Snakes, Pests Rattling Nerves

This week’s sweltering weather is creating an unusual problem for local fire officials that has nothing to do with flames: scores of snakes, rats, spiders and other nasty critters invading local homes and yards.

Like their human counterparts, the critters are seeking refuge from the unbearable heat.

Consequently, residents have lodged more than a dozen calls with fire officials over the last three days after being confronted by venomous rattlers or nonvenomous--but still annoying--gopher, king and garter snakes. In one case, a Ventura College student came face-to-face Monday morning with a rattler in the restroom of a Ventura park.

The snakes have joined a parade of rats, spiders, ticks, gnats and black flies, which in recent days have slithered, crept or flown into local homes. As a result, more people are seeking advice from officials with the county vector control program on how to deal with the sudden appearance of large numbers of creepy crawly things.

“Watch out where you put your feet--and hands,” warned County Fire Battalion Chief Norman Plott. He is based in Ojai, which was the hottest spot in the county over the weekend, roasting at a record 107 degrees.

“Snakes try to find cool places, like in people’s gardens where it’s moist,” Plott said. “Or they can curl up right underneath your porch. You might step right onto one walking out your front door.”

On Monday morning, Nina Delorme, 20, learned this lesson the hard way. She walked into a restroom at Arroyo Verde Park in Ventura and came face to fang with a 3-foot-long Southern Pacific rattlesnake.

The Oxnard resident was taking a break from classes at Ventura College and ventured to the nearby park to snack on a peach and study philosophy. She walked into the restroom, and there it was, she said.

“I freaked out,” she recounted later. “It jumped forward at me like it was going to get me. I jumped back. Then it curled up like it was getting ready to strike. I knew that I was in danger so I started screaming and screaming. I was totally freaking out.”

A man at the park tried to calm her and told her to slowly walk backward. When she exited the room, they shut the door. Ventura city fire officials arrived, and using a snake stick--a long plastic pipe with a rope loop at the end--they captured the reptile and decapitated it with a shovel.

Firefighters then wrapped the snake in plastic and discarded it, Battalion Chief Bill Rigg said.

“The largest we’ve caught was 6 feet long,” Rigg said. “But venom-wise, the younger ones are more dangerous. They have stronger venom than the older snakes.”

A few broiling summers ago, the Ventura Fire Department responded to 40 calls from residents who discovered snakes in their yards or homes, Rigg said.

“We’ll easily exceed that this year,” he added.

So far, one resident has been attacked by a snake, said county fire spokeswoman Sandi Wells. In January, a 21-month-old Thousand Oaks boy was hospitalized after being bitten by a baby rattler.

The 15-inch pit viper sank its fangs into the boy’s hand as he crawled on the patio at his family’s home. The toddler recovered.

The Fire Department dispenses free brochures explaining how people can protect themselves from venomous snakes and what to do in case of a snake bite.

As for dealing with spiders, an official with the county Environmental Health Department’s vector control program said he typically tells residents that if possible they should try to capture the creature in a jar and let it out in the backyard.

“But the easiest way to deal with it,” said Randy Smith, a program spokesman, “is to get something and smash it.”

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Tips for Warding Off Venomous Snakes

* Trim beneath bushes and trees, clearing a space of 1 to 2 feet from the ground; remove stacks of wood, junk or piles of plant trimmings to eliminate hiding places.

* Install rubber or wooden strips under garage doors and all entry doors to prevent snakes and the rodents they eat from coming in.

* Check the yard daily with a 6- to 8-foot pole by tapping or banging the ground ahead of you. Check the yard before letting children play outdoors and supervise them while they are. Pay heed to pets that behave as though they have spotted something.

* Leave nonvenomous snakes alone. They will help rid your area of rodents and keep the rattlesnakes from visiting your yard for food.

* Eliminate standing pools of water and repair leaky faucets.

* Keep screen door completely closed during warm days.

* Be careful when stepping into a cool dark garage or over the doorstep.

Source: Ventura County Animal Regulation Department and the Ventura County Fire Department