Garter Snakes Love June

Snakes love June and here is why! June is a special month in Minnesota when it comes to snakes. You may be wondering why June would matter to a snake. The simple answer to that question is, typically, in the month of June when the ambient temperature of the ground is 55 degrees or higher. That is the point at which a snake can safely leave their den and hunt for its food. Before the month of June, the ambient temperature of the ground is cooler, therefore, the snake must rely on getting enough heat from direct sunlight to move. That leaves them vulnerable to larger animals.

The main snakes we see here in Wayzata, Plymouth, Minnetonka, and the surrounding suburbs of the Twin Cities are Garter Snakes. There are rattlesnakes here in Minnesota but they’re mostly located in the South-East corner of the state near the St Croix River. Snakes will go dormant into a hibernated state during the winter months. They wake up in the spring and begin to hunt during the day after they have warmed up enough. They return to the house during this time of the year. After June, they will go out into the taller grass or marshland and stay out there until the fall when the weather starts to get cooler.

Whenever I get a call about snakes getting inside a home before June, I advise the customer that it will be best if we wait to do all the seal-up work around the foundation after the middle of June. That way, we can greatly reduce the chance of trapping a pregnant snake, or a group of snakes that over-wintered inside.

Snakes can enter holes that are smaller than a mouse hole. That is why we check the foundation of your home inch by inch to seal up any vulnerable areas that would allow them to enter.