Things to watch for when the temperatures rise
When temperatures begin to heat up, it is very important to keep an eye out for unwanted creatures both outside and inside your home. Scorpions and rattlesnakes are very active during the summer. Bites and stings can be prevented by being cautious. Here are some tips to prevent creatures from entering your home.
To prevent scorpion stings, don’t leave shoes, boots, clothing, or wet towels outdoors where scorpions can hide. Shake towels around the swimming pool and shake all clothing and shoes before putting them on. Put on gloves when working in the yard. Wear shoes outdoors, especially during the evening hours. A portable black light (UV light) may be used to survey for scorpions in and around the home. Scorpions glow brightly under black light and are therefore easily found and removed.
Scorpions can enter buildings through openings around plumbing fixtures, loose-fitting doors and windows as well as cracks in foundations and walls. Outdoor lights attract insects, thus providing scorpions with their food source. Yellow outdoor lighting is less attractive to insects and is recommended in areas where scorpions are prevalent. The first strategy for control is to modify the area surrounding a house, because scorpions are difficult to control with insecticides.
6 Tips to protect your home from scorpions:
• Clean the yard by removing all trash, logs, boards, stones, bricks, and other objects from around the foundation of the home.
• Prune overhanging tree branches away from the house, as they provide a path to the roof.
• Don’t store firewood inside the house; bring in only wood to be directly placed on the fire, and check before bringing the wood inside.
• Install weatherstripping around loose-fitting doors and windows.
• Caulk around roof eaves, pipes, and any other cracks that allow entrance into the home.
• Make sure window screens fit tightly in the window frame.
Along with scorpions, rattlesnakes are more active during the summer, emerging from winter hibernation. Here’s what you should and should not be worried about when encountering one of these slithery companions.
First, call the fire department or 911 and not the local animal shelter— a venomous snake in one’s yard is considered a life-threatening emergency. If a friend, neighbor or stranger volunteers to remove the snake, you may want to refuse the offer due to potential homeowner liability issues. While awaiting help, keep an eye on the rattler’s whereabouts from a safe distance. Alert your neighbors since the snake can travel onto adjacent properties.
If you live close to open space, parkland or fields, create a rattlesnake perimeter—trim up all shrubs and ground covers so there’s improved at-a-glance visibility at ground level. A snake’s pattern can often be hard to discern in dense dappled shade. Don’t be a pack rat around your yard because stacked firewood, building materials, car parts and other debris will attract rodents, which in turn may attract rattlers. Stack cords of wood atop pallets rather than flush to the ground—it’ll be easier to see what may be lurking beneath.
When days are hottest, rattlesnakes tend to be extremely active at night. Be sure to carry a flashlight when hiking in the mountains or walking or jogging after dark in rural settings or near open space. Surprisingly, rattlesnakes tend to be found out in the open, often crossing trails or paved roads after a day of inactivity spent hiding beneath a rock or in the shade of a dense shrub.
Facts about rattlesnakes:
• Scientists have identified 36 rattlesnake species
• Rattlesnakes live only in North and South America
• 13 species live in Arizona, more than any other state
• Rattlesnakes use the “loreal pit,” a heat-sensing organ between the nostril and eye to locate prey and predators
• Snakes have glands that make venom, much like human saliva glands.
• The rattle is made of keratin, the same material found in human hair and fingernails
• The age of a rattlesnake cannot be determined by counting the segments of its rattle
Source: http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/arizona-rattlesnakes.shtml
http://www.toacorn.com/news/2012-04-26/ColumnsRattlesnake_awareness_tips.html
