that nest in evergreens will peck holes in the bark the entire way around, to create a sap ring that keeps the snakes from climbing. Guess we can't improve on nature!
You can purchase "snake repellent" granules at a good garden store; I don't know how well they work; but they won't hurt to put around, and may give you a little peace of mind! (07/16/2008)
By Jilson
RE: Black Snakes in Trees?
I live in Florida and I have many trees in my yard. In 25 years, I have seen one snake climbing down one certain tree where squirrels congregate and another snake climbing up that same tree. That's 2 snakes in 25 years. I have never seen black snakes fall out of the trees when it rains or anything else fall out of the trees. Don't believe everything you hear.
Black snakes are more fearful of you than you are of them. I'm told black snakes keep rattlesnakes away. You need to either conquer your extreme phobia or move out of the South. I am much less fearful of snakes now than I was when I moved to FL from NY. I actually get upset now when someone kills them. I prefer they just move them to another area. They are here for a purpose and they do it well. They don't want anymore to do with you than you want to do with them. They want to be left alone just like you do. (07/17/2008)
By Stngray
RE: Black Snakes in Trees?
(submitted via email)
Your snake is a Texas Rat Snake, or usually called a chicken snake. We had a 4-1/2 foot one in our flower bed the other day and I killed it thinking it was a cottonmouth. Later when I researched, I was so upset that I killed it. They kill rats and other things we don't want around our house. They do not bite and they also love to climb into attics, trees, up the side of the house, etc. I'm south of Ft. Worth.
Elizabeth (07/17/2008)
By jess
RE: Black Snakes in Trees?
Cedar mulch will keep all snakes away. I live in Texas in the country. For me to see a water moccasin on my way to my truck is not unusual. But if you put cedar mulch around your house, it will keep them away. Also, moth balls. The old fashion kind works as well. (09/22/2008)
By Debbie G
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Request: Black Snakes in Trees?
Archived on 07/16/2008
My husband was trimming trees the other day and found a 1 foot long black snake laying on a branch in the tree. I wasn't aware that snakes hung out IN trees. We are 30 minutes NE of San Antonio, Texas and I know we have coral and copperheads around here. I know there is also cottonmouths in the county but I thought they were only near water. We are in straight sand and hickory and oak trees, not much water but lots of leaves. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas of what kind of snake it could be. And how do i keep snakes out of my trees?
Thanks for any advice,
Adrienne
Answers:
RE: Black Snakes in Trees?
I think the type of snake you describe is what is called a rat snake. I have seen them here in Kentucky, also. They are considered helpful in keeping down the rodent population. They look so nasty and can be huge, but I've been told that they are not harmful. Just very ugly. And nasty. Hope that helps you. (12/28/2004)
RE: Black Snakes in Trees?
It might be a king snake. Don't know if you have them there. They kill other snakes such as copperheads so you would definitely not want to kill it. They do hang out in trees. I hate snakes and know very little so this is just a possibility. (12/28/2004)
By Ann
RE: Black Snakes in Trees?
My first thought was also that it may be a king snake! I hope it was and I'm sure that gave you quite the scare! I would peed my drawers! If it was indeed a baby king snake, Ann was correct, they DO kill other snakes. A good snake to have a round. (12/28/2004)
By homeschoolin_mum
RE: Black Snakes in Trees?
Among our many animals are reptiles, including snakes. We do humane education about reptiles and do a rescue for unwanted reptiles. Anyway, being the mammal person I am, I asked my husband, the reptile expert. He knew right away what it was--and he smiled when I told him what I thought. I was right! I'm learning.
It is, indeed, a rat snake. They are arboreal, so you really can't keep them out of trees. They are not venomous, but all snakes can bite, if threatened.
We have a number of rat snakes, which my husband carefully handles with work gloves. He's never been bitten, but he doesn't handle them more than necessary. No--they do not roam our house. They are kept in suitable enclosures and do well.
There is probably a local herpetological society in various Texas locales. Please don't kill them. They are valuable to the environment and really don't want to tangle with humans. If worse comes to worse, ship them to us and we'll find good homes for them or put them in a release program.
(12/28/2004)
By writergal
RE: Black Snakes in Trees?
Go see Lemony Snickets. There is a scene with the baby playing with a giant black snake. Maybe it will help you deal with this emotionally. I hope! (12/29/2004)
By coreenhart
RE: Black Snakes in Trees?
I don't know if this is your snake(s), but hopefully this info will help!
http://wildwnc.org/af/blackratsnake.html
"Because of its adaptability to a variety of habitats including those close to people, humans often encounter the Black Rat Snake. Although it is one of our most valuable snakes, human fear and prejudice against all snakes often result in this shy and beneficial species being killed on sight." (12/29/2004)
By The Fox
RE: Black Snakes in Trees?
Thanks for all the feedback and info on this snake. it's nice to know what we have around our house, especially when we have kids. To coreenheart, I was not aware I had a problem emotionally coping with this issue. i just was shocked to see a snake in a tree and wanted to know what it was. Not like we were going to shoot or kill it or anything. We left it alone. I just wanted to know what it was.Thanks everyone for the info. (12/29/2004)
By txwright98
RE: Black Snakes in Trees?
My dad used to tie barbed wire about 6 feet up around the trees to keep the snakes out.... hope it works for you too. (12/30/2004)
By kimmcg
RE: Black Snakes in Trees?
My wife & I bought two lots just south & east of Houston. We began clearing them ourselves. We found copperheads, Mexican milk snakes, cottonmouths, common watersnakes, and coral snakes. We picked up Texas Monthly's Field Guide to Texas Snakes, through Gulf Publishing in Houston to help us identify them to make sure we did not harm the nonvenamous ones. It is well illustrated. Cats and Labradors can also be helpful in directing them, at least to the next yard. Our Lab got 4 coral snakes in one month. I understand that possums are immune to all Texas' snake venom & find them quite tasty.
Good Luck (08/22/2006)
By Will
RE: Black Snakes in Trees?
We live in central North Carolina. We have recently found a rather long (3.5 - 4 feet) Black snake climbing up and resting in the branches of our tree adjacent to our bird bath and bird feeders. This has occurred mid day to early afternoon. Our guess is that it's looking for lunch or just "sunning" although it actually is in the shade.
About a year ago while trimming a large holy bush I found a snake skin that was more than 4 feet long and about 2 inches around the middle.
Our best guess is that these are what are commonly known as "Black Snakes." Upon doing some research, they may be "Rat Snakes." (05/04/2008)
By JW
RE: Black Snakes in Trees?
Lots of snakes can climb trees, rafters, etc. If it was fat for it's length and had a strong odor, it's a cottonmouth (water moccasin). Cottonmouths are usually aggressive. There's also a plain black water snake. Thinner black snakes around here are called chicken snakes or rat snakes and they are not venomous and try to get away. They can get really long. I live in East Texas and snakes are common. Really creeps me out how they can climb because I always forget to look up out in the woods, I'm busy looking down for them. (06/01/2008)
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