Copperhead repellant

[Graywolf]

A couple of black snakes or one big king snake will solve any an all cooper head problems!

 

[chris_goris]

A couple of black snakes or one big king snake will solve any an all cooper head problems!

Ive seen lots of king snakes and black snakes.... and 2 LARGE copperheads, both are dead

 

[NOTW]

 

[sawman101]

We've lived here for 14 years and have had 2 copperhead sightings in all that time. Eliminated a couple of habitat areas, and haven't seen any in the past 10 years. Not sure how it happened, but suddenly I've had to make 5 stickered and covered lumber piles out back, on the lawn. Once again I've got lumber that will last me forever, and wonderful copperhead habitat again. The best part though, is the presence of some large black snakes; at least it makes me feel better.

 

[KenOfCary]

As several have mentioned Black snakes and King snakes will keep the poisonous ones at bay.

 

[Jeff]

Copperheads are usually benign if left alone and not threatened---they're more interested in a rodent dinner than you're body. That's not suggesting that you should give them the run of the yard but they'll move wherever they can't nest or find a meal so cleaning up your shed area is a good start, but reusing it for lumber storage brings you back to square one. Naphthalene (moth balls) are cheap too.

http://www.snake-removal.com/copperhead.html

 

[JimD]

I found a mature copperhead coiled up and staring at my dog who was barking at it. He dug up and bit in half a pretty good sized snake of some kind. He had bitten the copperhead near the tail but was staying back from it at that point. My handiest weapon was a scope sighted pellet gun. It didn't work so well - some was undoubtedly operator error but scopes don't work so great at short range. I held the dog back and the wounded snake crawled off.

I started seeing a few after my son injured a large black snake. His sister screamed when she saw it and he bashed it with something. It crawled off but he got it pretty good. Iyelled at him for injuring a benefical snake.

I got one with a shovel crawling on the brick side of the house and got another tiny one on the back steps with a wood block. I might have a dead one in the shop somewhere. He was sunning himself on the garage door jamb and I whacked him with a scrap - which broke - and he crawled deeper into the shop. I decided to leave him alone. He (or it) might also have survived - seems like a good reason not to clean up.

 

[BKHam]

my father in law does snake removal in the charlotte area and even farther out if he can. runs a snake rescue and relocation nonprofit. he could give expert advice even if he isn't local to your area.

Grover Barfield
7045167455

 

[Bear Republic]

.45 with snakeshot seems to work but will make a little noise.... When a shovel isn't near or my wife is losing her mind.

I think you just need to get back in the shop and make a snakejig.... Little something to grab them at a distance.:rotflm:

 

[Rick M]

Unfortunately a lot of my neighbors will kill every snake they see, and a lot of them like black snakes keeps other pests down. My dog got bit by a copperhead this year, first time in 20 some years we've seen any.

 

[junquecol]

Two years ago, we did an inside foundation drain for a customer. Crawl space is 7 feet high, with an entry door. Stepped on brick thresh hold, and then inside. When I turned around, I saw an 18" copperhead lying right under where I had stepped. Dispatched him with iron oxide on a stick (shovel.) You should have seen painter painting the door. He looked like an ice skater doing a one footed glide, but he definitely didn't go under the house.

 

[CaptnA]

Phil I've always lived where there were snakes. Worse thing about a snake is finding it. Once it is located most people want to look at it but no one wants to be the one that finds it. Growing up we had lots of acreage and as kids kept anything we could in glass jars. Mama was canning once and didn't have enough canning jars, we had according to my dad 11 copperheads and seven rattlesnakes in addition to king rat snakes, ringnecks, lizards etc. My sister has had black snakes at her new house for years and they kill every one they see. Now the copperheads are back. She literally had one in her kitchen. They still don't want the black snakes.
Copperheads are most active at night but are often seen in the daytime. Pretty docile as are even rattlesnakes until disturbed. Only copperhead that was aggressive - really wasn't, he just wanted away from the wildfire we were fighting and he was between it and us. He lost. AMA reports that over 70% of reported snakebites were obtained either attempting to catch or kill the snake. Not exactly like they are after people.
Still, I couldn't abide them by the house so a hoe or shovel offers plenty of reach. Don't be fooled, a severed snake head can still bite hours after being detached.
Moth balls used to be made from camphor and napthalene but napthalene is very flammable. Most are now camphor and paradichlorobenzene. Just another chemical that really isn't healthy for people. Most sources cite moth balls not being an effective snake repellent, likely since there is no napthalene in them I imagine. Other say the mothballs keep most other pests (food source for the snake) away so the snakes don't come.
There are snake traps which have some effectiveness particularly with smaller snakes like copperheads but when dispatching the vermin there is another potential human intervention, aka bite potential. King rat and black snakes are pretty effective at reducing other snake populations but seeing a 5-6 foot black snake can be as unnerving to some people. Talk with a professional exterminator. They have some items that are not available to unlicensed homeowners. Independent labs have tested many of the commercial 'snake repellents' and not one has been found to be effective.
Keeping nesting spots cleared away and reducing their preferred habitat are about the best options. Usually means they will just move on in search of a better place to be - might be the back yard or a neighboring fence line - and they have a larger travel area than many realize...
Good luck with whatever you do!

 

[jlwest]

Guinea hens keep snakes away...

 

[BThompson]

I have multiple black snakes under my shop and have seen a couple copperheads. I dumped 2 boxes of moth balls under (I couldn't go in shop for a week) and the snakes were not bothered by it. They are living in the block of the foundation. I spoke with someone at our last wncwa meeting and the guy said ammonia would work. I haven't tried it yet but I am going to in the next week. Makes sense, since I can put down the block also.

 

[drw]

I have read this thread with great interest and empathy. I lived in Texas for several years and came to know several varieties of snakes quite well. We bought a house on 5 acres with a creak running near the house. The kids were small so I was very concerned with all of the fire ants and snakes on the property. I put so much Amdro down that the place could probably have qualified as a Hazardous Waste site. As for the snakes (primarily water moccasins and copperheads), I was so mad that they were on the property that, I routinely came home from work and began shooting snakes with my 22 rife. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I would normally kill 3 to 5 each evening...this went on for weeks. At some point, the population began to decline...but by then I was so use to having them to shoot at I became irritated when I couldn't find any!

To wind up the story, I was at Texas A&M University at the time so I went over to the Wildlife Department and spoke to the Herpetologist to ask what I could do about my problem, his response: "Son, you live in Texas, you're going to have snakes!"

 

[Mark Stewart]

reading this makes me wonder. What most folks don't realize is that snakes are communal. They will all den up together. Copperheads Rattlers Black snakes and others. If the ones you found were mainly the same size there was most probably a nesting site somewhere close. If the mother was an older lady could have been as many eggs as 14 but usually around 7. best way to rid yourself of them is remove their food supply. Bleach will cover musk sent so new ones don't show up. BTW got bit when I was 7 or 8 don't recommend it. So be careful

 

[sawman101]

Copperheads, rattlesnakes, and cottonmouths all birth their young'uns live; they do not lay eggs like black snakes or other nonvenomous snakes do. At about 2 centimeters in length, these newborns look like worms. My wife and I were walking the trails at Kings Mountain Battlefield Monument a few years ago. Wife spotted a newly birthed copperhead on the sidewalk. We watched carefully where we trod because we knew mama copperhead was close nearby. Don't pick one up unless you're experienced in handling them, their bite is as potent as an adult.