does my woodpile attract vermin?

[lopro]

Do woodpiles attract snakes?

I have approx. 4 cords stacked on pallets at the back of my house with woods behind my house. My neighbor mentioned my attracting copperheads (and my burning wood more than probably anybody on the block :msp_thumbup. Is that 4 real or would said copperhead already be there or not be there.

things that make me go hmmmm...

 

[hermit]

What happens is, Wood stack attract mice, mice attract snakes, not only copperheads but all kinds that live in that part of the country. Their just looking for lunch.

 

[Steve2910]

What happens is, Wood stack attract mice, mice attract snakes, not only copperheads but all kinds that live in that part of the country. Their just looking for lunch.

Good point, something I always consider when messing w/ my wood during the warmer months.

 

[4seasons]

I have found all kinds of bugs in my wood pile, and a couple of snakes. Never any poisonous snakes but a black widow or two. I see a lot of blue tailed lizards in the summer running through my wood stacks, but never found a copperhead there. Have seen them where I cut wood, but not in the pile. I'm not saying it couldn't happen but just never happened to me and I have been burning wood all my life.

 

[Whitespider]

We don't have copperheads 'round here, although we do find the occasional timber rattler and I've heard of one massasauga rattler found dead on the road less than a mile from me. I don't remember ever having a wood pile without snakes in or around it, mostly bull, garter, fox and brown snakes with the occasional milk, redbelly, hognose or green snake. It seems to vary from year-to-year as to what type of snake(s) inhabit my wood piles... something to do with weather maybe? I normally see them scurrying for cover when I'm mowing, or sunning themselves on top of the stack early in the mornings. Only one time in the 30+ years of having wood piles around have I found a venomous snake, a timber rattler that I quickly dispatched with a rifle shot to the head (with what I must say was a damn fine shot). If I didn't have (snake catching) children running around at the time I'd have probably let that rattler go about makin' his living in my wood pile, but......

 

[mga]

i don't think we have any poisonous snakes around here, but they live in my wood stacks.

i leave them there to eat the mice and bugs.

 

[JRepairsK70e]

yes ....and your dung pile will attract flies lol

 

[JRepairsK70e]

i dont consider snakes vermin ,they do more good than harm . obviously venomous species need to be respected . they can live in my woodpile unmolested . moles,mice,munks,squirrels,gophers,chucks now thats my vermin list [snake bait ]

 

[Streblerm]

I am overrun with bunnies this year. They really seem to like the woodpile. I wish some snakes would move in. I don't think snakes like peas and beans but the bunnies sure do.

 

[3fordasho]

dang woodchucks are overrunning my wood pile and under the shed.. Splits unexplicably end up on the ground so they must be chucken them too. Shot one dead with the pellet gun just last night, threw it in the wood thieving neighbor's yard :hmm3grin2orange:



Last year the wood shed was infested with red squirrels, 7 or 8 of em. Filled the space between splits with grass clippings, walnut shells and other crap.. real annoying all winter long when pulling splits.. pellet gun got them all. The grey & black squirrels are fine, they stay out of the shed.

Bull and garter snakes like the wood stacks, I leave them alone - they don't bother me but the wife sure has an issue with em.

 

[goosegunner]

I have only seen the small red belly racer in my wood pile. I wouldn't mind some mice eating snakes. Maybe it would cut down on the lyme disease spreading mice. I do not have poisonous snakes in my immediate area.

gg

 

[lopro]

i dont consider snakes vermin ,they do more good than harm . obviously venomous species need to be respected . they can live in my woodpile unmolested . moles,mice,munks,squirrels,gophers,chucks now thats my vermin list [snake bait ]

I thought of that after I made the post...good point

 

[ponyexpress976]

I wouldn't mind importing a few to my piles. Ever since my neighbor's cat croaked, there has been an explosion of rabbits and chipmunks around here. He would leave trophies on the front step every couple days. Man, I miss that cat!

 

[GeeVee]

[B]Do woodpiles attract snakes?[/B]

I have approx. 4 cords stacked on pallets at the back of my house with woods behind my house. My neighbor mentioned my attracting copperheads (and my burning wood more than probably anybody on the block :msp_thumbup. Is that 4 real or would said copperhead already be there or not be there.

things that make me go hmmmm...

