Residents are being reminded that it’s snake season, with the unwelcome inhabitants on the move as the weather heats up.
Local Aust Pests snake catcher and pest controller Jarrod Bingham says Brimbank, Melton and Moorabool are hotspots for snakes, especially as it’s mating season.
“Brimbank is just a maze of river systems,” said Mr Bingham, warning residents to keep their backyards tidy and lawns trimmed.
He said Brimbank was predominantly home to tiger snakes, which live near waterways and are the fourth-most- venomous snake in the world.
Sunshine, Cairnlea, Taylors Lakes and Deer Park are also hotspots for tiger snakes, while Bacchus Marsh, Melton and Kurunjang are brown snake territory.
The browns are the second-most-venomous snakes; one bite can kill a person in 20 minutes. Red-bellied black snakes have also been spotted in Bacchus Marsh and the Moorabool area.
In the past fortnight, Mr Bingham has been called to about 12 snake sightings in Melton and Moorabool.
He said the only way to keep snakes away was to eliminate their three needs –shelter, water and food – by keeping yards tidy, draining water from garden ponds, controlling pests like mice and rats and clearing away domestic animals’ feed.
If a snake is seen, keep an eye on it and call a snake catcher.
