Snakes in a summer cottage: what to do. How to get rid of snakes in a summer cottage Snake excrement in a summer cottage

Snakes are cowardly animals and absolutely harmless to people. When a person appears, they try to hide. In order not to confuse them with dangerous snakes, look carefully at the snake's head; there should be yellow or orange spots on the sides. The color is black without patterns.

The snake is quite a useful animal: it eats mice, rats, toads (and for this it is quite respected by gardeners) and in general is harmless to both humans and our domestic animals. Snakes are not carriers of diseases dangerous to humans.

If you look at the forums, some users treat them with reverence because of their complete harmlessness.

Moreover, if your site is a priori located in a place where there are a lot of snakes, the presence of snakes means that no one else more dangerous (namely, a viper) will come to you.

Could it really bite?

It may bite, but only if you step on its tail, for example.

Most often, people are afraid that they will confuse a snake with a viper. Main distinguishing feature- this is a completely black body (the viper has a brown head; it may have spots).

But for those who are afraid of one type of creeping reptile, there are various ways get rid of an uninvited guest at home, on your property or in your country house.

What to do if you're already at home?

1. The most effective option is to get a hedgehog. The main difficulty here is to find it (you can try to buy it at a pet store, but it’s not a guarantee that you’ll be lucky).
2. Snakes are timid and a priori look for a place where they can hide. Dark, cool places, in other words, any secluded places must be cleared.
3. Special ultrasonic devices. Snakes are sensitive to vibrations.
4. To drive away snakes, you also need to know that all snakes are afraid of noise.
5. If you live in an area that doesn't usually have an abundance of snakes, your best bet is to simply pick up the snake with a stick and take it outside, away from your home. That is, do not waste time and money on calling a specialist and unnecessary adventures
6. 9 effective advice about that

Some gardeners do not try to destroy reptiles on the site, because they help fight rodents, catch mice, and destroy slugs. Snakes are especially dangerous for small children. In our article we will figure out how to get rid of snakes on summer cottage.

How to get rid of grass snakes on your property

When encountering crawling snakes, many are horrified, and this is especially true for small children. In this regard, it is necessary to get rid of such creatures once and for all. First you need to clean up the garden. This is due to the fact that reptiles like to hide in tall grass; they are often found in compost pits, as well as near old, half-rotten stumps.

When cleaning the area, it is necessary to remove various rubbish, including scattered firewood, incorrectly placed boxes and barrels. Such objects can serve as a refuge for snakes. Snakes like to live in cool and damp places, so they often crawl into basements or under the foundation of a house. To prevent snakes from crawling into your home, you must carefully seal all holes and large cracks in doors and windows.

Snakes in a summer cottage - how to get rid of them?

An ordinary hedgehog can help a gardener in breeding snakes. This prickly animal hunts at night; it will quickly find the reptile and then deal with it. One method of dealing with snakes has long been known, it is called the “drunk hedgehog”. If you give a hedgehog beer, the prickly one will be able to catch all the pests in one night.

Another natural enemy of snakes is the black Jagdterrier dog. This hunter has excellent eyesight and scent. In addition to snakes, it can also kill other pests, such as rats or mice. In some cases, a second person may also enter into a fight with the reptile. pet, cat.

How to get rid of snakes in the country

If the previous methods did not give the desired result, you can try to scare away snakes using baits and chemicals. If you want to kill snakes with your own hands, then place special baits soaked in boiled milk in your summer cottage. Mothballs will help to collect the crawling creatures in one place - the parasites can smell this smell a mile away. Another method of repelling snakes is the use of herbicides or ammonium nitrate.

Snakes in a summer cottage: what to do?

Everyone knows that snakes do not attack first. But this fact can hardly console you when you find an uninvited guest at your dacha in the strawberry or raspberry bushes, or hear a frightening rustle in the grass near the house.

Snakes mean not only the possibility of bites, but also a spoiled harvest.
The very first step in the snake removal operation is cleaning. Snakes can hide in tall grass, old barrels, piles of branches and even slate. They love damp, shady places. Moreover, they can build nests in the “new home” and it will be even more difficult to drive them out. They protect their offspring to the last. So, it's better not to give them a chance. It is necessary to mow the grass regularly (besides, snakes are afraid of the noise of a lawn mower), there should be no garbage in the dacha, it is better to hide all equipment and tools in a special cubby. Mountains of dry branches, if any, also need to be removed.

If there are abandoned dachas near your site, don’t be lazy, mow the grass there too, to reduce the likelihood of snakes appearing in your area too.

