I have a "rewire" I am starting on tomorrow. I have to go and check the house out first and try to get rid of any obtrusive critters like snakes, black widows, etc... The house is in the country, and not far from a river. I was expecting to encounter snakes, but now after talking to the homeowner, even more.. The house has been uninhabited for quiet a while I think, and I found out today that the crawl space consist of a "trap door" through the back porch flooring. She said I would have to lower myself down into a past "wine cellar" then after a bit, do the "crawling". She said no one has been down there in 15 to 20 years. Any idea what might be my first plan of action to get rid of any varmits that might be waiting on me?? I guess I will get me a can of "bug bomb" to start out with, and a whole lot of noise, but I'm not sure the "bug bomb" will work on the snakes. Any ideas will be appreciated. Life is rough sometimes but somebody's got to take the "dirty work", Right???? Well I need the work anyway. Thanks for the input... I got a feeling this is going to be an adventure:(

After reading that, I think I like -40 weather. At least there are no snakes in igloos.

Why would you want to get rid of snakes? They eat all the other stuff you don't like and they won't hurt you.
A black snake is your best buddy.

This is what happens when a black snake catches a rattle snake.

Yea, but it's the ugly copperheads in my area I don't won't to come eye ball to eye ball with. After 20 years they may have a den down there. But anyway, here I go.... to meet whatever is lurking down there. I read where snakes don't have ears or hearing, but they will probably "feel" my "vibrations" if I crawl down in that "cellar" and see one. Just hope I don't "knock" myself out trying to get out of there Maybe the old song "whistle while you work" will help I'll try to let you know what I find........

It is true that they use sound vibrations to hear. They also don't have very good eyesight. I have to tell you that this thread has completely given me the creeps! I can't even stand going into my shed to get the lawn mower out. I don't envy your situation at all. Good luck and please let us know how you make out, seriously.

Over illuminate the dark space before you descend.

Most of the nasties hate sunlight and will crawl away from a brightly lit zone if you give them enough time.

Heavy metal music can work against sensitive ears.

Scrap carpeting can be of great value: you can spray it with repellant -- take your pick -- and be placed face down. The under side then makes a nice slip and slide surface.

Mechanic's stick lights -- use more than one -- are effective in confined crawl spaces -- and robust enough to survive.

Heat guns are also very effective for driving insects away. Any snake that strikes will aim for the gun head in as much as their vision is in the infra-red.

Suck it up and belly down!

Cheers.

Go with Tesla's plan.. Snakes hate the bright light. And BTW, when it's attached to your leg remember what gfretwell said "A black snake is your best buddy"
PS: bug bomb don't work on snakes .... guess how I know.

I'm more worried about the spiders than the snakes.
Those pictures were a little creepy though.

I'm with TWH... -40 doesn't seem so bad anymore

Part 1.

I went through the preliminaries yesterday. Beat on the trap door first, dropped my 4 ft. ladder down next, hooked up my 250 wt. quartz light and lowered it down to shine under the porch area. I put my heavy boots on, head lamp, and a piece of 1/2" conduit in my hand. Ready for anything Dangled the light for a few minutes to see if I got any "strikes". After being a little confident, I started my decent, very slowly. After getting down far enough to look under the porch, I look for any signs of danger. I see one piece of old carpet, I thought was a snake skin, but was relieved it wasn't. Next was to go down some concrete steps, through an old door that led under the house to an old "dug out wine cellar" sort of area. I'm carrying my quartz light in front of me all the time and using it like it was a AK47 ( is that what it's called???) Anyway, I shine my light and beat with my piece of emt in all the supicious areas that I can reach, except of course the several "holes" in the sides of the dirt where it looks like a snake might have made. I didn't want to press my "luck". The dug out area is about 8ft. x 10ft. then you have to crawl up on the area next to the floor joist. That's where I'm dreading to go, with the insulation hanging down off the heating ducts, under the pipes, etc... After I investigate the area where I could stand up, I decide not to go "crawling" yet, not until I have to. By the way, up on those ledges, under the ducts and pipes, is where all my "homeruns" are going to have to come from. I'm planning on setting an outside panel to replace the one that is there now.
I'm just evaluating the job for now, to see what my next plan of action will be.
I slowly come out of my "hole" and investigate the rest of the house, which was built in 1927 they say. After investigating it, I take some "spray bombs" back under the house and "set off" 2 of them. I figure it might help kill some "black widows" if nothing else. Anyway, I made a start. I'll probably go back tomorrow and start on some easier stuff up in the house, that's not so scarry, open the "trap door" again to allow some ventilation so as not to "do me in".
By the way, I do expect to use a helper on some parts of this job I can see this job is going to get "interesting".
Stay tuned for Part 2 of this story,
"The Adventures and Thrills of being an electrician".

