OT: Bugs Snakes question

[JB in Co]

Retired and looking at moving to Florida (Ocala area) or Missouri (Salem area). Everyone we talk to here, that have lived in Missouri talks about the bugs and snakes(Copperheads). This has wife VERY concerned (me to, because we want to have horses and land). Anyone have any experiences or advice? Again, thanks in advance. JB

 

[souNdguy]

take away a preditors food supply and they move.

IE.. keep vermin and small prey down and the things that eat them will stay down.

soundguy

 

[Bob]

.
Jim n Dolly

 

[Bruce (VA)]

Soundguy lives in a state that is home to all four venomous snakes native to North America: copperhead, rattlesnake, water moccasin & the most deadly of all, the coral snake.

And his advice on how to avoid them is on point: they are all carnivores, so remove their food supply. That & a good supply of common sense. Plenty of folks live in those states w/o getting bit. Having a flock of Guineas means no snakes & no ticks.

Besides, as a buddy who was bitten by a copperhead told me, " A copperhead bite won't kill you, but it will damn sure make you wish you were dead!"

 

[old]

I have lived in Missouri almost 31 years will be 31 in July. The say we have rattle snakes and water macosions (sp) and copper heads. Well I have seen a few copper heads but never been bit yet and as for bugs yep we have them ticks are the worse but hey if you go to FL you have it worse as for the snakes plus gaiters. As for the horses no big deal they do not get bothered by the snakes I know since I have horses. Shoot where you live I know you have rattlers so what is the big deal no matter where you go you have something to worry about. If it isn't snakes it is spiders and if not spiders it is some other thing like bears etc etc. Or in other words what you worrying about I have yet to find any place that is perfect.

 

[old]

Well to tell the truth the coral snake has the deadliest venom but since it has no fangs it also the least likely to kill a man. You they can kill but least likely then a rattler.

 

[Dunk]

We have most all of them here in NW GA.

Even in the house, or whever, I try to teach kids, to watch where they put their feet.

Never know when you might step on a busted beer bottle.

Most snakes, don't want to mess with you, anymore than you want to mess with them.

You do have to learn to deal with skeeters!!

 

[old]

Oh I also forgot to add there is and never has been any known death caused by the bite of a copper head in the state of Missouri. Plus another odd thing. In Missouri it is not legal to kill any snake due to the fact there is a couple that are on the endangered list one being the banded king snake. There is in fact a $10,000 fine for killing a snake. Not enforced much and for killing a copper head is over looked but still it is the law

 

[JerryS]

Wherever you choose to live will present its own list of potential perils. Down here in north Louisiana the list includes tornadoes, floods, heat/humidity and murder. It also includes copperheads, cottonmouths, rattlers, coral snakes, black widows, brown recluses, scorpions, hornets, yellow jackets, stinging wooley worms, ticks, encephalitis-bearing skeeters, poison ivy, bull nettle and who knows whatever else. I have lived in the country most of my many years in the country in the midst of these critters and we have managed to share the turf. I'd rather have them for neighbors than lots of people.

Copperheads are especially plentiful; I’m careful, but I don’t really give them a lot of thought. I don’t even kill them unless they’re close to the house. I wander around in my woods at night without any great concern. I just can’t let fear rule my life. Most folks I know feel the same way. In all my life I’ve known only one person who has been snake-bit, a kid who lives not far from me was tagged last year. It was no fun but he got through it.

On the other hand, every dog I’ve got has been bit at least once.

Regarding Soundguy’s admonition to deprive a varmint of his food supply: some may not know that one of the copperhead’s favorite snacks is the common toad frog.

 

[working dog 7]

When i lived on the farm in west virginia . we had a very dry summer . i think it was 1975 .we had bottom land along the potomac river .that 1 yr i killed 28 copper heads . they came down the dry ditches to find water.never bitten they tried to stay out of your way. but my friend was bitten on the back of the foot stepping out of a porta potty . was no big deal went to the hospital was working the next day .If you dont like venumious snakes dont kill the black snakes black snakes will run them off.

 

[Bruce (VA)]

That's right; it's neurotoxic venom (like a cobra) not hemotoxic like the pit vipers. I don't think it even has fangs; it has to chew on what ever it bites to actually inject venom.

 

[old]

Yep it has to gnaw on its victim to kill it so that is why it is not known well for killing people. So of like that lizard that has the same venom it to has to chew its way to killing

 

[HCooke]

I live about 1 hrs drive from Salem. We have copperheads occasionally in the yard. Never have been bitten. I discourage them in the yard but not in the fields away from the house. They eat mice. Neighbors have young children, I have removed copperheads from their yard on occasion, no one has every been bitten. It is a big help to keep the area around the house clean and free of habitat (ie logs, rocks, brush. Also don't discourage the blacksnakes and kingsnakes. They help keep copperheads away.