It is very important to remember that in spring and last month Summer is the breeding season for snakes, they are especially dangerous!

Scare the snake.
These days there are a lot of different anti-snake devices. They, emitting unpleasant waves and vibrations, scare away reptiles. But very often the result becomes less and less noticeable.

Get rid of snakes once and for all.
We all know that rodents are a tasty morsel for snakes. If you destroy the former, there is a high probability that the latter will disappear.

You can also get a snake hunter - a hedgehog. A bowl of milk will attract him to your area. It will deal with snakes, but in addition it will deal with chickens if you have them on your property. And, of course, for his work the hedgehog will feast on berries from your garden beds. If you don’t mind the harvest, and you are at the dacha often enough to feed the hedgehog, he will become your number one assistant.

If you don’t want to exchange one berry destroyer for another, your hunter can be a cat. It will save you from both snakes and rodents.

Chicken is also a great helper in this matter. Chickens can even catch vipers, so they can easily deal with snakes. And in addition to peace of mind at the dacha, they will bring you eggs and droppings, which can be used as fertilizer.

Safety comes first.
There are a number of methods that will prevent you from meeting a snake:
1. Under the house, under the porch, under the warehouse or barn, it is necessary to spill saltpeter;
2. All cracks in the house must be sealed;
3. Before entering the toilet or outdoor shower, you need to make some noise;
4. Do not walk barefoot on tall grass; wear rubber boots or any closed shoes in the forest;
5. If there are children at the dacha, explain to them that snakes are dangerous and should not be handled.
6. There should always be a first aid kit at the dacha.

What to do if bitten by a snake?
First of all, it is worth noting that snakes are not poisonous and their bites are not life-threatening. These snakes are cowardly by nature, so you can be sure that they are more afraid of you than you are of them. Seeing a person, he immediately strives to run away. But sometimes they can hiss and even bite. If you do get bitten, there is no need to panic or fuss. Drink water and disinfect the wound. There is no need to cauterize or wrap the wound.

In addition to the usual ones (insects, moles, worms), some summer residents may be in wait for special neighbors in the country, extremely unpleasant and dangerous - these are snakes. How to get rid of vipers in your summer cottage - more on that later in the article.

Description of the pest

Viper - poisonous snake, often found in our latitudes. Small in size (usually no more than half a meter), with a large flat head, the frontal shield of which is almost rectangular. These snakes have a variety of colors from gray to reddish, and black vipers are also found.

A distinctive feature is the zigzag pattern on the back, clearly visible against the background of the main color. The tip of the tail is yellow, orange or red.

It lives in forests and adapts well to any terrain. The basis of nutrition is small rodents and reptiles.

So there are also advantages from such neighbors. For those who are not ready to put up with these creatures, below we will give advice on how to get rid of unwanted elements in your garden.

How to get rid of vipers

You can get rid of vipers on your site humanely and in a radical way. Below are more details about both methods.

Radical methods

The first thing a person thinks when he sees a dark ball in the grass is how to kill a snake safely.

The first way getting rid of reptiles is to eliminate nesting sites. Clean up your area, remove garbage - any pile of garbage or board can be a refuge for a reptile. Regularly mow the surrounding areas - tall grass camouflages snakes well.

An additional effect of mowing is the noise of a brush cutter or lawn mower. The reptile reacts sensitively to the stimulus and moves away from the source of noise.
Second method- deprivation of food sources. Destroy rodents and frogs, and others that may provide food. In search of food, the reptiles will leave your territory.
Third method– physical destruction. Those who are afraid of snakes - hedgehogs and Jagdterriers - will provide us with a good service in this.

Did you know? Hedgehogs are immune to snake venom. They hunt vipers, trample them and gnaw their spines.

– the best hunter of snakes and rats. Small burrowing dogs, dexterous and courageous, pounce on enemies and gnaw through the ridge. The downside is the aggressiveness of the animals. They must be kept muzzled.

Repellent

Repelling will help remove reptiles from the area. But very often they return after the threat disappears.

So, how to scare away snakes from your summer cottage?

You can play on the susceptibility of vipers to odors. Scattered mustard powder (about 100 g per hundred square meters) or beds of garlic in different places in the garden help a lot.

Dispose of shed snake skins. Reptiles return to the place where they moulted. Important!–Do not handle skin with unprotected hands

don't leave your scent.

