Talk to Me About Snakes And Spiders

[Harriet Vane]

Yes, it's in a provincial park, and they actually have signs on the road about slowing down and not running over the snakes.

 

Wolf speeds up :lol:

 

No, you're not normally allowed to kill them, as they're considered endangered, however, there are conservation officers on duty to call. If a snake is endangering a person...well...*whistles innocently*

 

We will be investing in leather hiking boots for everyone...but Boo. And, thanks to RSD, I can't hike.

 

One other ? I have...how the HECK do you garden w/snakes and spiders around? I *really* want a veggie garden for next yr...but not if it means creepy crawlies.

 

I'm not worried about snakes in the backyard...again, it's been 'snake proofed'. Front yard, under the front porch, front garden...*shudder*

 

I am curious, Imp, why you cannot hike? I thought it was your arm that is affected? (I hope the question doesn't offend you. You've always been open about RSD so I thought I would ask.)

 

I love hiking, especially in the north woods, and cannot imagine how desolate I would feel if that activity were verboten. :grouphug:

[Audrey]

Looking on google, I think what I saw were recluse spiders. Reclusive my hiney, hanging out in the sunshine. :glare:

 

They were brown and HUGE.

 

I wonder...are mongoose (mongeese?) good w/kids? Chew their faces off? Where would one find a breeder?

 

Cats. Def need more cats.

 

 

Then those were common house spiders. According to several easily google-able, government websites, there has never been a confirmed brown recluse in Alberta. Black widows are supposedly extremely rare and only ever seen in the very southern-most part of Alberta. Black widows are, indeed, truly black, no one would ever mistake them for brown, and they have a red mark on the back that kind of looks like a tiny hourglass.

 

Common house spiders eat mosquito larvae, flies and fly larvae and a host of other insects. They are doing you a favour, so don't step on them.

[Audrey]

Yes, and they're not very big. Though most people look at long legs and think a spider is big, it's the size of the body you need to look at when identifying a spider.

 

That said, dh was bitten by a brown recluse before I met him, and now 20 years later he's dealing with repercussions. That's because he didn't realize he got bit (you don't usually feel it) and it was misdiagnosed at first (in the 1980's they didn't realize there were brown recluse spiders in Florida, as they're not native).

 

We have Black Widows and Brown Recluse spiders in Florida, yet bites are rare. They really aren't agressive. We always check shoes that were in the garage or on the porch though, just to be safe.

 

Florida also has 6 types of venomous snakes, including the most venomous in North America - the Coral Snake - yet snake bites are rare too.

 

Just because something exists where you live doesn't mean it will be a problem. Common sense, such as not aggravating the snake, or checking shoes for spiders, prevents most problems.

 

 

:iagree:I grew up in S FL. Never bitten. Never knew another person who was bitten.

 

However, having seen plenty of snakes, including corals, I am quite certain that snakes were the impetus for the invention of the shovel.

[Tarreymere]

You could surround your house with diatomaceous earth http://www.richsoil.com/diatomaceous-earth.jsp

 

I can't stand spiders and I live in an area what seems to me to be a lot of them (they don't fly around in the wind by the hundreds, though!) so we got a few forty pound bags of this stuff and surrounded the house. It worked great. There are some plants that spiders hate that you can plant in your yard too. I can't remember which is which now. One of my kids made the mistake of planting something that spiders love and that did not work out well for her. In the house, I have a shop-vac and a cat.

 

Chickens are supposed to be good at keeping bugs down, and the rooster is actually supposed to be the look-out for snakes in the chicken world. If I were you I'd seriously consider becoming a chicken farmer......

 

I wonder if ferrets are good at killing snakes. They are sort of mongoose-like, aren't they? Okaaaaayyyy......you tube confirms that ferrets kill snakes. You do NOT want the link.

Edited August 20, 2012 by Rainefox

[Truscifi]

:iagree:I grew up in S FL. Never bitten. Never knew another person who was bitten.

 

However, having seen plenty of snakes, including corals, I am quite certain that snakes were the impetus for the invention of the shovel.

 

:lol: And the garden hoe, which is what I used to kill the one coral snake we've had in our 9 years here.

 

Imp - check shoes before putting them on, don't leave clothes, towels, etc and the floor, and get a pet that will run off or kill any snakes. You'll be fine. :chillpill: and :grouphug:

[EducationX2]

I wonder if ferrets are good at killing snakes. They are sort of mongoose-like, aren't they? Okaaaaayyyy......you tube confirms that ferrets kill snakes. You do NOT want the link.

 

You're right, I don't want the link. But, I knew I always wanted a ferret, now I know why! :D

[Impish]

I am curious, Imp, why you cannot hike? I thought it was your arm that is affected? (I hope the question doesn't offend you. You've always been open about RSD so I thought I would ask.)

 

I love hiking, especially in the north woods, and cannot imagine how desolate I would feel if that activity were verboten. :grouphug:

Being on my feet for 'too long' (which can vary wildly as to what that actually is, depending on the day) can cause my arm to feel like it's ripping out of the socket. It gets to the point where every step seems to send shockwaves of pain through my arm.

Then those were common house spiders. According to several easily google-able, government websites, there has never been a confirmed brown recluse in Alberta. Black widows are supposedly extremely rare and only ever seen in the very southern-most part of Alberta. Black widows are, indeed, truly black, no one would ever mistake them for brown, and they have a red mark on the back that kind of looks like a tiny hourglass.

