Another Huge Black Rat Snake Caught In Net Trap
It is rat snake season in northwest Louisiana and a thick nearly 5 foot long serpent was caught in one of Bob?s net traps. While on ?owl patrol? early this morning, I saw the snake entangled in the netting on one of Bob?s Trio castle poles. I managed to cut the snake out of the trap and he was well tangled! He made sure he coated my hands with the foul smelling anti-predator musk scent and that was his way of getting even with me!
The snake had gotten about 10 inches through numerous mesh squares before his girth would no longer fit. By then, he was hopelessly ensnared and could not back out because the thin plastic netting caught his scales. Also, he had gone through many squares which made it even more impossible to move forward or backward. His body was compressed tightly where the mesh had him securely caught.
After removing him, I tested the diameter of both ? and ? inch mesh that I use in my traps to determine if his head would easily go through. On my ? inch mesh, his narrow head was just a little too big and would not fit through easily. I tried inserting his head using both a straight approach into the square and then attempted it diagonally which increases the diameter somewhat. On the ? inch mesh, his head easily slide through and his narrow neck area would allow him to weave into the netting with strong muscular movements for about 10 inches of his body. But after that his thicker girth prevented more movement forward and his scales stopped any backward escape. His girth toward the middle portion of his body was about 1 and ? inch thick from top to bottom and when I compressed his body, about 1 inch wide.
For most net traps, the ? inch mesh will work and catch the bigger rat snakes. However, small thin diameter snakes of 2 feet in length or less may be able to weave through ? inch mesh. If you use a thick ball of ? inch netting, then this may even catch the small snakes. I have caught smaller snakes with the ? inch netting, but it is hard to find this size locally. I had to order mine off the Internet and it tends to be expensive.
Please note that some snake guards are failing and this includes the cylinder type constructed from metal. Metal can ?weatherize? and create a coarsened surface that will provide traction for rat snakes. Also, if the cylinder has any kind of seam where it is fastened together for placement on the housing poles, then this can provide a ?belly hold? for the snake and he can crawl right up it. The snake?s belly scales are like biological hooks and can ?catch? rough, coarse or any kind of surface with openings. A seam can provide this surface. And even PVC pipe with seams are not infallible.
We also found a dead rat snake in a net trap at one of Bob's satellite colonies. The snake was a partial skeleton. We can't always remove snakes quick enough from remote colony sites.
As I have said many times in the past, you martin landlords down in Dixie in particular, please have some kind of snake guards on your housing. And as insurance, I would strongly recommend a wad of bird netting placed either just above your regular guard or even at the bottom of the pole. Rat snakes are crawling and looking for prey at this time.
Steve
Another Huge Black Rat Snake Caught In Net Trap
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Steve Kroenke
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Last edited by Steve Kroenke on Wed May 31, 2006 7:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Guest
Hey Steve - Those rat snakes are crawling for prey in East Texas, too. I just caught my second rat snake this season. He was on a different pole than the first one. Thank goodness for the netting! It has now saved my colony twice.
Lanell
Lanell
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abernathys
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Hey Steve--Glad to hear that your netting is working! So is mine! I have caught 6 snakes already this season, all have been 4' and over 3 of them were close to 6'. All caught in the netting except for the one our dog corned on the porch this morning, no doubt headed for the birds. I have put the netting around the trees that have dove, scissortails, mockingbirds and lark sparrow nests. This is my first year to use 4 inch PVC on the martin poles, with netting above and it has worked! 
We have caught all the snakes climbing the trees to the other nests.
Are your babies starting to fly? We have babies starting to fly as of yesterday. The male subbies are so hard on them. One baby was repeatedly pushed deep into the our hay field last night, I'm not sure if he made it or not I couldn't find him. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Hope things continue to be good for you and Bob.
Sandy
We have caught all the snakes climbing the trees to the other nests. Are your babies starting to fly? We have babies starting to fly as of yesterday. The male subbies are so hard on them. One baby was repeatedly pushed deep into the our hay field last night, I'm not sure if he made it or not I couldn't find him. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Hope things continue to be good for you and Bob.
Sandy
PM lover
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Steve Kroenke
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Hey Lanell,
Thank you for commenting and reinforcing the need to protect one's martin colony from rat snakes!
We found another dead rat snake in netting at one of our satellite colonies. I always remove the rat snakes unharmed, but can't always do so at our remote colony sites. Again, the netting saved many babies and parent martins from a suffocating death.
