Snake Removal in Adairsville, GA

Snakes around your Adairsville home

Farm country produces mice, and mice draw snakes. Around Adairsville, hay barns, feed rooms, chicken houses, woodpiles, fence rows overgrown with honeysuckle and the long grass along pasture edges all hold rodents, and snakes follow them. That's why snakes are a normal part of life on a country lot here, and why they also turn up in the downtown and subdivision yards closest to open land. Our crew says about nine of every ten snake calls are harmless rat snakes. Most people assume any snake is venomous, but only a very small share of calls actually turn out that way.

Two facts cover most situations. Georgia has 47 native snake species, and only seven are venomous. Around a home in Adairsville, the copperhead is the venomous one you're realistically likely to meet. And every non-venomous snake is protected by state law, so killing one is illegal. A snake crossing your yard is usually gone within an hour and is best left alone. A snake inside the house, in a crawlspace or one that keeps coming back is a reason to call.

Overgrowth plus food equals snakes

Pros look for two things that attract snakes: overgrowth and a food source. Around Adairsville, the food is mice in the barn, under the hay, around spilled feed and in the crawlspace. Overgrowth is tall grass along a fence row, brush piles, stacked lumber and firewood against a shed. If you remove one snake but leave both of those in place, another will move in. Mowing the edges, keeping firewood and lumber off the ground and away from buildings, and getting control of rodents in outbuildings does more than any product.

The snake in the barn is probably a rat snake

The snake people find in barn rafters, coiled in a nest box or stretched along a shelf is almost always a rat snake. They climb well and eat mice, rats and sometimes eggs. Kingsnakes are another one worth keeping, because they eat other snakes, including copperheads. Garter snakes and brown snakes stay near the ground in gardens and beds. These snakes are protected by law and are helpful on a farm. Calling a pro to identify one before anyone reaches for a shovel protects both the snake and you.

Copperheads at the woodlot edge

The copperhead is the venomous snake you're most likely to see near an Adairsville home. It blends in perfectly with dead leaves, so it's usually found where a yard meets a woodlot, in leaf litter, under boards and tin, in woodpiles and along rock walls. Copperheads are most active in warm weather and around dusk. If you see one, keep children and dogs back and watch it from a distance. Pros do remove rattlesnakes in Georgia every year, but the copperhead is the one to watch for around the house.

Killing one is illegal — and risky

Georgia protects its 40 non-venomous native species, and killing one is against the law. It's also the moment when most people get bitten, because a snake can strike farther than people expect, and even a snake that appears dead can bite by reflex. If the snake is outside and just passing through, the best thing to do is usually nothing. If it's inside, or somewhere you can't avoid, a licensed pro can remove it without anyone getting close.

How a pro handles a snake call

The pro identifies the snake, removes it with tongs or a hook and a container, and relocates non-venomous snakes legally. They won't harm a non-venomous one. Then they walk the property looking for what's drawing snakes in, like signs of mice, gaps in foundation and crawlspace vents, and cover piled against walls, and tell you what to change. Snake repellents, including mothballs, don't reliably work and shouldn't be used around a house.

Inside the house, crawlspace or feed room

A snake inside is a call-right-away situation. The longer you wait, the less likely it is to be found, because it will move into a wall, behind an appliance or under a floor. They usually get in through ground vents, gaps around pipes and the space under a door that doesn't close tightly, and old farmhouse crawlspaces and garages often have plenty of those. After the snake is removed, the pro seals those openings and deals with any mice that drew it in.