Recent Posts

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: The Garden Thread that two people wanted
« Last post by Post-Doctorate D on Today at 09:21:36 AM »
Quote from: Jeff Tanyard on Today at 08:55:06 AM
Vijaya, you probably don't want to hear this, but if venomous snakes are an issue on your property, then you should seriously consider getting an inexpensive handgun and keeping it loaded with snakeshot shells for these occasions.  I'm sure you don't like the idea of killing a critter, but copperheads are very dangerous, especially to the very old and very young, and if you're going to have young grandchildren playing around out there, well...   :shrug

Or a good shovel.  My mother does not like snakes and, when we lived next door to my grandparents, snake sightings would generally result in my grandfather getting the shovel and taking care of business.

Also, when we no longer lived next to my grandparents, we had a neighbor that kept copperheads as pets. :eek:  Two of them . . .  They escaped one day.  One was run over by a car.  The dead body was stretched the width of the street which tells you something about how big it was.  I think the other was taken out by another neighbor with a shotgun.

So, yeah, firearms are an option.  Probably a little safer than using a shovel as you can maintain a safer distance from the venomous snake.  Also, I would think firearms could take care of pesky monkeys too, though a shovel could probably take care of some of the slower ones.
2
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: The Garden Thread that two people wanted
« Last post by Jeff Tanyard on Today at 08:55:06 AM »
Quote from: Jan Hurst-Nicholson on Today at 01:37:12 AM
We brought the snake bite victim home this afternoon. He has to go back to the hospital for the wound dressing to be changed where they cut out the dead skin from the bite area. But is now in good spirits again.


Necrosis?  Gosh, that's horrible.  Please pass my sympathies and best wishes along to him.   :Healing:


Quote from: Vijaya on Today at 01:58:12 AM
Terrible about the snake bite. We have copperheads here in SC and tell my husband to wear some flip flops going out to the compost pile. One crawled onto our porch and tried to bite us. My husband was able to grab it and toss it into the yard. But that was scary. Monkeys bite too. I still remember them, how naughty they can be. But so fun to watch.


I hope he pinned its head down with a stick or something before trying to grab it.   :eek:

Vijaya, you probably don't want to hear this, but if venomous snakes are an issue on your property, then you should seriously consider getting an inexpensive handgun and keeping it loaded with snakeshot shells for these occasions.  I'm sure you don't like the idea of killing a critter, but copperheads are very dangerous, especially to the very old and very young, and if you're going to have young grandchildren playing around out there, well...   :shrug
3
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: The Garden Thread that two people wanted
« Last post by Vijaya on Today at 01:58:12 AM »
Terrible about the snake bite. We have copperheads here in SC and tell my husband to wear some flip flops going out to the compost pile. One crawled onto our porch and tried to bite us. My husband was able to grab it and toss it into the yard. But that was scary. Monkeys bite too. I still remember them, how naughty they can be. But so fun to watch.
4
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: The Garden Thread that two people wanted
« Last post by Jan Hurst-Nicholson on Today at 01:37:12 AM »
Quote from: Jeff Tanyard on February 11, 2026, 07:35:37 AM
Quote from: Jan Hurst-Nicholson on February 11, 2026, 06:10:22 AM
...a resident was bitten by a stiletto snake...

Sounds like you need more of these:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_file_snake

More good snakes = fewer bad snakes.   :cool:  Seriously, I have great appreciation for the king snakes I occasionally see in the yard here.  I don't bother them, and they keep the place free of venomous snakes.  Win-win.  (I have similar views of jumping spiders and wolf spiders for keeping the place free of brown recluses.)

In South Africa, the Stiletto Snake (Atractaspis bibronii) is a highly venomous, burrowing species known for its cytotoxic venom, but it is still preyed upon by other snakes and animals. Although stiletto snakes are venomous, they are relatively small, which makes them vulnerable to larger, ophiophagous (snake-eating) predators.
Based on findings from the African Snakebite Institute and other ecological sources, the following snakes in South Africa would eat a stiletto snake:
Mole Snake (Pseudaspis cana): Large, non-venomous mole snakes are opportunistic feeders and are known to consume other snakes, including venomous ones. (don't mind having these around, but can do without the cobras)_

Cape Cobra (Naja nivea): As a generalist predator that often preys on other snakes, the Cape Cobra would consume a stiletto snake.
Mozambique Spitting Cobra (Naja mossambica): Known to eat virtually anything that moves, including other snakes, this cobra is a likely predator.
Other Large Snakes: Generally, larger snake species that include smaller snakes in their diet will prey on the stiletto snake.

Hope your neighbor pulls through and doesn't suffer any long-term effects.

We brought the snake bite victim home this afternoon. He has to go back to the hospital for the wound dressing to be changed where they cut out the dead skin from the bite area. But is now in good spirits again.

[
5
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: The Garden Thread that two people wanted
« Last post by Jan Hurst-Nicholson on Today at 01:32:53 AM »
Quote
ETA recommended temp for sleeping is 18oC. My bedroom was 34oC this afternoon. Have managed to bring it down to 28oC  :icon_rolleyes:

Good grief, Jan.  It was that hot inside the house?   :icon_eek:  Don't y'all have air conditioning?
[/quote]

Today was 35oC outside!
All the shops, businesses, offices etc have central air conditioning, but it only gets hot in Durban in January, February, March with February and up to the middle of March being the worst, so few houses have central air conditioning because it's expensive and only used for a short time. But we do have air conditioners in bedrooms and lounges. I have an aircon in my lounge and put it on when the heat becomes unbearable (costly to run). It's the humidity that really saps your strength. I tried an aircon in my bedroom in my previous house, but I'm a very light sleeper and as it cycled on and off (quietly) it still woke me up :icon_rolleyes: Now I try to direct the cold air from the lounge into my bedroom.  Most people have ceiling fans, except the poor souls who live in squatter camps.   :icon_sad:

The monkeys broke yet another branch off my papaya tree. :evil2: They were obviously not content with the fruit I left in the compost bin.  🙈 :icon_rolleyes:
6
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: What Did You Blog About Today
« Last post by Jeff Tanyard on February 11, 2026, 04:41:38 PM »
March 5, 2007... I day I haven't forgotten.  And a day I expect to see again as in a broken reflection.

The day I realized the music had stopped
7
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: The Garden Thread that two people wanted
« Last post by LilyBLily on February 11, 2026, 02:38:10 PM »
I'm against all of those slithery things. Let some other member of the animal kingdom deal with the pests. Nature abhors a vacuum.
8
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: The Garden Thread that two people wanted
« Last post by Jeff Tanyard on February 11, 2026, 07:35:37 AM »
Quote from: Jan Hurst-Nicholson on February 11, 2026, 06:10:22 AM
...a resident was bitten by a stiletto snake...


Sounds like you need more of these:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_file_snake

More good snakes = fewer bad snakes.   :cool:  Seriously, I have great appreciation for the king snakes I occasionally see in the yard here.  I don't bother them, and they keep the place free of venomous snakes.  Win-win.  (I have similar views of jumping spiders and wolf spiders for keeping the place free of brown recluses.)

Hope your neighbor pulls through and doesn't suffer any long-term effects.


Quote
ETA recommended temp for sleeping is 18oC. My bedroom was 34oC this afternoon. Have managed to bring it down to 28oC  :icon_rolleyes:


Good grief, Jan.  It was that hot inside the house?   :icon_eek:  Don't y'all have air conditioning?
9
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: The Garden Thread that two people wanted
« Last post by Jan Hurst-Nicholson on February 11, 2026, 06:10:22 AM »
Quote from: Vijaya on February 11, 2026, 03:21:09 AM
Love reading about the monkeys. We'll have the heat and humidity in a few months! But today, it has warmed up and I'll enjoy being outside for a walk with my daughter, her dog and baby!

It was monkey baby season in November, so now the babies are like naughty children. I was out at 6.30 this morning with a washing-up liquid bottle filled with water squirting them when they tried to climb the papaya tree. My compost bin is right underneath it (which is why I get a good crop of papayas :)) and I squirted them when they tried to climb the tree. I reckon there is enough food in the compost for them. They run off when squirted, but then peep at me over the fence waiting for me to go inside again. Then the 'children' play on the carport roofs making such a din.
I've had to stop traipsing to my compost with peelings after dark since a resident was bitten by a stiletto snake at 9pm last Thursday while trying to remove it from outside his neighbour's place. He thought it was a harmless house snake   :icon_rolleyes: Lots of drama at the hospital etc. The snake is venomous but not usually lethal but gives a nasty bite with swelling and pain all over the body. Had to be on a drip and in trauma unit. Anyway, he is finally on the mend after having the bite mark lanced to release the pus build-up.  It's the first snake bite I've heard of here, but I've had lots harmless bush snakes, house snakes and one mildly venomous red-lipped herald. The stiletto snake is very common (according ot the local snake catcher) but rarely seen as they live underground. But they come out on these hot nights. They are a problem to catch as they have back and side facing fangs and you can't hold them by the head. They are black and quite small (not longer than 50cm) so are often mistaken for house snakes. Everyone now very wary  :eek:
ETA recommended temp for sleeping is 18oC. My bedroom was 34oC this afternoon. Have managed to bring it down to 28oC  :icon_rolleyes:
10
Bar & Grill [Public] / Re: The Garden Thread that two people wanted
« Last post by Vijaya on February 11, 2026, 03:21:09 AM »
Love reading about the monkeys. We'll have the heat and humidity in a few months! But today, it has warmed up and I'll enjoy being outside for a walk with my daughter, her dog and baby!
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10