Burning the grass will make the area unattractive to reptiles. Vipers are sensitive to chemical substances
. Scattered mothballs (saltpeter, amophoska, any garden), rags soaked in diesel fuel will scare away reptiles.

Use sound effects. Wind chimes, bells, rattles, weather vanes - all this will create noise that reptiles do not like at all.

The use of mole repellers has a good effect. These devices generate ultrasonic waves and vibrations to which reptiles respond. Such devices can be purchased at fishing and tourism supply stores.

A snake is a snake that belongs to the class of reptiles, the order Scaly, the suborder of snakes, the family Colubridae (lat. Colubridae). The Russian name “uzh” may have come from the Old Slavonic “uzh” - “rope”. Moreover, the Proto-Slavic word supposedly comes from the Lithuanian angìs, which means “snake, snake.” According to information from etymological dictionaries, these words may be related Latin word

angustus, which translates as “narrow, cramped.”

Types of snakes, photos and names Below is short description

• several varieties of snakes. (Common snake )

Natrix natrix It has a length of up to 1.5 meters, but on average the size of the snake does not exceed 1 meter. The snake's habitat extends across Russia, North Africa, the countries of Asia and Europe, except for the northern regions. In southern Asia, the range boundary includes Palestine and Iran. Characteristic distinctive feature- this is the presence of two bright, symmetrical spots on the back of the head, on the border with the neck. Spots with a black border are yellow, orange or off-white. Occasionally there are individuals with faint spots or no spots, that is, completely black common snakes. There are also albinos. The back of the snake is light gray, dark gray, sometimes almost black. On a gray background there may be dark spots. The abdomen is light and has a long dark stripe that stretches all the way to the snake's throat. Most often, the common grass snake is found along the shores of lakes, ponds, quiet rivers, in coastal shrubs and oak forests, in floodplain meadows, in old overgrown clearings, in beaver settlements, on old dams, under bridges and in other similar places. In addition, common snakes settle near human habitation. They make their home in the roots and hollows of trees, in haystacks, in burrows, in other secluded places, in gardens and vegetable gardens. They can settle in basements, cellars, barns, woodpiles, piles of stones or garbage. In poultry farms, snakes like moist and warm litter, and they get along well with poultry. They can even lay their eggs in abandoned nests. But snakes almost never settle near large domestic animals that can trample them.

• Water snake (Natrix tessellata )

Much like his close relative an ordinary snake, but there are differences. It is more thermophilic and common in the southern regions of the habitat of the snake genus - from the southwest of France to Central Asia. Also, water snakes live in the south of the European part of Russia and Ukraine (especially at the mouths of rivers flowing into the Caspian and Black Sea), in Transcaucasia (very numerous on the islands of the Absheron Peninsula in Azerbaijan), in Kazakhstan, in the Central Asian Republics, up to India, Palestine and North Africa in the south and to China in the east. Outside of reservoirs, snakes are extremely rare. Water snakes live on the coasts of not only fresh water bodies, but also seas. They swim well, can cope with strong currents of mountain rivers, and stay under water for a long time. The water snake has a color of olive, olive-green, olive-gray or olive-brown with dark spots and stripes located almost in a checkerboard pattern. By the way, Natrix tessellata literally translates from Latin as “chess snake.” The snake's abdomen is yellowish-orange or reddish, covered with dark spots. There are also individuals that have no pattern or completely black water snakes. Unlike an ordinary snake, there are no “signaling” yellow-orange spots on the head of the water snake, but often on the back of the head there is a dark spot in the shape Latin letter V. The average length of the water snake is 1 meter, but the largest individuals reach 1.6 meters. With the onset of morning, water snakes crawl out of their shelters and settle under bushes or, literally, “hang out” on their crowns, and when the sun begins to get hot, they go into the water. They hunt in the morning and evening. During the day they bask in the sun on rocks, reeds, and in the nests of water birds. The water snake is non-aggressive and safe for humans. It is not able to bite at all, since instead of teeth it has plates to hold slippery prey. But because of its color, it is confused with a viper and is mercilessly destroyed.

