Ants, snakes, cats, oh my

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Daniel Marchesseault
  • 60th Civil Engineering Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  I would like to address some of the everyday concerns regarding some of the creatures people may come in contact with at Travis. 

A few of the most common are the ants, snakes and feral cats. Travis is built on an ant hill, or so it seems. I know these ants can be a nuisance and are in fact classified as a nuisance pest (meaning they are not a disease carrier.) They are a common sugar ant, and though relatively harmless, seem to be everywhere that you don't want them to be and always in great numbers. Controlling ants can be frustrating and a test of your patience, but that is exactly what is needed, patience. I am sure you have tried every bug spray you can get your hands on, only to kill the ants you see and have them show up somewhere else. This is where the patience comes in. The most effective way to treat these ants is to use bait, which will in turn kill the queen, destroying the colony. With bait however, you don't get that instant relief you are looking for, but it is a more effective long-term solution. Ensure when buying baits, that it is for sugar ants and not protein ants, it will say on the box. 

In addition to ants, we've had calls to remove what people believe to be rattlesnakes, which has some of you a little unnerved and rightfully so. Let me put your fears at ease. In the six years I have worked in the Pest Management office, we have never encountered any rattlesnakes on base. The snakes you are encountering are known as bull snakes which unlike the rattlesnake are not venomous and are very beneficial to the environment. These snakes are very helpful in reducing the rodent population. To the bull snake's detriment, as a defense mechanism, the bull snake will imitate the rattlesnake to ward off possible attackers. The snake's first response is to flee danger but if it cannot, the bull snake will coil its body, flatten its head to give it a more viper look,) vibrate the tip of its tail and give off a rattling hiss. The bull snakes imitation of the rattlesnake is so good, plus the likeness in their markings, it is seen as a threat and often killed for its efforts. 

Here are a few ways that you can tell the difference. First, if the snake is found on Travis it is most likely not a rattlesnake. Rattlesnakes like to keep to the less populated foot hill areas. Second, bull snakes have round eyes and round pupils, rattlesnakes have slanted eyes with lateral cat-like pupils. Third, a rattlesnake's head is very wide to support its venom glands and ill-proportioned to its body; the bull snakes head is symmetrical to its body. Finally the rattle. Rattlesnakes have a sectional rattle on the end of the tail that enlarges with each shedding of its skin, the bull snake does not have a rattle. If you take note in these small differences, it should help you decipher between the two snakes. When dealing with any snake be cautious, leave the snake alone and contact an expert. 

Now, if you live or spend a lot of time on base, I am sure you noticed many feral cats dwelling among us. This is an increasing problem as these cats continue to breed and multiply. We are currently trapping these cats where they are most prevalent. Be assured humane methods are used, to include, non-kill traps, after which the animals are brought to the humane society to be adopted out. If you see one of these cats in a trap, leave it alone and notify Civil Engineer service call at 424-2575. We have had trouble in the past with people releasing cats we have trapped. I assure you we mean no harm to these animals. These cats, though they may be cute, pose a threat to personnel if we cannot keep the numbers down. They carry a variety of diseases and a number of different parasites which spread disease. We are always trying to come up with better solutions for ways to control this problem. The best thing to do is have pets spayed, neutered and micro-chipped to keep the problem from growing. 

For more information, contact the base pest management office at 424-3033.