[mvbird]

I like doing my own weeding .... But down here in Florida I worry about what's in the bushes when I put my hands in. I've read messages about black widow spiders, snakes, Round-up, even gators in the ferns. What have you seen? What do the landscapers do ? Thrash the bushes with a rake first to see if anything comes out? Wear long gloves in the heat?

[Bjeanj]

Wear gloves, and work in the yard first thing in the morning or later in the evening. Well, worth it! I’ve had visions of reaching in to grab a weed and either squish an anole or grab a snake. I don’t want to deal with that!

[Nucky]

In The Palm Tree BOO! LOL The best spot I found a Black Racer in was in the plastic extension I attached to the downspout. I almost, well it wasn't funny then anyway but looking back I thought I would die. We have no more extensions on the downspouts.

[tophcfa]

Watch out for the fire ants when weeding.

[Bjeanj]

Originally Posted by Nucky

In The Palm Tree BOO! LOL The best spot I found a Black Racer in was in the plastic extension I attached to the downspout. I almost, well it wasn't funny then anyway but looking back I thought I would die. We have no more extensions on the downspouts.

We have a black snake in ours, and I’m going to leave it alone!

[mrfixit]

..... 50 years ago my then 70 year old neighbor and friend showed me how to get rid of snakes etc.
without harming them.....

Simply pour or spray some household liquid ammonia around in the areas
where you want to work TOMORROW.
YES I do shake the bushes with a rake before I start trimming.

The critters will return in a few days...unless you do this weekly.

I do this and sometimes see the snakes and critters leave immediately.

.. if I need to leave the garage door or exterior pass doors open ....
....I pour a line of ammonia just outside the openings.

[Two Bills]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

Watch out for the fire ants when weeding.

Bit off subject, but.
Played golf with a couple a few years ago, and the chap played from rough by a fire ants nest.
Within seconds they were all over him and he had to leave to go to the hospital.
I have great respect for Fire Ants!

[sdeikenberry]

Black snakes are beneficial and are not harmful to humans...leave them be. Geckos eat tons of bugs...leave them be also. Have never seen a black widow spider down here. Learn to live with nature. There are other poisonous snakes around, but very infrequently in TV unless you live around a marsh area.

[Rwirish]

Watch out for the pythons.

[Annie66]

Originally Posted by Two Bills

Bit off subject, but.
Played golf with a couple a few years ago, and the chap played from rough by a fire ants nest.
Within seconds they were all over him and he had to leave to go to the hospital.
I have great respect for Fire Ants!

We lived in Charleston SC. It's a place I think is the fire ant capital of the world. I found the only good use of grits was to pore raw grits on top of the ant hill. In a day or two, the ant hill was gone. The worker ants would carry the grits into the nest, feed the queen, and she would explode when the grits became swollen. Killed 2 birds with one stone!

[bragones]

I constantly get spider bites while working on weeding and trimming. They don't appear until the next day. They look like mosquito bites and itch but I think they are spider bites and hopefully not harmful but just annoying. I now always cover my full body when doing that type of work, no matter how hot the temp is. There are also a lot of bees if trying to do this work mid day but they are not there or dormant in the early morning and later afternoon.

[merrymini]

Use a long narrow stick to shake bushes beforehand. Black racer snakes are not poisonous but I would not like to be bitten by one. Usually, anything in plants will race off after being disturbed.

[Guitarman1951]

Originally Posted by mvbird

I like doing my own weeding .... But down here in Florida I worry about what's in the bushes when I put my hands in. I've read messages about black widow spiders, snakes, Round-up, even gators in the ferns. What have you seen? What do the landscapers do ? Thrash the bushes with a rake first to see if anything comes out? Wear long gloves in the heat?

In the 14 years we've had a house here, we've seen lots of spiders, snakes and wildlife. The brown spiders are much more proliflic than black widows although I almost put my hand on one that was on my grill. I have a neighbor who had a coral snake in his yard. I don't mind the black and other yard snakes as they eat mice and geicos. Our neighborhood has had wild hogs tearing up yards, including ours but I haven't seen them during the day. I do some of my yard work but always wear long work gloves either leather or rubber. Bottom line, take precautions, we live in a tropical climate.

[greenflash245]

that snake is your friend

[Scorpyo]

Originally Posted by Annie66

We lived in Charleston SC. It's a place I think is the fire ant capital of the world. I found the only good use of grits was to pore raw grits on top of the ant hill. In a day or two, the ant hill was gone. The worker ants would carry the grits into the nest, feed the queen, and she would explode when the grits became swollen. Killed 2 birds with one stone!

You meant two ants with one grain.