Greetings from the Swamp (east NC)

[hertfordnc]

I just took owership of a .6 acre property with a .2 acre, totally untamed pond.

The pond presents a bunch of challenges and opportunites

- it is a haven for mice and the most venomous snakes in the US (water moccasin)
- it is stagnant so mosquitoes will be a significant problem this summer.
- it's UGLY ( http://silvabullets.com/maple2/target5.html )

The pond is proably considered a wetland by the Army Corps of Engineers

I generally don't care much for gardening but i have two small boys and if they want to hang out by the pond then i will be happy to make it a family activity.

My vision is flowering lilly pads, frogs croaking, turtles basking, butterflies and hummingbirds buzzing and NO SNAKES.

How do i get there?

That should keep us all busy for a while

thanks

Dave Silva

Maple, NC

 

[j.w]

Dave
Haven't a clue on how to get rid of snakes but I'm sure others here who live in snake country will be of help there. That would be my first objective tho before doing anything else,yikes

 

[sissy]

welcome and wow sounds like you need to get rid of the bad critters first before your small boys get near there and con you figure how deep and how safe your boys will be .Not sure if you have a county agency that can tell you how to do that safely or if you may have to hire someone .I know here big ponds on farms have snakes and no getting around it .Is it totally a swamp .I know tractor supply sells pond additives an not sure they work .So you know since they say swamp it probably floods often and may be in a low area and is it protected land

 

[adavisus]

There is a solution to surplus water snakes. One very, very large old snapping turtle. Umyum.

Though, it is very easy to confuse the benign and placid Northern Water snake, which does a good job of suppressing the beastly big Bullfrogs, for a Moccasin

Regards, andy
http://www.flickr.co...s/21940871@N06/
http://swglist.wordpress.com/

 

[mtpond]

Welcome Dave.

 

[Becky]

Welcome to the forums! :wave:

 

[DrCase]

Welcome to the Forum

That will give the boys some thing to do all summer

 

[Big Lou]

I recommend you contact the Hartford County Cooperative Extension. Maybe they could either have an agent come out to look at your wetlands or provide valuable information. Here is a link to their website. Good luck.

http://hertford.ces.ncsu.edu/

 

[DrCase]

When my son was little, the older boys taught him how to hunt in the ditch at the end of are street
I talk to the neighbors down there now and they have snakes again , all the boys grew up