Snake Removal
Done Right

North Carolina is home to 37 species of snakes. Only six are venomous. And here in the mountains, that number drops to two: the copperhead and the timber rattlesnake.

Most calls we get turn out to be harmless species. Black rat snakes are the most common. They're big, sometimes over five feet, and they're excellent climbers. If a snake followed a mouse trail into your attic, there's a good chance it's a rat snake.

The northern water snake is the other one that causes panic. People see them along creeks and rivers in Buncombe, Henderson, and Transylvania counties and assume they're cottonmouths. They're not. There are no cottonmouths in the WNC mountains. Period.

Snakes don't break in. They walk through the front door, so to speak. Every snake inside a home got there through an existing opening, and almost always because something else got there first.

The pattern we see most often in the Asheville area works like this. Mice find a gap in your foundation, crawl space vent, or roofline. They set up a nest. Their body oils leave scent trails along every path they use. A rat snake or other species picks up that scent and follows the same trail, through the same gap, right into your home.

That's why a snake in your house is almost always a sign of a second problem. If you've got snakes, you've probably got rodents too.

We don't just grab the snake and leave. Every snake in a home got there for a reason, and if you don't address that reason, you'll be calling again in a few weeks.

Snake activity in Western North Carolina follows a predictable cycle. Calls pick up in April as temperatures climb, peak in June through August, and taper off in October as nights get cold. But in the milder WNC climate, we get occasional calls even in winter, especially from homes with warm crawl spaces.

Copperheads are most active on warm summer evenings. If you're finding a copperhead in your yard, it's almost always between dusk and dawn during June, July, or August.

North Carolina takes snake protection seriously. Nine species are listed as threatened, endangered, or of special concern at the state or federal level. That includes the timber rattlesnake, which we do encounter in WNC.

All three rattlesnake species native to North Carolina, plus the eastern coral snake, are protected under the NC Endangered Species Act. It is illegal to kill, harm, harass, or relocate these species without an Endangered Species Permit from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.

For non-protected species, relocation is allowed on private property with the landowner's permission. But here's something most people don't know: research shows that most snake species die from stress if relocated more than two miles from the capture site. That's why we always relocate short distances, close to where the snake was found, just away from the home.

These are two different services, and which one you need depends on your situation.

Snake removal is what you need when you can see the snake or know where it is. We come out, identify the species, capture it, and relocate it. It's typically a same-day visit. If you've got a black rat snake in your kitchen or a copperhead under your front steps, this is what you're looking for.

Snake trapping is for situations where you've seen evidence of snake activity but can't locate the snake itself. Maybe you found a shed skin in the crawl space, or you've seen a snake twice this week but it disappears before you can get a good look. Trapping involves placing specialized traps in areas of known activity and checking them over several days.

Both services include an inspection of entry points and a recommendation for exclusion work. Because again, if you're not addressing how the snake got in, you're not solving the problem.

You can't make your property completely snake-proof if you live near woods, creeks, or undeveloped land in WNC. And honestly, snakes passing through your yard isn't a problem. They eat rodents, and that's a service you're getting for free.

But you can make your home a lot less attractive to snakes. And the approach is the same one that works for almost every wildlife issue: remove shelter, remove food sources, and seal entry points.

Remove ground-level shelter. Woodpiles, scrap metal, boards, dense ground cover, and landscape debris all give snakes a place to hide. Move firewood away from the foundation. Keep vegetation trimmed close to the house.

Address rodent problems. If mice or rats are getting into your home, snakes will follow. The rodents leave scent trails that snakes track like a highway. Solving the rodent problem is the most effective thing you can do to prevent snakes.

Seal entry points. This is the big one. Every gap wider than a quarter-inch is a potential entry point. Crawl space vents, foundation cracks, utility penetrations, roofline gaps, and garage door seals are the most common problem areas in WNC homes.

Trim trees and shrubs away from the house. Black rat snakes are strong climbers. If branches touch or overhang your roof, that's a bridge to your attic. Keep a clear gap between vegetation and the roofline.