What's your town/city like?

[islandboy]

I would think the concern about the tree snakes would be the fact that they might eat wild bird eggs and young in the nest. If they are poisenous there is that added danger.
In Florida, we have growing problems with African Killer Bees, I guess they will nest in areas most native bees will not, like in the walls of someones house or in air conditions. If even slightly  disturbed  they will attack. Sort of like hornets do but in greater numbers. I have been stung  by hornets and wasps and that's not fun at all, would not like being stung or chased by bees.

[Debp]

I would think the concern about the tree snakes would be the fact that they might eat wild bird eggs and young in the nest. If they are poisenous there is that added danger.
In Florida, we have growing problems with African Killer Bees, I guess they will nest in areas most native bees will not, like in the walls of someones house or in air conditions. If even slightly  disturbed  they will attack. Sort of like hornets do but in greater numbers. I have been stung  by hornets and wasps and that's not fun at all, would not like being stung or chased by bees.

We have those bees out here, too, although I haven't heard of any incidents right in L.A.

Do you have many snakes in FL?  I hear sometimes pet pythons, etc, escape and are found there.  Any poisonous snakes there?  We have rattlesnakes, but not in the heart of the city.

[Soldier4Christ]

The brown tree snakes not only eat the eggs and young nestlings but the larger adult snakes also catch and eat many of the adult birds. On Guam they have also been known to enter chicken coops at night and eat the eggs and young chicks. They also feed on lizards such as the gecko and bats. Both are highly prized and very important in the Indonesian Islands because they keep the insect population to a very low minimum.

I haven't heard of any killer bees here but we do have a rattle snake problem recently, mostly timber rattlers. They are being found even within the city limits.

We have a lot of ground hornets and mud dabbers but the worst problem is the yellow jackets.

[Debp]

The brown tree snakes not only eat the eggs and young nestlings but the larger adult snakes also catch and eat many of the adult birds. On Guam they have also been known to enter chicken coops at night and eat the eggs and young chicks. They also feed on lizards such as the gecko and bats. Both are highly prized and very important in the Indonesian Islands because they keep the insect population to a very low minimum.

I haven't heard of any killer bees here but we do have a rattle snake problem recently, mostly timber rattlers. They are being found even within the city limits.

We have a lot of ground hornets and mud dabbers but the worst problem is the yellow jackets.

Once in a blue moon, I see these really gigantic bees.....they look like yellow jackets, but much, much larger.  I wonder what they are......I rarely see them luckily. 

[Soldier4Christ]

It sounds like the Bumble Bee?? We have Bumble Bees here. They aren't very aggressive although they will sting if you disturb their nest or bother them while they are on a flower collecting pollen.

[islandboy]

In Southeastern Florida, they have caught very large pet pythons and a few anacondas, both can grow to 20 ft long and get as big around as telephone poles. A friend of mine had one python, for years until one day it died. It was eighteen feet long. Not my kind of pet. Anyways people get them for pets and do let them go or they escape from improper cages. In Florida, you are required to have a permit to keep them as they are non-native critters. They eat small animals, rabbits, rats etc.... but, pose a danger to pets and children.

We also have diamond-backed rattlesnakes and cane-breaker rattlesnakes, water moccasins and Pygmy rattlesnakes. Once in a while someone finds a copperhead, but they are mostly north of us in Georgia and the Carolina's.

[Soldier4Christ]

We have the cottonmouth and the copperheads here also and we are overloaded with various kinds of garter snakes. I played with a lot of the garter snakes as a kid.   

[faithgranny]

This past weekend we have noticed 2 very different tree bugs outside.  I have not seen these before and they almost look like they cross bread.  Very unusual and concerning for me.

Jannie

[Debp]

In Southeastern Florida, they have caught very large pet pythons and a few anacondas, both can grow to 20 ft long and get as big around as telephone poles. A friend of mine had one python, for years until one day it died. It was eighteen feet long. Not my kind of pet. Anyways people get them for pets and do let them go or they escape from improper cages. In Florida, you are required to have a permit to keep them as they are non-native critters. They eat small animals, rabbits, rats etc.... but, pose a danger to pets and children.

We also have diamond-backed rattlesnakes and cane-breaker rattlesnakes, water moccasins and Pygmy rattlesnakes. Once in a while someone finds a copperhead, but they are mostly north of us in Georgia and the Carolina's.

Not my kind of pet either!  My goodness, 18 feet long....did he give it it's own room?  Can't imagine keeping it in a cage when it's that big.  I've read that pythons and anacondas can get even bigger in the jungles of other countries.

[nChrist]

We live blocks from the huge Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, so we are close to large populations of rattlers. However, we rarely see them because they have a massive, undisturbed habitat. If we see them, something is usually wrong with the balance of nature. We do have hunts once a year in the area to keep them thinned out, and you wouldn't believe the number that are caught.

In case you're wondering - NO! - I don't participate in the hunts. I'll just say that I don't get along well with snakes.   

[Debp]

We live blocks from the huge Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, so we are close to large populations of rattlers. However, we rarely see them because they have a massive, undisturbed habitat. If we see them, something is usually wrong with the balance of nature. We do have hunts once a year in the area to keep them thinned out, and you wouldn't believe the number that are caught.

In case you're wondering - NO! - I don't participate in the hunts. I'll just say that I don't get along well with snakes.   

Funny story.   Some of you might remember my dad had his favorite fishing spots when I was a kid.  One time we went on vacation near the PA/MD border.  There was this big dam and boulders down the huge side of the dam.  Well, there was a sign "No admittance beyond this point".  Well, my dad thought this was an ideal fishing spot so he and my cousin (male) started down the side of the dam.  My mom tried to point out that the sign said no admittance to this area....to no avail.  Well, about 5 minutes later my dad and my cousin came high-tailing it up the side of the dam.  They said all of a sudden under all of the boulders, they started to hear rattling like crazy!  Rattlesnakes, of course!

[Soldier4Christ]

lol   Signs are posted for a reason.

[islandboy]

Yes, He had a homemade big glass cage built in his garage that was 8' high & 8" long. Another interesting thing is that snakes only have one lung. So if they catch cold or get pneumonia, they need antibiotics  right away or their chance of recovery is slim at best. My friend is an avid snake hunter and has given me a few tips on the subject.

[Debp]

lol   Signs are posted for a reason.

Amen....that's what my mom thought!  

[Debp]

Yes, He had a homemade big glass cage built in his garage that was 8' high & 8" long. Another interesting thing is that snakes only have one lung. So if they catch cold or get pneumonia, they need antibiotics  right away or their chance of recovery is slim at best. My friend is an avid snake hunter and has given me a few tips on the subject.

What does he do with all of the snakes?  Does he sell them to zoos?  I know with some poisonous ones you can make anti-venom.

Did you read my funny, true rattlesnake story?  Of course, at the time, it could have proved very dangerous.