The black snake - moccasin hybrid is just a variation of the same
myth about black snakes and copperheads.

If the snake was near the foundation vent in the first place, quite
likely it's been living in the crawlspace and was coming out to
sun itself or find dinner. You'll usually find them sitting up on the
sill plate or they'll crawl up between the subfloor and the insulation.

The trap works, but two important points: a) be patient; the snake
may not make a guest appearance outdoors everyday, and b) the
key phrase in the post was "live snake trap". Check the trap everyday.
Much as many people despise snakes, it is cruel (at least to some of
us) to leave the snake baking to death inside the trap in the hot sun.
You can actually remove the snake (bizarre as that may sound to some
people). Grab it behind the head with a gloved hand and then pour
vegetable oil on the parts stuck to the glue. Then, escort the snake
somewhere else and he/she will return the favor by downing a few
rodents that you don't want under your house either. On that topic,
if a snake can fit through an opening in your vent, so can mice!
If the vent doesn't have screening (usually on the inside), then cover
the inside with rust-resistant metal screening.


wrote:
I have heard that some black snakes have bred w/water moccisons and are
now poisionous? You can contact Scott Cooper w/Cooper Pest Control, he
sells a live snake trap that uses mice urine to attract them. His # is
872-5520



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Michael Waldvogel, PhD
Extension Specialist, Structural & Industrial Pests
North Carolina State University
Dept. of Entomology, Campus Box 7613, 4318 Gardner Hall
Raleigh, NC USA 27695-7613
Ph: 919.515.8881 Fax: 919.515.7746 Cell: 919.801.4108
Email:
http://entomology.ncsu.edu/waldvogel
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