All winter the mice living under my barn floor have been living the high life as I presently have no barn cat. This ends in the spring when the resident black snakes return for the summer.
I had resorted to setting mouse traps as the mice were skittering across the barn floor as I milked. One was eating in the feed bucket while I milked, leaving when I walked over and returning to eat when I walked away. Several fled from the chicken feeder every time I opened the door.
What Are Black Snakes Worth?
The first of these black snakes arrived when rats had invaded the barn. It took a couple of years, but the snakes got rid of the rats.
Now the mice are disappearing for the summer. They are still there, but their populations are going down. They only come out at night.
How Big Is That Snake?
Some of the resident black snakes were already under the barn. I’d seen them. So it was a surprise to find one of my big ones stretched out across the road when I pulled up to unload feed.
The snake was between me and my parking spot. It had to move. It had no intention of moving.
Small, up to about three feet long, will vanish quickly if prodded. Larger ones start defying the urging to move. This one, at around seven feet, ignored the car, ignored stomping on the road and coiled up when prodded.
The snake put on a display, beating its tail on the gravel, opening its mouth and refusing to budge. I used a stick to flip it over and over getting it closer to the side of the road.
Company Arrives
A car stopped behind my truck. The driver got out to see what was going on. He and his companion were teenagers on their way to the river.
Exclamations of amazement were yelled back and forth as the two of us used sticks to lift the snake over to the fence. It promptly decided to head for the safety of the barn.
So now all my resident black snakes have arrived for the summer. Two seven foot, one six foot and a new five foot snake now chase the mice. And, yes, they do snack on the eggs when I don’t get them picked up several times a day.
