krait snake on the farm

[bannork]

We have a pile of eucalpytus 'logs' over which I put some sheets of corrugated iron in an attempt to keep dry during the past rainy season.Anyway the last few days various folk have been walking on the sheets whilst reaching up to pick some 'khi lek'leaves for their curry.To my surprise the missus suddenly shouted to come and look at a snake up a papaya tree. It was a krait, the venom will kill you in half an hour, the missus informed me! Jeez, self, kids, other folk had been walking past its den under the wood all this time, the noise must have disturbed it as feet screeched on the bent corrugated sheets.

we'll have to move the logs, luckily a brother in law will do it, him and his wife aren't afraid of snakes, even kraits but it's a lesson not to put piles of woid near the house.

[tim armstrong]

Too true, glad you're all ok. I don't think kraits are that deadly, but despite my having come to terms with my lifelong phobia about snakes, I still believe that the only good snake is a dead one.

[cornishcarlos]

Too true, glad you're all ok. I don't think kraits are that deadly, but despite my having come to terms with my lifelong phobia about snakes, I still believe that the only good snake is a dead one.

Then you think wrong

Give Kraits a wide berth

[chilidog]

I have seen about 10-12 Kraits on my farm along with cobras,pythons,and pit vipers. Kraits are not aggressive snakes and are said to be lethargic and if you hear of anyone who was bitten by any snake 99% they were messing with it in some way. I only kill the ones that get to close to the house and even that is talking the chance of a bite. The snakes I have seen only come around looking for food when there are field rats around. Get a cat to keep the rat number down and you will have less snakes.

[DumbFalang]

Do any of you guys wear special boots or clothing to protect against snake bites? We are city slickers and just moving into a forest where nobody has lived for over a decade. Some of the slithery locals are reluctant to make room for us

Edited November 10, 2014 by DumbFalang

[chilidog]

I wear a pair of old steel toe work boots when Im working around or going to be walking through leaves or tall grass my wife wears rubber boots. Have a look at the locals

around you and see what they wear. Some wear boots others wear shoes depends on what they are working on but you will see everyone in long pants and a long shirt because of the bugs,sun,

and all the things that make you itch.

[teletiger]

I saw a video of a Japanese experiment on snake repellents. They had a pit full of different venomous snakes and walked a mock-up dummy through the pit. Most things didn't work, the dummy was bitten left, right and center. Then suddenly this one dummy had them all running, (slithering)... They then tried to aggravate the snakes with this dummy, chasing them around the pit. A few snakes stood their ground and went to bite the dummy and at the last second retreated. The secret? Petrol sprayed on to the dummy'y trousers.
I tried looking for the video again, but no luck.
Regards.

[DumbFalang]

Love it. I know the locals will think I'm weird, but I'm prepared to give that a go on the occasions I have to go into the bush.

I have decent work boots, but I'd like to know if most common Thai snakes can bite through jeans?

[kwonitoy]

Banded Kraits give me the willies, they do move slow but are very venomus.

I've pushed over lots of piles of wood with the tractor and they do like to nest down in there

I always wear slip on steel toed work boot, jeans over the top, Ozzie bush hat, long sleeve shirt when working, and leather gloves when digging around in ANY wood pile.

seen lots of snakes and scorpions in the wood piles and never been bit.

CD has it right about the locals, long pants, shirt, face covered

[BSJ]

I don't know about were you folk are living but the size of the centipedes around here are huge in comparison to the little blokes we have in Australia.

Startled a snake the other day as it was crossing the road. Bl00dy hell it moved quick....back from whence it came.

[DumbFalang]

Met my first adult python yesterday (carpet snake to you Aussies). He was over 10 feet long and although they tell you he is harmless to humans, he was studying the rabbit cage so we had to move him on. He was a beautiful specimen, but I'd rather not see him again around my place.

[chilidog]

I had the same thing 2 years ago with a Burmese python, almost cut him up when i was cutting weeds. I pulled him out and sent him back to the forest but 3 days later

he ended up eating a chicken next door and became someones meal after that. Dont let those pythons fool you they have massive rows of teeth. The Burmese python

is dark green and black, but the reticulated python is a few colors green and black but the most eye catching is the orange color on it. The reticulated python is way more aggressive and grows bigger than the burmese.

A guy that works for me claims he was attacked by a reticulated python some years ago. I dont remember how he got away but that must have been a big one to think it could

take on a person. Also a 10 ft python around your neck would most likely kill you.

Like i said before dont let the rats make a home in your shed or anyplace around your house. Once they are there thats when you are more likely to have the venomous snakes around.

[DumbFalang]

A few months back I watched a rat (with big pitiful eyes) die slowly in front of my office at home. I blasted the wife and MIL when I found out they had put poison down. I'm a believer in what goes around, comes around and I don't like killing anything. chilidog's post above has got me questioning my approach with the whole rat and snake issue.

We did hear a rat in the roof space a few days before seeing the snake, so they are definitely around.

[farmerjo]

Yes the there bulky but at least you can see them.

[GarryP]

Are you sure it was a krait? Kraits are ground dwellers I beleive.

[Bitis4ever]

I think its not a Krait,same that GarryP sad,Kraits they are terrestisch(groung living) animals.Not agressiv at day,but at night very dangerous.It looks like you had a Mangrove Snake(semi venomous,becz. backfang Snake) what looks very similar.