• Colchis, or big-headed already (Natrix megalocephala )

Lives in Russia in the south Krasnodar region, in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Abkhazia. Already lives in chestnut, hornbeam, beech forests, in thickets of cherry laurel, azalea, alder, where there are clearings and ponds, on tea plantations, near streams. Colchis snakes can be found high in the mountains. They are adapted to life in fast mountain streams. This snake differs from the common snake in its wide head, with a concave upper surface, and the absence of light spots on the back of the head in adult specimens. The body of the big-headed snake is massive, from 1 to 1.3 m in length. The upper body is black, the head is white underneath, and the abdomen has a black and white pattern. In spring and autumn, the Colchis grass snake is active during the daytime, and in summer - in the morning and at dusk. Snakes living in the mountains are active in the mornings and evenings. Colchis is no longer dangerous for humans. He escapes from his enemies by diving into the water, even despite rapid current rivers. The number of large-headed snakes is small and in Lately decreases. This is due to uncontrolled fishing and a decrease in the population of amphibians due to development river valleys and with the destruction of snakes by raccoons. Conservation measures are necessary to preserve this species.

• Viper snake (Natrix maura )

Distributed in Western and Southern Mediterranean countries, not found in Russia. Snakes live near ponds, lakes, calm rivers, and swamps. Snakes of this species got their name because of their color, similar to that of a viper: on the dark gray back there is a black-brown pattern in the form of a zigzag stripe, with large ocellated spots on the sides of it. True, some individuals have a color similar to water snakes, and there are also individuals with a solid gray or olive color. The snake's abdomen is yellowish, with reddish and black spots closer to the tail. Average length reptiles are 55-60 cm, large individuals reach 1 meter. Females are larger and heavier than males.

• Tiger snake (Rhabdophis tigrinus )

Lives in Russia in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, distributed in Japan, Korea, North-Eastern and Eastern China. Settles near water bodies, among moisture-loving vegetation. But it also occurs in mixed forests, far from bodies of water, in treeless areas and on the seashore. The tiger snake is one of the most beautiful snakes in the world, which can reach a length of 1.1 meters. The back of the snake can be dark olive, dark green, blue, light brown, black. Juveniles are usually dark gray. The dorsal and lateral dark spots give the snake a striped appearance. Adult snakes have characteristic red-orange, red and brick-red spots between dark stripes on the front part of the body. Upper lip snake yellow color. The snake defends itself from predators by releasing a poisonous secretion from their special neck glands. The brindle snake is capable of, like, lifting and inflating its neck. When people are bitten by enlarged back teeth and poisonous saliva gets into the wound, symptoms are observed, similar to a viper bite.

Taken from: www.snakesoftaiwan.com

• Shiny tree snake (Dendrelaphis pictus)

Distributed in South-East Asia. It is found near human settlements, in fields and forests. It lives on trees and bushes. It is brown or bronze in color, with a light stripe bordered by black stripes on the sides. There is a black “mask” on the snake’s face. This non-venomous snake with a long thin tail making up a third of her body.

• Schneider's fish snake(Xenochrophis piscator )

It lives in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, some islands of Indonesia, western Malaysia, China, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Lives in small rivers and lakes, in ditches, in rice fields. The color of the snake is olive green or olive brown with light or dark spots forming a checkerboard pattern. The abdomen is light. Length 1.2 m. The head is slightly widened and has a cone-shaped shape. Non-venomous fishing snakes are aggressive and fast. They hunt mainly during the day, but often at night.

• Eastern ground snake(Virginia valeriae )

Distributed in the eastern United States: from Iowa and Texas to New Jersey and Florida. It differs from other species in having smooth scales. A small snake, the length of which does not exceed 25 cm. The color of the snake is brown, tiny black spots may be observed on the back and sides, and the abdomen is light. Ground snakes lead a burrowing lifestyle, living in loose soil, under rotten logs and in leaf litter.

• Green bush grass snake(Philothamnus semivariegatus )

A non-venomous snake that is found throughout most of Africa, excluding arid regions and the Sahara Desert. Green snakes live in dense vegetation: on trees, in bushes growing along rocks and river beds. The body of reptiles is long, with a thin tail and a slightly flattened head. The body of the snake is bright green with dark spots, the head is bluish. Scales with pronounced carinae. Active during the day. Not dangerous for humans. It feeds on lizards and tree frogs.

• Japanese snake ( Hebius vibakari)

One of the species of snakes found in Russia, namely in Far East: in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky territories, as well as the Amur region. Distributed in Japan, Eastern China and Korea. Inhabits forests in these regions, thickets of bushes, meadows in the forest zone, abandoned gardens. The length of the snake is up to 50 cm. The color is uniform: dark brown, brown, chocolate, brown-red with a greenish tint. The abdomen is light, yellowish or greenish. Small snakes are light brown or more often black. The non-venomous Japanese snake leads a secretive lifestyle, hiding under the ground, stones and trees. It feeds mainly on earthworms.