 

[horsepoor]

I have lived in Central Illinois all my life, and several years in the country. Have horses. Suprisingly enough, you will have to worry about possums with horse hay more than anything else, snakes. The feces of opossums may contain sporocysts - cysts that contain spores that can reproduce asexually. Horses can ingest these sporocysts with feed, grass or water contaminated with opossum feces. The protozoa can leave lesions on the spinal cord and brain stem. It is this neurological damage that can cause the various symptoms of EPM.

http://horses.about.com/od/diseasesandillness/p/epmhoirse.htm

Neighbor lost a horse 2 years ago due to this.
Sorry for the long post.
-Horsepoor

 

[fortyniner]

I live in Southern Missouri near Branson. We have rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cotton mouth. Haven"t been bit by any of them. I usually kill 3-4 copperheads each summer when they get in the yard. I am more concerned about the ticks than the snakes with the diseases the ticks carry. Used to coon hunt nearly every night when I was a kid and never got bit by any snake. All places have their problems, you just have to figure out which place you can accept.

 

[gahorN]

The coral snake's threat is hugely over-rated. As a kid I picked one up and carried it to school in my pocket all day long to show other kids. The coral is a timid snake and has no proclivity to attack anything it doesn't see as food. (Unlike most moccasins and some rattlers which are aggressive and will chase you if threatened.) The coral must bite on a finger or toe because it has a small mouth. It must chew a while to inject venom. You are unlikely to allow that even if he did bit you.

Here in Texas we have all 4 types and rattlers are the most common out here in ranch country, although I have seen one moccasin in 30 years on the lake (Travis) bordering my place. It was having breakfast with my stringer of sun-fish I'd left in the water. :evil:

The rattlers will usually give lots of warning and attempt to escape. In 20 years I've had 4 in my yard. That's not too bad, actually considering I have corn stored in the garage for deer and it attracts mice, and my wife feeds the birds huge amounts of seeds which encourages them to nest nearby.

I kill every poisonous snake I find and let the rest survive.

Tell your wife to worry more about the other kinds of snakes in Florida.... like drug dealers, dope heads, illegals, and gang bangers. They lose a cop every week over there to them.

 

[Briar Hill Brittanys]

I've lived in southern Missouri over 50 years, and see copperheads once in a while. Had a dog bit a couple of years ago, don't know that it was a copperhead, though. A few pieces of "Just One Bite" bait bar strategically placed in the barn keeps the mice population down. Keeping the leaf litter picked up and the grass mowed helps keep the snakes at bay, too. Also the ticks, and the #!!+* chiggers. Those little dudes will make you forget all about snakes! Mark

 

[jackinok]

good advice from the others,been out all my life from the south to the north ,from the east coast to the west.been actually struck at and hit ONCE.luckily hit on the side of boot.was setting on a tree stump hunting deer and felt something tapping on side of foot .looked down and had my foot on the top of a copperhead maybe 18" long.stuck him in the head with a arrow cause I was afraid to move my foot!I dont kill snakes normally unless they are in chicken house or something getting eggs or chicks,or in the house. had a old bull snake that must have been 6' long in the barn when we were kids.he would startle the heck out of you sometimes but we always left him.Funny thing,I dont see as many snakes of any kind as we used too.

 

[Dunk]

Since nothing, or little, has been said about it.....

The bee family scares me more here in NW GA than any of the snakes or others.

Yellow Jackets, them small sociable bumble bees, hornets, red wasps, etc.

They will attack, and cover you, and can kill, especially if alergic to them.

 

[JB in Co]

THANKS TO ALL who replied and for sharing your experiences and advice. My wife has read all of your comments and thinks COLORADO is her place to be, and is praying for each and every one of you guys. She looked up what Guineas are and she thinks that it is a good idea to own some. The good news is , she is still willing to travel to look at properties. Again, thanks to all of you. JB

 

[Dunk]

(quoted from post at 12:41:39 03/30/11) THANKS TO ALL who replied and for sharing your experiences and advice. My wife has read all of your comments and thinks COLORADO is her place to be, and is praying for each and every one of you guys. She looked up what Guineas are and she thinks that it is a good idea to own some. The good news is , she is still willing to travel to look at properties. Again, thanks to all of you. JB

On I think April 5th, we are planning to buy quite a few Guineas from the local farm supply, that will be the day they get them in, and they won't last long, so we plan to be there when they open.