I periodically check my net traps to make sure they are fluffed out and there are no gaps between them and the pole. Sometimes strong winds can re-arrange the netting a little.
Continued great success in protecting your martins from rat snakes.
Steve
Thank you for commenting and reinforcing the need to protect one's martin colony from rat snakes!
We found another dead rat snake in netting at one of our satellite colonies. I always remove the rat snakes unharmed, but can't always do so at our remote colony sites. Again, the netting saved many babies and parent martins from a suffocating death.
I periodically check my net traps to make sure they are fluffed out and there are no gaps between them and the pole. Sometimes strong winds can re-arrange the netting a little.
Continued great success in protecting your martins from rat snakes.
Steve
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Steve Kroenke
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- Joined: Fri Nov 28, 2003 6:49 pm
- Location: Louisiana/Logansport
Hey Sandy,
Thanks for that testimony on the success of netting! It works!
Yes, our baby martins are starting to fly and the SY males as well as ASYs repeatedly attack them. I have seen SY males copulate with fledglings on many occasions. Nothing but avian pedophiles! The female martins appear not to pursue and harass the babies in flight, but females will attack them if they try to enter or approach their nests. Only the parents feed and take care of their young and they DON'T adopt strays. After a while, when so many youngsters are flying about, the "novelty" of these babies seems to wear off some and the attacks diminish a little.
Unfortunately, our resident Cooper's hawks are already working our colonies. Unfortunately, this pair of hawks has apparently caught some of the parent martins away from our colonies. I have lost probably over 15 females and 5 males, all of which had babies to feed. Some martins were probably road kills, however, when 2 martins appeared at my colony, including 1 SY male with a mate on eggs, without their tail feathers, I knew the Cooper's hawks were at work. I believe the hawks ambush the martins when they fly low down near tree lines or dip down to drink at nearby tree encroached ponds. So far, the hawks never attack directly at our colonies, but that may change when more fledglings are flying. I have seen the hawks carrying prey across a pasture and heading to their nest area to the northwest of us.
Hope your colony continues to do well.
Steve
Thanks for that testimony on the success of netting! It works!
Yes, our baby martins are starting to fly and the SY males as well as ASYs repeatedly attack them. I have seen SY males copulate with fledglings on many occasions. Nothing but avian pedophiles! The female martins appear not to pursue and harass the babies in flight, but females will attack them if they try to enter or approach their nests. Only the parents feed and take care of their young and they DON'T adopt strays. After a while, when so many youngsters are flying about, the "novelty" of these babies seems to wear off some and the attacks diminish a little.
Unfortunately, our resident Cooper's hawks are already working our colonies. Unfortunately, this pair of hawks has apparently caught some of the parent martins away from our colonies. I have lost probably over 15 females and 5 males, all of which had babies to feed. Some martins were probably road kills, however, when 2 martins appeared at my colony, including 1 SY male with a mate on eggs, without their tail feathers, I knew the Cooper's hawks were at work. I believe the hawks ambush the martins when they fly low down near tree lines or dip down to drink at nearby tree encroached ponds. So far, the hawks never attack directly at our colonies, but that may change when more fledglings are flying. I have seen the hawks carrying prey across a pasture and heading to their nest area to the northwest of us.
Hope your colony continues to do well.
Steve
Hey Steve, could you go over again how you tie the netting to the pole? I have some on mine above a PMCA stove pipe guard and still had a 5ft yellow rat snake get 2 martins. I caught him coming down the pole. The netting has stopped 2 others but somehow this one got through. LMK
Mike
Mike
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Steve Kroenke
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Hey Mike,
I am wondering if the yellow rat snake managed to crawl OVER the netting if it was too compacted against the pole or perhaps too loose? The netting needs to fluff out like a wreath and perhaps hang down some like a messy skirt. Is your netting placed on top of the PMCA stovepipe guard or is it attached farther up the pole? If the netting is on top, then a big snake may be able to lift over it and then reach the pole. Placing the netting wad above the guard may force the snake to enter the trap from the bottom. What mesh size are you using in your trap? If the mesh squares are too large, say one inch across, then even big rat snakes like the 5 foot one could possibly weave through. A ? inch mesh square should catch a 5 foot long rat snake unless the snake is very thin.
