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I live in a wooded suburb of St. Louis and the other day I noticed a snake by the walk-out basement door. It was approximately 14 inches long and not moving very fast. From the picture on G9450, Snakes: Information for Missouri Homeowners there is no doubt that it was a massasauga snake. Should I be concerned? Is this something of particular interest to anyone?
There is a chance that the snake you observed was a massasauga rattlesnake. They are active from April through the warm days of October. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), there are three small populations of massasauga rattlesnakes currently known in the state. One of these locations where the eastern subspecies occurs is in the St. Charles County area. Due to their low numbers and greatly reduced habitat the MDC has classified the massasauga as endangered. Natural habitats include moist prairies, marshes, or river floodplains and many of these habitats have been lost throughout the state and Midwest. You might consider contacting an MDC agent in your area to report your observation or for additional details.
Robert Pierce
Extension Wildlife Specialist
Where can I buy mole traps?
Mole traps can be purchased at many lawn and garden centers as well as at most agricultural cooperatives.
Robert Pierce
Extension Wildlife Specialist
Last year squirrels ate all my tomatoes before they were ripe. Any suggestions on how to control them? I don't care if I have to kill them.
Squirrels can definitely cause damage to tomatoes and other garden crops during the spring and summer. One method to remove them from around your home is to use live traps (using peanut butter and nut meats as bait). Also there are repellents that have thiram as the active ingredient that are labeled for use in preventing damage caused by squirrels. However, many repellent formulations are not labeled for use on food crops. So be sure to read the label of any repellent product that you may purchase.
Additional information on preventing and controlling damage caused by nuisance squirrels can be found in G9455, Tree Squirrels: Managing Habitat and Controlling Damage.
Robert Pierce
Extension Wildlife Specialist
Information in G9460, Bats of Missouri: Information for Homeowners quite helpful when I found a bat in my weekend cabin near Beaufort, Mo. The same thing happened at this time last year, but the bat made its way out and I never saw it again. I will use your suggested methods for sealing the possible entry sites. My concern is as follows:
A large percentage of bat bites occur as a result of people handling them or picking them up without proper protection, so wearing thick leather gloves is a must. It is never a good idea to handle bats. As you mentioned, you can use a net to catch and remove the bat to the outdoors. Just be sure you wear gloves to protect yourself. Because bats are usually active at night, take precautions if you see an active bat during the day. Although bats can harbor the rabies virus, only a very small percentage are infected. However, if bitten you should definitely seek medical treatment.
It is not common for Missouri bats to bite someone who is sleeping, although it might occur if the bat fell from its roost and was frightened.
Robert Pierce
Extension Wildlife Specialist
G9452, Managing Woodchuck Problems in Missouri suggests placing lure on vegetables to trap
groundhogs.
I have checked a few stores with no luck. Where do I find groundhog lure?
You can often improve the chances of capturing groundhogs in a live trap with various combinations of lures and baits. There are several excellent ones on the market. One that I've found to be good during the spring is "hog juice" and "chuckster paste bait" and these can be purchased from Rob Erickson's on Target A.D.C. You can contact that company for additional information at 815-286-3039.
Robert Pierce
Extension Wildlife Specialist
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Updated 5/21/08