To be continued,.... I hope

Even in bayou country, snakes are the least dangerous things in crawl spaces!

Carry a 'ticker' to check any ducts or pipes before you wiggle under them. many a repairman has been killed by a 'hot' piece of ducting.

Take the floormat from your truck with you. Use it to kneel / lay upon. It will protect you against sharp rocks. In soft areas I will lay upon a 32" x 24" piece of plywood.

Wear gloves; many hacks leave all manner of sharp trash in the gravel, for you to find 'the hard way.'

When you're finished, make damn sure you know where the family cat is; many a tradesman has accidentally locked kitty in the crawl.

Finally, a small broom is great for removing assorted cobwebs from your path.

Good point Reno.
I agree the sloppy work under a "crawl" is more dangerous than any critter you will encounter.
Inspectors seldom do more that a quick glance in there with a flashlight ... if they brought one.
I surprised the hell out of an installer once by actually crawling under a trailer. In a way he was pleased tho, since the work was good.
(SE was strapped up and the penetration was sealed)

I had an issue with a rattle snake once - well not me... Helper dude did....

Working on a REALLY OLD FARM HOUSE... It was habited by a bunch of people living in the house full time.

So anyway me aand another guy are cutting in outlets - I cut the hole, then drill down to this guy (Mike) and he pushes the wire up - and we go to the next... So the last one we got to do, I'm tapping on the floor so he can find me and he calls on the radio. "Stop! - Quiet! There's a snake down here right next to the hole..."

I'm up top asking all kinds of questions on the radion, "what kind of snake, whats he doing, whats he look like?"

Finally the guy down there says - I think its sleeping, so I tell him just get the wire in there and get out of there. (Oh - this set of wires is the HR and the feed out to all the rest...) So he tries and he yells - it's a rattler! and I can hear and feel him bumping his way at high speed back to the crawl hole.... And he's out of there in a flash!

So we called animal control - who shows up with a flashlight and bino's and says "yep - you got a momma rattle snake." SO I ask - can you get it out? - "Nope, I ain't going down there - I'll set some traps - when or if it gets in one - call me and I'll pick it up." So I ask how long that will take - he says "Spring". Which was 4 months off - and it took that long...

When my wife was selling ACs she was at the customer's watching a start up (and getting the check) when her installer said there was a snake next to the condenser as he was running to the truck. He said everything was OK and he was done.
She went back to see and came back to him with the snake.
She tried one of those good news bad news jokes.
"Good news, the snake was dead, bad news, he had a freon leak." and dropped the snake in his truck.

Well it was all bad news. The snake was just stunned from the freon and he woke up.

She couldn't understand why the guy was so upset. His name was "Snake" and he had a big tattoo of a snake on his arm but he was scared of snakes.

I had a helper one time that loved all reptiles. He caught every snake he could and put it in a bag. Then he would take them home (venomous or not) take a few pictures and release them in his yard. He went to Florida on vacation and came back with several really cool lizards he caught. He now has a population of them on his property. Great to have him around.

How soon can he make it to Virginia? I have a large deck and a shed that should be full of specimens that he can have for free!

He can go up to Boca Grande and fill his trunk with iguanas or get some nice 5 ft nile monitors over in Cape Coral.
They will thank you.

You might use a firey torch like Indiana Jones did when faced with the same scenario