 

Common house spiders eat mosquito larvae, flies and fly larvae and a host of other insects. They are doing you a favour, so don't step on them.

Interesting. I've talked to a cpl of ppl in the area who've either been bitten themselves, or had a family member bitten. The COs were the ones to be very vocal to Wolf about venomous spiders.

 

I hate them anyways, venomous or not. :tongue_smilie:

[justamouse]

[annandatje]

.... We have Black Widows and Brown Recluse spiders in Florida, yet bites are rare. They really aren't agressive. We always check shoes that were in the garage or on the porch though, just to be safe.

 

Florida also has 6 types of venomous snakes, including the most venomous in North America - the Coral Snake - yet snake bites are rare too.

 

Just because something exists where you live doesn't mean it will be a problem. Common sense, such as not aggravating the snake, or checking shoes for spiders, prevents most problems.

 

:iagree: Wise response, floridamom. Copperheads and water moccasins are pretty much ubiquitous in U.S. We only see the patriarch of our creek's copperhead clan when weedeating. We are in an unofficially semi-preserved subdivision in a suburb where lots are large and quite a bit of wooded area remains.

 

When it comes to gardening and growing berries, it is a race to see whether the raccoons and deer or our family gets to the harvest first.

 

We've carefully removed a few snakes from our home without incident.

 

Years ago, I did suffer a spider bite which took a long time to heal. I should have had medical treatment, but we did not have insurance at the time.

 

Try not to worry too much about the spiders and snakes. The real culprits will be the coyotes' nocturnal howls in your very own yard that will wake you from sound sleep.

[Harriet Vane]

Being on my feet for 'too long' (which can vary wildly as to what that actually is, depending on the day) can cause my arm to feel like it's ripping out of the socket. It gets to the point where every step seems to send shockwaves of pain through my arm.

 

 

:grouphug:

[annandatje]

Yes, it's in a provincial park, and they actually have signs on the road about slowing down and not running over the snakes.

 

Wolf speeds up :lol:

 

No, you're not normally allowed to kill them, as they're considered endangered, however, there are conservation officers on duty to call. If a snake is endangering a person...well...*whistles innocently*....

 

Are you saying that your husband intentionally runs over snakes in road when he could easily avoid them? When he is in a vehicle and the snakes are not a direct threat to him? And you find this :lol: ? Perhaps I am misreading.

 

Snakes' rodent-ridding abilities are an important aspect of the ecosystem and their senseless wholesale slaughter is ... well, senseless. Most snake road kills happen during their mating season when they travel for procreation.

 

I understand taking action if you are personally threatened. Although most snakes are harmless, their appearance is understandably alarming to humans. However, showdowns are rare, especially since snakes and humans tend to give one another wide berth.

Edited August 20, 2012 by annandatje

[justLisa]

 

ACK!!!

[DarlaS]

:iagree: And I know for a fact that...rattle snakes are not afraid of noise:glare:. You can scream your ever-lovin head off, rev your car engine, bang on the garage door with a shovel and they will simply laugh and rattle away at you. (And they will bite your dog in a minute.) The cute little baby-ones will bite longer and harder and can be really deadly. Apparently, a huge rattle snake is better than a baby one in your yard.

 

Where we lived the police department would respond and take them back out to the desert if they could catch them.

 

:auto:Spiders and snakes...omg...omg:auto:!

 

Snakes don't have ears. They can sense vibrations and avoid predators this way, but they won't hear you yelling or screaming.

[Hockey Mom]

 

We have Black Widows and Brown Recluse spiders in Florida, yet bites are rare. They really aren't agressive. We always check shoes that were in the garage or on the porch though, just to be safe.

 

Florida also has 6 types of venomous snakes, including the most venomous in North America - the Coral Snake - yet snake bites are rare too.

 

Just because something exists where you live doesn't mean it will be a problem. Common sense, such as not aggravating the snake, or checking shoes for spiders, prevents most problems.

:iagree:

[swellmomma]

Then those were common house spiders. According to several easily google-able, government websites, there has never been a confirmed brown recluse in Alberta. Black widows are supposedly extremely rare and only ever seen in the very southern-most part of Alberta. Black widows are, indeed, truly black, no one would ever mistake them for brown, and they have a red mark on the back that kind of looks like a tiny hourglass.

 

Common house spiders eat mosquito larvae, flies and fly larvae and a host of other insects. They are doing you a favour, so don't step on them.

 

:iagree: Based on the size of the orb spiders currently housed at teh entrances of my home right now I would be inclined to think they are planning to come in and devour us in our sleep, they are HUGE. Their back markings are funky too. The crab spiders get me more scared than any other and they are harmless but they rear up at you. I swear they roar when they do that.

[fraidycat]

The real culprits will be the coyotes' nocturnal howls in your very own yard that will wake you from sound sleep.

 

We live nowhere near a nature preserve or park. We're in the middle of the city. Surrounded by...city, in a "no dogs allowed" neighbourhood. The coyotes live about 50 yards behind my house. I seriously thought I had lost my mind the first time I heard them yipping and howling.

[Impish]

We hear coyotes all the time. They don't bother me...prob cause they're big enough to see coming.

 

Snakes and spiders are small, fast, and sneaky. :glare: