Snake guards

[Rupert]

Where can I find a source for the netting used for snake guards.

[taxidermy lady]

Any gardening area should have this, wal-mart, Home Depot, lowes etc. goodluck :)it is a bird netting they use on fruit and vegetables to keep the birds from eating them.

[Rupert]

What size mesh should it be or are the snakes supposed to get caught in the netting?

[taxidermy lady]

Yes they will get caught. Then you remove them ! Yeah right! Sorry I will not be doing that! I may have to get my long trimmers and grab ahold of them and expose of them. The size I don't know I have used what I had for strawberry plants. Goodluck!

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Mesh sizes are confusing because most people do not know how it is measured, its measured between the knots (from one knot to the other knot. I hope that this is the correct way, its the way I measure it) There are 2 sizes available, the 3/4in mesh will catch the large snakes, the 1/2in mesh will catch the small snakes. The 1/2in mesh will not catch a large snake, and the 3/4in mesh will not catch a small snake.

My opinion is that you only need the bird netting (you do not need both metal guards and bird netting traps) if its properly constructed like an umbrella shape. Put the 3/4in mesh at the bottom, and 1/2in mesh at the top.

Most people only use the 3/4in mesh

I use pump pliers to hold the snake near the head. Don't want them to bite me when removing them

[Matt F.]

its measured between the knots (from one knot to the other knot. I hope that this is the correct way, its the way I measure it)

That works as well.
Generally it's referring to the size of each of the square openings (1/2"x1/2", 3/4"x3/4", etc.)

[Forum Admin]

Just to clarify - landlords do need metal or pvc baffles to stop raccoons, even with mesh snake traps in place. Number one, two or three mistake in most martin housing set ups we all see -
They lack predator guards
They are full of House Sparrows/and or starlings
They are placed way too close to trees

The latter two will prevent a site from attracting martins to begin with, but the first one will cost them martins, should they have any.

[Sharon - Central TX]

After getting tired of untangling snakes from netting and worrying about it if we were out of town, we hot wired our poles. It was the best decision we made to prevent snakes and other critters from going up the pole. I realized how well it worked when I saw a squirrel try to climb the pole and as soon as he touched it, he did an amazing back flip and took off as if his tail was on fire ;-).
We check it every day to make sure it is working and after several years have yet to have it fail. Just a thought if you want the best snake deterrent and don't want to untangle them out of netting. A baffle alone does not always work although we do have them on as a backup. We sadly found this out with our first nest with six babies. A rat snake somehow got around it and ate all the babies and the mother which I found when I noticed something odd sticking out of the entrance. I almost quit I was so upset but some wise and understanding people on this forum encouraged me and I'm so glad I stuck it out.

[Matt@atx]

There are 2 sizes available, the 3/4in mesh will catch the large snakes, the 1/2in mesh will catch the small snakes. The 1/2in mesh will not catch a large snake, and the 3/4in mesh will not catch a small snake.

My opinion is that you only need the bird netting (you do not need both metal guards and bird netting traps) if its properly constructed like an umbrella shape. Put the 3/4in mesh at the bottom, and 1/2in mesh at the top.

Hello Emil and Matt F,

Thank you for the netting sizes. Do yall know where one can buy the 1/2 x 1/2 inch mesh? They only have the 3/4 inch mesh at the Home Depot. I thinking it may have to be ordered on line or something

[Steve Kroenke]

I have used net traps to trap rat snakes for many years and have caught MANY snakes. I used net traps in Tallahassee, Florida to trap gray rat snakes and corn snakes. I now use net traps in Louisiana to trap mainly black rat snakes and some Texas rat snakes.

We don't kill snakes and remove them from the traps and release the snakes several miles away from our martin colonies. So far, no rat snake has died in any of my traps.

Most 3/4 inch mesh can be found at stores like Wal-Mart and home improvement businesses like Home Depot. You should be able to find it at garden centers. The 1/2 inch mesh is difficult to find and you may have to order it off the Internet. Google bird netting.

The 3/4 inch mesh will catch most of the rat snakes that plague martin colonies but small thinner snakes can weave through it. If you create a thick mesh ball all the way round the pole with 3/4 inch netting, this can sometimes catch smaller diameter rat snakes.

Here is link to a posting of mine describing a double layered net trap I have used with success to capture both large and small rat snakes in Florida and now in Louisiana. I had plenty of 3/4 inch netting but only a small amount of 1/2 inch netting left over from when I lived in Florida. I am still looking for the 1/2 inch netting on the Internet. I only have one double layered net trap in my Louisiana colony right now. But so far the 3/4 inch netting has caught all rat snakes that have tried to climb our martin poles; these have been BIG snakes!

http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewt ... r+net+trap

Steve

[cajun]

Hey Steve Google Growers Solution. I think they have the Polypropylene netting you are looking for.