St. Patrick's Day is around the corner. La Fheile Padraig (St. Patrick's Day in Irish) will be celebrated around the world this Saturday. The very first St. Patrick's Day parade took place in 1737 in Boston. Saint Patrick was known for banishing dangerous animals from Ireland, particularly snakes, according to legend.

Few animals are more disliked, or misunderstood than snakes. Snakes are closely related to lizards. They live in a wide variety of habitats including forests, swamps, grasslands, deserts and both fresh and salt water. Some are active at night, others during the day. Snakes are predators and eat a wide variety of animals, including rodents, insects, birds' eggs and young birds. King and Indigo Snakes eat other snakes. Some small snakes feed on earthworms, slugs and salamanders. Water snakes eat frogs, fish and tadpoles.

Herpetologists (scientists who study snakes and other reptiles and amphibians) like to point out that snakes play an important role in many ecosystems throughout the world. Snakes benefit humans by controlling rodent populations and snake venom has been used to treat various diseases, including cancer, heart disease and hemophilia.

Here in the Unites States we have 116 species of snakes, most not dangerous to humans, but 19 species are dangerous. These include 15 species of rattlesnakes, two moccasins (copperhead and cottonmouth) and two coral snakes. Depending on the species and circumstances, a non-venomous snake may react in one of several ways when threatened: it may lay on its back and play dead, hiss, open its mouth in a threatening manner, coil and strike, or bite (non-venomous snakes have several rows of short re-curved teeth).

Snake Control & Removal: Snakes generally do not breed inside houses, but have been known to lay eggs, or bear live young in, or under foundations. There are no toxicants or fumigants that are legal for snake control. There are commercially available snake repellents, but their effectiveness is variable and should always be used in conjunction with a more comprehensive Integrated Pest Management plan, such as a snake fence or trap, and snake removal services available from the professionals at Critter Control.

When inspecting property with potential snake infestations, follow these precautions:

• Wear protective clothing (i.e., long, loose pants, outside high-top leather boots, heavy socks, leather gloves, long-sleeved shirt and/ or coveralls).
• Do not approach within striking range.
• Do not put your hands or feet in places that you cannot see.
• Non-venomous snakes have a round eye pupil and have no pit between the eye and the nostril.
• When in crawl spaces, or similar enclosed areas that might be infested, maintain communication with another person.

To learn more about a variety of critters visit our new "Animal Facts" resource by clicking here.

Specific diseases transmitted by wildlife can also be researched from our website.

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