Spiders, snakes, gators ...what's in the bushes?
 

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?

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!

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.

Watch out for the fire ants when weeding.

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

..... 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.

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!

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.

Watch out for the pythons.

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!

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.

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.

I don't like spiders and snakes!
 

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.

that snake is your friend

You meant two ants with one grain.

Never understood why the black racers stay in my hedges while I am trimming them. They will run away when they see you out in the open but stay in the hedges with all the noise and movement of the trimmer. I know people who have cut them in half because they didn't see them.

Sounds like chiggers

That brings the “play it where it lies” rule into a whole new light. :)

I left my black snake "alone" knowing it is good for the environment ... until I found it curled up in my bedroom. Disgusting. Scary.

>

You are describing chigger bites.

Ohiobuckeye
 

Black snakes are not poisonous but do have a nasty bite, as a kid I love catching snakes. But beating the bushes is a good idea to do first. Snakes try to avoid humans. I fear the fire ants & spiders more, they’ll defend themselves. Just wear gloves for protection!

Fire Ants
 

When we first moved to TX my daughter was bitte by at least 90 fire ants. She needed a trip to the hospital.:ohdear:

Good to know. Thanks!

Coral snakes in the grill - what did you do ?
 

Villagers have posted pix of coral snakes curled up on top of the propane tank under the grill, and also in the grill. What do you do with them ?
... just scare them away with a stick and hope they go toward the neighbor's house?

I cannot help - every time when I mow the lawn, sometimes I kill the frog or snake - cannot help - cannot see them until it happens!

I don’t worry and have been here 15 yrs. I do my own weeding and just do my thing.

I was outside yesterday mid-day with Joe Tucker, the sprinkler guy when a 3’ black racer slithered by about 2’ from my feet. Couldn’t believe how fast it moved. Joe commented that he’s never seen a poisonous snake in TV. I’m not comfortable around snakes and seeing one up close was kinda unnerving.

My concern about bushes are yellow jackets or wasps. I spray the bush with water hose before I trim them. This way I know if wasps have made nest and the water runs anything else out of bushes. I’ve been stung twice first year I was don’t here. Learned very quickly how not to get stung.

Our black snakes are a helpful pest/gardening tool

I use my leaf and grass blower and blow before weeding and trimming, I’m hoping that scares critters away. It eases my mind, whether it’s doing the job, I don’t know but haven’t come across the visiting black snakes when weeding.

Not true. This coral snake was recently seen in Calumet Grove. You got to be real careful.

Look up brown recluse spiders , more plentiful than black widows down here.

$20 a month and all my weeds are gone. No reaching into any bushes. I found a dead Water Moccasin in my pool a few years ago. He/she was in my skimmer. Actually my pool guy found it. Thank god my wife never saw it. She would have been on the next plane to NY

Who weeds for 20 bucks a month? I like to know. I have work for him!

Definitely a First!
 

When I went to take my garbage to the curb last night, an animal came towards me from under the oak tree. I thought it was probably the resident rabbit that likes to feed on the neighborhood flowers. As it got closer, it looked like maybe a small dog. Nope. It was an opossum. It came up almost close enough to touch. We engaged in a staring contest for a bit. He would occasionally eye the open garage door. I didn't budge but just continued to stare it down. Finally, it turned and left the same way it came and went around the corner of the house. I scurried in and shut the garage door before it could change its mind and return. I Googled to see exactly what critter it was and opossum came up. Australia spells it possum, but North American it's opossum, although the pronunciation is the same. According to what I read, they are actually pretty docile and only get aggressive if cornered. They are also classed as a protected animal and it is illegal to capture or kill them. They are actually beneficial because they like to feast on pests such as roaches, slugs, etc. Works for me.

The first python I see and I will be on the next flight to Ohio!

Snakes may be venomous; not sure about poisonous. :icon_wink: