Learn about the spotted bush snake in this week’s natures column
Warren’s sound advice to folks is to make sure your garden is neat and tidy, that you don’t have compost heaps or even piles of building rubble laying around, as this makes good shelter for snakes.
“HOW can I stop snakes from coming into my property and my home?”
“This is a question that I am asked on a daily basis, to which I, unfortunately, have very few good suggestions to,” said snake catcher Warren Dick.
Durban is blessed with an abundance of snakes, however, the vast majority of them that are encountered in homes and gardens are completely harmless, having no fangs or venom. Warren’s sound advice to folks is to make sure your garden is neat and tidy, that you don’t have compost heaps or even piles of building rubble laying around, as this makes good shelter for snakes.
However, there is no need for going to the extreme and having your entire garden paved or tarred, even this does not guarantee that you wont get snakes on your property. Also ensure that you are not providing a suitable environment for rodents to live and breed.
According to Warren there are many commercially available snake repellents, including household chemicals that folks use as snake repellents, however, none of them are proven to work.
“My best advice to people is always to educate yourself about snakes in general and learn what to look our for and learn what the common snakes are in your area. Please don’t kill snakes, they serve an important role in our environment.”
The most commonly encountered snake in the Durban area is the spotted bush snake.
Spotted bush snake: Harmless.
Identification: A thin bodied snake, no thicker than your index finger and averaging a maximum length of one metre. Green on top, with a pale yellow or pearl white belly, with black and sometimes white speckles on the first half of the body.
Favourite food: Tree frogs and geckos.
Habits: Without a doubt, the most common snake in the Durban area, thanks to the availability of geckos and unfortunately its fetish for geckos is what attracts it to homes.
These snakes do not have fangs or venom, making them completely harmless to humans and pets alike. They are active during daylight hours, favouring to escape at the first sign of danger.
Contact Warren on 072 211 0353 to have insects, snakes or spiders identified. Follow the conversation on Facebook, Warren’s Small World.
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