Protect Your Home From Snakes This Fall

The Autumn season has officially begun, which means that cooler weather will be here before we know it. Unfortunately, that means that pests like spiders, rodents and even snakes will be seeking warmth. Your home provides the perfect protections for these pests during the cold autumn and winter months. Snakes are one of the most feared pests. Although only five of the 47 species found at the Lake of the Ozarks are venomous, it is still uncomfortable to see one inside. If you come across a snake in your home, Lake of the Ozarks' professional snake removal company can help!

How Do They Get In?
Unlike other pests, snakes cannot chew or dig their way into your home, so they try to find other ways to enter. The easiest way they come in is just how you do, through an open door. They can also slither through open windows and through crawl spaces if the gap is large enough. Surprisingly, they can also fit under doors, again, if the opening is large enough. Most snakes that enter your home are small, though, so for them, the spaces don't have to be too big.

Why Do Snakes Enter Homes?
If you have birds in your yard or rodents in your house, you may be attracting snakes onto your property. Although you may not control the birds, you can control the rodent problem. Calling a professional pest control company at the Lake of the Ozarks can help you get rid of the rodents hiding in your walls. Unfortunately, snakes like similar conditions as human. During the summer, they like cool places and during the winter, they like warmer places to hibernate, which is why they may seek your home for shelter. During the fall, you may see more snakes than usual, as they are more active due to the nice weather and they are preparing for hibernation.

How To Prevent Snakes From Coming In?
A well-trimmed yard is the first line of defense for keeping snakes at bay. Small predators like snakes like to hide in shaded overgrown areas. If you keep your yard maintained, you will have fewer snakes in your yard, which means less of a chance they will make their way inside. To keep them from coming inside, you need to close off entrance points. Make sure your window and door frames are sealed and any holes that lead to your basement or home are closed up. If you need help finding these entrance points, call a Lake of the Ozarks snake removal company. A B Pest Control & Insulation can help you find any ways snakes can get into your home.

What To Do If A Snake Is In Your Home
Although the snake may not be venomous, a snake bite is still not something you want to deal with, so make sure the snake is isolated. Make sure all family members, including pets, are safe and away from the snake. Once everyone is safe and away from the snake, call A B Pest Control & Insulation. We can safely remove the snake from your premises and release it back into the wild - far away from your home of course!

Although most snakes are harmless, we do not want to see them inside. A B Pest Control & Insulation can make sure your home is properly sealed and protected from all pests, including snakes! If a snake does make their way inside, we can also remove them from your home.

Lake of the Ozarks
Pest Control Company

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5 Non-Venomous Snakes of Missouri

Its snake season in Missouri, and you know what that means! It's that time when you're constantly on the lookout for any creepy slithering nope ropes making their way into your path. In last week's blog, we talked about 5 Venomous Snakes of Missouri. This week, we're going to cover some of the common snakes that are local to the lake area that are NOT venomous. So, here's 5 Non-Venomous Snakes of Missouri. Any look familiar?

First Things First...
As we've stated in last week's blog, whether a snake is venomous or not, it's best to use caution when you encounter any sort of snake. Keep your distance, and for Pete's sake, do NOT try to handle it on your own! A snake bite will hurt, regardless as to whether it's from a venomous snake or not! Always err on the side of caution.

Identifying Venomous and Non-Venomous Snakes

If a snake is venomous, it will have a distinguishable pit between each eye and nostril. These pits, sometimes referred to as loreal pits or fossa, are used as infrared-detecting organs, allowing the viper to sense its prey. Its pupils will be vertical slits. It will have a single row of scales along its underside.

Whereas, a non-venomous snake will have round pupils and two rows of scales along its underside. While it is wise to avoid snakes with triangle-shaped heads, a snake with a triangular head is not necessarily venomous. However, a pit viper head will be much larger and more triangular than a non-venomous snake, because of its venom sacs.

5 Non-Venomous Snakes of Missouri

Western Ratsnake
Often called the "black snake," the western ratsnake is one of our state's largest and most familiar snakes. Generally, they're shiny black, but some will show dark-brown blotches. The skin between the scales along the sides may be red. They take shelter in brush piles, hollow trees, farm buildings, and old houses where mice are plenty. These constrictors eat a variety of rodents, bats, and small birds. They are excellent climbers and often climb trees to raid bird nests. This snake can grow to be 6 feet long and live up to 25 years.

Eastern Garter Snake
Generally 18–26 inches long, the shy eastern garter snake has three yellow stripes — one along its back and two on either side. The red-sided garter snake is found in the western half of the state, and it has red or orange skin that shows along its sides.

Eastern Hog-Nosed Snake
Also known as the puff adder, this snake has a heavy body and an upturned snout. It can bluff predators like mammals and birds of prey with a display of neck-spreading and hissing or agonized thrashing and playing dead. The hog-nosed snake comes in a variety of colors and patterns, often resembling a venomous snake.

Eastern Milksnake
Like the hog-nosed snake, milksnakes mimic venomous snakes to scare off predators. The red-marked milksnake is actually a constrictor that looks like a deadly coral snake, which doesn’t occur in Missouri. Milksnakes are part of the kingsnake family, which have the ability to eat other snakes, even the occasional venomous snake.

