I have been on the receiving end of more than a few raised eyebrows and my share of comments about the fact I have not appeared in any rush to rid our house of snakes. Fact is, snakes slithering overhead in the attic don’t faze me. Which, of course, surprised many friends given my propensity to scream hysterically at the much smaller, and conceivably less menacing, wasps which regularly invade my office upstairs.
That was, until the day we returned from our vacation to find a 5-foot, black rat snake — rather than its more harmless-looking, black racer cousin — sleeping peacefully IN the bedroom, right behind Jim’s temporary closet, in the wall exposed when the bees were removed. A quick check around the room upon our return had uncovered digestive remnants and a distinct mud snake imprint in the windowsill. The frantic search which followed lead to our nasty, behind-the-closet discovery.
Extraction, I felt, required two people. And Jim agreed, giving me very specific directions. My job, he informed me, was to pull out the temporary closet and then run straight out of the room since he assured me my screaming hysterically as he tried to wrestle the snack into the bucket would not in any way improve his effectiveness.
Jim, of course, turned out to be an excellent snake wrangler and the first of three snake relocations was underway. Into the bucket. Lid on. Back of the truck and a 1+ mile drive to a lush location with plenty of alternative options for making a new home.
The most exciting wrangling — which fortunately I was not there to witness — was the capture and removal of a snake who apparently slithered his way up the basement stairs, under the door, and into the living room while Jim was watching evening television. Jim certainly showed a green spirit in relocating rather than decapitating that one.
We are hopeful the reign of the black snack, rat or racer, is now over with the injection in the attic of blown-in insulation, which is said to fill the holes and make it much more difficult for snakes to enter. The guys who sprayed indicated the snake who was in the attic at the time didn’t appear to appreciate being sprayed and exited rapidly.
Next week the basement foundation is being reinforced with concrete which should likewise increase deterrents. We’ll keep you posted!