Since you are having a bad rat snake problem, I would recommend you place a thick wad of netting at the base of your martin housing pole so that any snake would first have to enter the netting. This has worked for me and others on the Forum. I simply take 4 pieces of rigid wire about a foot and half long and insert them in the ground in a square arrangement around the base of the pole, maybe 10 inches out. Then I fill in the area with ? inch mesh and bend the top of the wires over to hold the netting in place. I have caught big gray rat snakes at my Tallahassee colony in the past using the bottom method.
Here are some photos of my net traps including two with a black rat snake caught. The first two show a black rat snake caught in the netting. The second and third show a double and single layered net trap. These photos will show how I attach my traps. I first create a wire support base using No. 10 plastic coated wire or a similar type. I twist and ?tie? two pieces of wire around the pole to create 4 prongs that stick out 6 or more inches out in different directions. Longer prongs are probably easier to work with. Then I take sheets of netting, usually about 2 feet wide and maybe 6 or more feet long and wrap them around the prongs, inserting the netting from time to time and creating a fluffy wreath. After wrapping all the netting, I then bend over the top of the wire prongs to hold the netting in place. You may have to work with this some to create a wreath like trap. I use both ? and ? inch mesh netting if possible to give coverage to both thin and thick rat snakes. I like to create a thick wad of netting, but not compacted close to the pole or hanging down too loosely. Also you don?t want the netting to be too tightly wadded as the mesh squares are not as open. This may allow a snake to go over the net trap.
I hope this information will be helpful. Though the netting works most of the time, it can fail just like any other snake guard system. So far, it has worked every time for me, but probably some day a rat snake will defeat it.
Good luck.
Steve
I am wondering if the yellow rat snake managed to crawl OVER the netting if it was too compacted against the pole or perhaps too loose? The netting needs to fluff out like a wreath and perhaps hang down some like a messy skirt. Is your netting placed on top of the PMCA stovepipe guard or is it attached farther up the pole? If the netting is on top, then a big snake may be able to lift over it and then reach the pole. Placing the netting wad above the guard may force the snake to enter the trap from the bottom. What mesh size are you using in your trap? If the mesh squares are too large, say one inch across, then even big rat snakes like the 5 foot one could possibly weave through. A ? inch mesh square should catch a 5 foot long rat snake unless the snake is very thin.
Since you are having a bad rat snake problem, I would recommend you place a thick wad of netting at the base of your martin housing pole so that any snake would first have to enter the netting. This has worked for me and others on the Forum. I simply take 4 pieces of rigid wire about a foot and half long and insert them in the ground in a square arrangement around the base of the pole, maybe 10 inches out. Then I fill in the area with ? inch mesh and bend the top of the wires over to hold the netting in place. I have caught big gray rat snakes at my Tallahassee colony in the past using the bottom method.
Here are some photos of my net traps including two with a black rat snake caught. The first two show a black rat snake caught in the netting. The second and third show a double and single layered net trap. These photos will show how I attach my traps. I first create a wire support base using No. 10 plastic coated wire or a similar type. I twist and ?tie? two pieces of wire around the pole to create 4 prongs that stick out 6 or more inches out in different directions. Longer prongs are probably easier to work with. Then I take sheets of netting, usually about 2 feet wide and maybe 6 or more feet long and wrap them around the prongs, inserting the netting from time to time and creating a fluffy wreath. After wrapping all the netting, I then bend over the top of the wire prongs to hold the netting in place. You may have to work with this some to create a wreath like trap. I use both ? and ? inch mesh netting if possible to give coverage to both thin and thick rat snakes. I like to create a thick wad of netting, but not compacted close to the pole or hanging down too loosely. Also you don?t want the netting to be too tightly wadded as the mesh squares are not as open. This may allow a snake to go over the net trap.
I hope this information will be helpful. Though the netting works most of the time, it can fail just like any other snake guard system. So far, it has worked every time for me, but probably some day a rat snake will defeat it.
Good luck.
Steve
Hey Steve, yeah I had the netting about a foot above the guard. I think I may have had it too loose. The netting I have has 3/4 inch squares. It sure isn't fun to see a snake coming down the pole with 2 big lumps in it. Those were probably near fledgling age babies. We just moved out here in the country and this is our first year here with martins. Other than the rat snakes, its been a great year. We have 15 pairs out of 24 possible cavities. The martins must have followed us out here, and so did the coopers hawks! Thanks for all of the info.
Mike
Mike