Snakes and wood chip mulch

[Jenn]

(not getting replies- just looks- in gardening- anyone here have an opinion? NB maybe they're not giving me bad news as I am too far along to recover if this was a big mistake!)

I have already put down several square yards of wood chips in spots too tight for my mower, so here's hoping you won't tell me any bad news, but having replaced grass with wood chips in these spots next to my house am I going to increase my snake encounters?

And how about as I increase the amount of cute plants growing up from the wood chips leaving eventually only cement pavers to step on amidst the low growing herbs and flowers?

Thanks in advance.

[Shinsan]

Jenn, we've used woodchip mulch on all of our flower beds, around trees, and around our above ground swimming pool. The only snake I've ever found on our property was a red-bellied black snake, behind my tool shed (where there is no mulch) - and believe it or not - today!

[halfpint]

I don't think you'll increase your chance of snakes with wood chips - but you might increase your chance of termites. Our termite company asked us to replace our pine bark with cedar as they said it would deter bugs and termites. If there are no bugs, there are not likely to be snakes.

If you keep the leaves and such raked out that should help also. We do have snakes in our yard (we are very wooded) but usually they are the good ones and we very rarely find them close to the house. We actually put some shallow pans with water in them out in the woods away from the house to keep the animals (snakes) from coming close to the house with the drought this year as usually when we see snakes close to the house there is a drought. We've had to kill one or two for attacking/killing chickens but none of the poisonous ones.

In our area, the only poisonous snakes are rattlesnakes, water moccassins (cottonmouths) and copperheads. You might want to learn what these look like, especially the heads as there are several snakes with similar colorings but the heads are different. We try not to kill the non-poisonous snakes as they will help keep the poisonous ones away.

Dawn

[Reptyle]

I believe the majority (if not all) of the venomous snakes in North American give live birth. However, colubrids (e.g. corn snakes, rat snakes, etc.) lay eggs, which they often lay in piles of decomposing wood (or other flora), because the heat given off by this combined with the natural heat of the day is sufficient to incubate their eggs. So basically, you might be creating a buncha incubators for your local slithery friends.

[BaronsMom]

I agree that you increase your risk of termites, cockroaches and other critters that live under mulch so keep it away from structures. But in the flower garden mulch won't attract snakes. Won't matter - they'll find plenty of cover under your landscape plants and just come out on the mulch to sun themselves.

[dcross]

Cedar chips are somewhat toxic to snakes...

[strider3700]

my snake count around the garden boxes is way down now that the mulch is down and the tallish grass is gone. I get the feeling they don't like the lack of cover that it provides.

[Jenn]

Just found a baby northern redbelly, Redbelly Water Snake Nerodia erythrogaster erythrogaster who was quite happy slithering off in the mulch (she was in water not in the mulch). http://www.flickr.com/photos/42389547@N00/458975932/

ETA proper name and photo (not mine)