Built on limestone bedrock dotted with caves, Huntsville, AL, provides the perfect ecosystem for snakes to thrive. Caves make ideal retreats for these cold-blooded pests to cool off during hot summer days. The rest of the time, snakes are often out and about around rural and suburban homes.
Huntsville Snake Species
Alabama has 50 species of snakes, but only six are venomous. The four venomous snakes in Huntsville are eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths, and coral snakes.
Venomous Snake Identification in Huntsville
These snakes are brown in color, though their yellow, diamond-shaped markings and rattle-tipped tails differentiate them.
The eastern diamondback is the largest and rarest of the four venomous snakes in Huntsville. It can grow up to eight feet long.
Copperheads are the most common venomous species locally and may be tan or pink with dark, hourglass-shaped bands. Also numerous in Huntsville, cottonmouths are dark olive, brown, or black in color.
Coral snakes have alternating rings of red, yellow, and black to warn away people and predators.
Snake Removal in Huntsville
While they present a frightening face to the world, snakes are more beneficial than problematic. They do not target or prey on humans, instead favoring small pest species, such as rats, mice, moles, lizards, and other snakes.
The majority of the time a snake enters your home hunting for food. If you see a snake in your house, you likely have another pest animal. During the inspection, we’ll look for signs of rats, mice, and lizards.
Still, having them near homes is not something to take lightly. Most blend into the scenery, making it easy to step on them by accident and receive painful bites.
The best way to control snake populations is to remove potential sources of food and shelter. To eliminate potential food sources, take steps to control rodent and insect populations, such as maintaining clean living spaces and storing food in rodent-proof containers.
After rodent control, the most effective means of snake control is home exclusions and habitat modifications. Clearing yards of refuse piles and frequently mowing grass helps discourage snakes from making their homes in residential lawns. Sealing up cracks and gaps along exterior walls with fine mesh or caulk also proves effective.
In areas with high native snake populations, snake-proof fences may be erected to keep the slithery pests away from children in play areas, though enclosing entire yards with snake-proof fencing often proves prohibitively expensive.