Snakes love my tractor!

[A72777]

Yep, that's how I found the first 5+ footer behind my instrument panel. I had pulled it to fix some chewed wires. I will let non-poisonous snakes go but I really don't like riding with them. Ignorance is bliss - I realize that I've probably used the tractor several times with snakes aboard that I never saw. Guess a thorough preflight is in order, from now on, is the best prevention. Thanks for the replies.

 

[FTG-05]

You are actually VERY blessed. The tarp-covered tractor is a wonderful environment for mice. Mice that will gleefully chew through all your wiring. The reason that the snakes have moved in is that they LOVE to eat the mice. It sounds like you have a perfect natural balance of just enough snakes to keep the mouse population at near zero. King snakes and Rat snakes are the very BEST. Non-poisonous and will bother very little except the mice. Now if you start to raise chickens, they can be a problem!

Snakes will eat and repel mice very nicely - until it gets below about 55 degrees or so. Then the snakes become INOP and won't eat. This could be up to 6 months out of the year. But since we can't tell where the OP lives (hint, hint!), we don't know how long it will be.

People talk about snakes eating mice and rats, but they are very inefficient, far less than mice reproduction rates. The only way for the rates the stay close is to have lots of snakes. But then the whole winter thing comes along, so much for mice and rats reduction, ain't happenin'!

 

[rd_macgregor]

Snakes will eat and repel mice very nicely - until it gets below about 55 degrees or so. Then the snakes become INOP and won't eat. This could be up to 6 months out of the year. But since we can't tell where the OP lives (hint, hint!), we don't know how long it will be.

... But then the whole winter thing comes along, so much for mice and rats reduction, ain't happenin'!

Maybe he needs some sort of mustelid living in his tractor to control the mice all year?

 

[Thomas]

Snakes very rarely problem,but those nasty @ss paper wasp can be if tractor sets week or so.

 

[jaxs]

Snakes will eat and repel mice very nicely - until it gets below about 55 degrees or so. Then the snakes become INOP and won't eat. This could be up to 6 months out of the year.

Exactly,and that's why I say you should provide owls a place to nest. Owls appear to migrate to Tx during winter and nest into spring. I've had a pair just outside my yard for years. I believe that box is attractive because mice are easy pickings while dashing out of woods and across mowed areas. Boxes deeper in woods might be occupied while others might remain vacant. A few years ago my grandsons reported that a horse had been in their tower blind. When I went with them to witness what the flying horse left behind,I found owl pellets. Owls had appearantly made the blind home since the season closed tear before.

 

[JRobyn]

While on the topic of snakes---------
Back then I was very into flying , bird nests under the aircraft cowling was a constant problem.
To deter birds nesting we found that a toy store rubber snake left on the aircraft cowling did the trick.

A few years ago Harbor Freight had GIGANTIC blow-up plastic snakes on one of their "clearance" tables for $.99 each. We bought 5 of them to put out by the garden. Only a few of them had leaks. Not sure about scaring away any pests, but we frightened a few people.