No, just nosy neighbors.....

 

[zogger]

Well, get your own!

I wouldn't mind importing a few to my piles. Ever since my neighbor's cat croaked, there has been an explosion of rabbits and chipmunks around here. He would leave trophies on the front step every couple days. Man, I miss that cat!

There's a million kitties out there unloved, no home, gonna get put to sleep or die miserable somehow living out feral. Get a coupla and give them a home. I say a couple, preferably littermates, as they need companionship beyond human contact. Beyond first shots and spaying/neutering, not very expensive to care for either. And very nice little friends. Went for a walk this evening, had seven dogs and four kitties following me around. that's not all my cats, just what went for a walk. They all catch and kill little rodents or rats, too, earn their keep. I give em just enough food to hang around, but not enough to fill em up, that makes them go hunt. Well, little kittens like puppies, need all the food they can eat, but after around six months old or so they will be good enough hunters, even without a momma to show them, so you can start to gradually cut the food down.

Our place when we moved in was simply overrun with rats, no one lived in this cabin for five years. We got cats, now very little rats, just once in awhile do I see one. Used to be they were just running around in dang packs all over, hundreds of them. Don't even have rats in the chicken coop, some of the cats hang out in there, and they have never bothered the chickens at all, oddly enough.

And we got a big black snake lives in the greenhouse, and a smaller one around the wood pile, that helps too.

 

[SPDRMNKY]

I place a few bags of rodent bait between the rows for the mice, and sevin dust for the bugs/ants (all out of kid reach and under a roof)...you could easily use a bait trap if your rows are sans overhead cover...I just collect the empty bags as I work through the pile...and the dead mice.

I'm allergic to cats and dogs, so I don't cultivate their presence...but I don't chase em' off either.

 

[TMFARM 2009]

well if you want to see the worst kind of vermin you can attract to your wood pile, stack it close to the road and video tape it....it will attract s.o.b's, they will make your pile disappear. i would rather see snakes and such then the dreaded s.o.b's....h:

 

[loadthestove]

There's a million kitties out there unloved, no home, gonna get put to sleep or die miserable somehow living out feral. Get a coupla and give them a home. I say a couple, preferably littermates, as they need companionship beyond human contact. Beyond first shots and spaying/neutering, not very expensive to care for either..

I picked up two very small kittens that someone had dropped off by the road .I honestly didnt think they would make it through the night.Now after three weeks I have them fat as butterballs .their new home is in my wood shed .I keep them feed well and they seem to really like their new home.as soon as they are old enough I will have them spade because two cats should be plenty around the place.

The wife and kids love them,my pomeranian dog is having a hard time getting use to them .I just keep thinking cookie"my dog" you need to be good to them, it wont be long until they are as big as you are.

 

[TMFARM 2009]

the wife's cats play with our Pomeranian and she drags them around like toys.... they love it, now they are getting bigger she has a harder time pulling....it is a funny site.....cheap entertainment.:hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:

 

[zogger]

way cool!

I picked up two very small kittens that someone had dropped off by the road .I honestly didnt think they would make it through the night.Now after three weeks I have them fat as butterballs .their new home is in my wood shed .I keep them feed well and they seem to really like their new home.as soon as they are old enough I will have them spade because two cats should be plenty around the place.

The wife and kids love them,my palmerian dog is having a hard time getting use to them .I just keep thinking cookie"my dog" you need to be good to them, it wont be long until they are as big as you are.

Our newest ones came similar, car stopped at night out on the road, young folks giggling, car door slams, next day three kittens in the barn. Lovely adult cats now. Two females and a tom.

Get dogs and cats all the time in the country, people just drive out at random and dump them off. And I can't say no. It's a struggle with a lot of them, but.....I do it. Love them all. Cats are fun, I climb trees sometimes and the cats come up with me and hang out, outside the "dog drool zone" down below. hahahahaha

For me, best sleeping pill there is in the winter with the wood stove going etc is some cat will crawl in my lap and start purring and catnap, sixty seconds later or so I'll be snoring as well.

oh ya, female kittens, four months old might be too late! Check with your vet, get them spayed soon as possible..don't ask me how I know this.....