Northern Watersnake
Missouri’s most common kind of watersnake is found statewide. Because it’s large, dark, and lives along lakes, swamps, and streams, it is often mistaken for the venomous western cottonmouth. In warm weather, they bask on branches, logs, or rocks along the water’s edge in and near creeks, rivers, ponds, lakes, and swamps. They eat fish, frogs, tadpoles, toads, and salamanders. This snake is non-venomous, but it will bite viciously if captured and ooze a stinky musk from glands near the base of its tail.

Contact A B Pest Control & Insulation Today!

All snakes, regardless of how dangerous they are, would prefer to be left alone by humans. If you encounter a snake while exploring, give it space. That being said, we hope that this guide will help you to properly identify a snake if you stumble upon one during an outing or in your own back yard. If you happen to notice an oddly high occurrence of run-ins in your yard, you may have a nest on your property. Make the smart and safe choice and contact A B Pest Control & Insulation to come out and remove the nest. We offer animal trapping and removal services and can safely remove those slithery pests and relocate them to a new home that's best for both you and the snake.

Lake of the Ozarks
Pest Control Company

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www.abpest.net

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5 Venomous Snakes of Missouri

It's that time of year when everyone you know is encountering snakes in their yard, out on walks, or even in their homes and vehicles. With social media being ever so present in our lives, we're constantly seeing posts asking "What kind of snake is this? Is it dangerous?". So, this week, we thought it'd be a great opportunity to talk snakes that are local to Missouri. More specifically though, we want to cover 5 venomous snakes of Missouri and how you can safely identify them.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

First of all, you need to know that not all snakes are bad or dangerous. Some can actually be hugely beneficial to the environment and your surroundings in general. Since most snakes feed on insects, rodents, birds, eggs, fish, frogs, lizards and small mammals, they tend to be great natural deterrents for many unwanted pests. 

Secondly, you need to understand that snakes typically are not aggressive, but will defend themselves and their territory when provoked. So, if you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone. However, if you happen to stumble across one's nest or step on one by accident, it may strike out of fear. It's best to keep your distance, regardless as to type of snake or the threat they may pose. After all, a bite is still going to hurt, whether it's packed with venom or not!

Identifying Venomous and Non-Venomous Snakes

So, how do you tell if a snake is venomous or not? If a snake is venomous, it will have a distinguishable pit between each eye and nostril. These pits, sometimes referred to as loreal pits or fossa, are used as infrared-detecting organs, allowing the viper to sense its prey. Its pupils will be vertical slits. It will have a single row of scales along its underside.

Whereas, a non-venomous snake will have round pupils and two rows of scales along its underside. While it is wise to avoid snakes with triangle-shaped heads, a snake with a triangular head is not necessarily venomous. However, a pit viper head will be much larger and more triangular than a non-venomous snake, because of its venom sacs. 

5 Venomous Snakes of Missouri

Osage Copperhead

Adult Copperheads range between 2-3 feet in length and tend to be active between April and November. heir colors range between a blackish-brown and a light tan color, with darker crossbands that often serve as camouflage, making Copperheads difficult to spot - especially when curled up in dead leaves.

Western Cottonmouth

The length of a full-grown Cottonmouth can vary between 30 and 42 inches, and are most active between April and October. As aquatic snakes, they prefer marshy, braskish waters, and eat primarily fish. However, they also eat frogs, lizards, rodents, and other small creatures. cottonmouths can be distinguished by their black body, or dark brown body with black bands. Juvenile Cottonmouths have a yellow-green tail which they use to lure prey When threatened, a Cottonmouth will open its mouth to reveal a cotton-white lining, which is where it gets its namesake.

Timber Rattlesnake

The Timber Rattlesnake is the largest venomous snake in Missouri: spanning up to five feet in length. It is a bright tan color with brown v-shaped spots that become bands near the tail, and it has a huge rattle at the end of its tail that serves as a defense mechanism. Timber Rattlesnakes are most active between April and October, and they are nocturnal during the summer.

Massasauga Rattlesnake

The Massasauga Rattlesnake eats primarily rodents and other small snakes, and measures between 18 and 30 inches long. They prefer wet, marshy habitats, including bogs and river bottom forests. Massasaugas have a thick, dark gray or gray-brown body, with darker, geometrically-shaped spots.  

Western Pygmy Rattlesnake

The Western Pygmy Rattlesnake is one of the smallest species of rattlesnakes in North America - only 15 to 20 inches long - but it can pack a punch just like its fellow vipers. They are typically found in semi-shaded hillsides and tend to be active between mid-April and October. A Western Pygmy Rattlesnake are easier to spot in the wild due to its heavy contrast in coloring: a light brown body with brown and black spots. Its tail has a tiny rattle that it uses when threatened. 

Contact A B Pest Control & Insulation Today!

All snakes, regardless of how dangerous they are, would prefer to be left alone by humans. If you encounter a snake while exploring, give it space. That being said, we hope that this guide will help you to properly identify a snake if you stumble upon one during an outing or in your own back yard. If you happen to notice an oddly high occurrence of run-ins in your yard, you may have a nest on your property. Make the smart and safe choice and contact A B Pest Control & Insulation to come out and remove the nest. We offer animal trapping and removal services and can safely remove those slithery pests and relocate them to a new home that's best for both you and the snake.

Lake of the Ozarks
Pest Control Company

Visit Our Website:
www.abpest.net

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