Snake removal companies in Hanover always receive their first snake call of the year in March. Usually, it’s a call from a homeowner that has stumbled across a Gartner Snake since Gartner Snakes are the first species to arise from hibernation. Throughout the cold winter months, Gartner Snakes also hibernate in dens alongside other snake species such as Black Rat Snakes, Timber Rattlesnakes, and Copperheads. In the fall just before the cold temperatures hit snakes seek out the perfect site to hibernate through the winter. These sites must maintain the right temperature and humidity for the snake to survive until springtime. These hibernation dens can be found in rock crevices, in hollowed tree stumps, under fallen trees, in gaps under concrete walkways, in gaps in the foundation of homes, and in the basement of homes throughout Hanover. Most homeowners only find one or two snakes in their home throughout the years that they live there however occasionally a homeowner will find several snakes at the same time in their home. Even worst than that once or twice a year Mid-Atlantic Wildlife receives a call from a frantic homeowner that has a snake infestation in their home. This is what happened to a young couple who purchased a home on Hoff Road, Hanover, Pennsylvania 17331 that had been vacant for 2 years. At the beginning of February, this couple had just moved into their home and from the beginning, they began to see a Gartner Snake or two weekly for 3 weeks. Being that it was an older home that sat vacant for two years the couple didn’t think much of it until the first week in March when they saw 6 snakes at the same time in the basement. The couple immediately called Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control who is the leading snake control expert in Hanover. Can you see the snake in the photo above? The photo was taken as Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control pulled into the homeowner’s driveway later that afternoon. As you can see a Black Rat Snake is coming out through a small walnut size hole in the foundation of the home.
Upon inspection of the home, Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control discovered a large hibernation den of Gartner Snakes, Black Rat Snakes, and Copperheads under the stone basement floor. The snakes were entering the basement through a gap in the foundation wall of the home then crawled into a lemon size gap in the stone floor that lead to a 36 inch by 58-inch void under the stone basement floor. This voided area under the basement floor was the perfect hibernation site and these snakes must have been denning there for several years. The snake expert from Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control suspected that the snakes started to arise from hibernation early because the young couple that just moved in had turned up the heat in the house to 75 degrees. The snake expert inserted a remote inspection camera into the gap in the basement floor and saw between 25 to 35 snakes still hibernating in the den. This prompted the homeowners to temporarily move out until Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control was able to remove all the snakes and seal the entry points around the foundation of the home to prevent any snakes from re-entering the home. At the beginning of the second week in March Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control began the daunting task of capturing and removing the snakes from the home. Since snakes are protected by law in the state of Pennsylvania all the snakes had to be live captured and released in a more appropriate area. The only way to get to the snakes was to bust up the stone basement floor and the homeowners did not want to do that so Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control put two heaters in the basement to bring the temperature up so the snakes would come out of hibernation. It was also helpful that a warm front moved in and the outside temperature reached 73 that day. Four snake experts from Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control began removing the snakes as they emerged from the gap in the basement floor and placing them in large snake holding containers. At the end of the day 19 Gartner Snakes, 8 Black Rat Snakes, and 2 Copperheads were removed that day. If you want to know how to get rid of snakes during a Hanover PA snake infestation, give Mid-Atlantic Wildlife Control a call at 866-784-8058. Their snake removal experts will answer any questions you have and are happy to inspect your home for entry points or remove any snakes you may have on your property.