The good, the bad and the sneaky
- col-dave-mast
- June 26, 2025
- 91
Gray rat snakes. Garter snakes. Dekay’s brown snakes. Black rat snakes.
All these slithering rascals have been found meandering around our creek beds in our homestead in Holmes County, and every single one of them has scared the ever-loving tar out of my wife.
No matter how many times we tell her, “They’re more scared of you than you are of them,” it simply doesn’t matter because she despises snakes.
Whether they are slithering along in the grass, finding camouflage in the high weeds and reeds on the bank or swimming carefree in the water of the creeks, each movement is a terrifying reminder that these snakes are lurking and can showcase their ssss-sneaky flicking tongues and legless bodies in a moment’s notice.
I guess ever since Adam and Eve took a nosedive thanks to that ne’er-do-well snake that enticed them to take a bit of the apple, snakes have kind of gotten a bad reputation.
However, getting past the icky, cringy, eerie way they slither and creep around, these harmless varieties of common Ohio snakes provide some truly inspirational benefits.
One: Snakes are nature’s pest control.
Yes, snakes chow down on unwanted rodents such as mice, rats, voles and moles, all of which can cause structural damage to your yard and spread disease.
These small snakes also dine on unwanted insects like slugs, and they do the work of traps and poisons free of charge.
Two: Your ecosystem is healthy and thriving.
The presence of snakes usually means your natural habitat is healthy and thriving. Small snakes contribute to a balanced food chain, serving both as predators to pests and as prey to hawks, owls and one new friend of the family, a bald eagle that has made himself at home along our creek from time to time.
A diverse ecosystem with snakes is often a sign of a healthy, functioning natural habitat, and that is something we cherish because we love the sights and sounds of the many variety of birds, watching the ducks cackling around in the creek, and experiencing the pure serenity of the lush, flowing sights and sounds of the creeks that have provided us with a scenic escape.
Three: Healthy soil, you’re welcome.
As snakes move through the soil, especially species that burrow or occupy old rodent tunnels, they help aerate the soil, improving drainage and root health.
For those who aren’t petrified of snakes, while you shouldn’t capture them and keep them as pets, there are ways to help cultivate their ability to thrive.
You should never handle wild snakes unless you are sure of the species and confident in identification.
Killing small snakes out of fear is not the answer either. Like many Ohio snakes, they are unlikely to be venomous and often pose no threat at all.
While I don’t mind these helpful critters, my wife is fairly adamant they be removed. As I am not a fan of cutting the head off of any live animal, my other option is to safely ensnare them as they swim in our creek, load them into a bucket with a lid and relocate them to an area deemed far enough away that they can thrive in the wild, far away from our acreage.
One day last summer, my son Neil and I managed to capture six gray snakes in the span of about one hour. We actually had a good time providing them a life elsewhere rather than killing them.
One other thing you can do to invite snakes to safely thrive near your homestead is to enhance their habitat by allowing rock piles, log edges or garden spaces where they can hide and hunt safely.
Our place just happens to provide the inviting natural shoreline of the creek bed, where the nooks and crannies offer plenty of safe hiding spots in the cool of the gently rolling water, along with rocks that the snakes enjoy sunning themselves on during the day.
Of course, if snakes aren’t your thing, then these crevasses are perfect hiding places where snakes can pop out their heads or — in worst case scenarios — dart out and scare the ever-loving bejeebers out of you.
Like them or not, having small snakes around your home is like having a natural pest management service running silently in the background. They’re low-maintenance, self-sufficient and don’t charge you a dime for rodent removal, all while supporting the health of the environment.