My workshop/storage shed is a 20'x20' corrugated metal building with a few holes in it, holes big enough for the occasional mouse or frog. I'd posted a while back about keeping snakes out of it, and then pretty much forgot about it since I didn't see anything to worry over-much about.
For the first time in 8 years I have proof there's a snake in it.
Three walls have 18" deep shelves starting at ~4' off the floor, then at the 6' & 8' marks, the top shelf in the back is ~4' deep. Of course all of the shelves are full to overflowing. Then there are the open rafters with long stuff stored on them, and "stuff" (workbenches, lumber, welders, radial arm saw, bandsaw, etc) along all four walls. Yesterday I had to get something stored on one of the top shelves, no problem, got it and got off the step stool. This morning I went to put it back, as I was reaching to the top shelf I noticed a snake skin going from the top shelf to the next one down (the one at eye level when on the stool). Needless to say, I didn't put the item back on the shelf.
Using a combo hoe/weed popper I was able to get the snake shed down intact. It measures 34"-35" long.
I called a local snake removal "expert" (at least according to his online ad), he will come out this far from Dallas. The drawback is in the charges: $130 to inspect the area and tell me about abatement (as if I couldn't figure that out on my own), or if he sets glue traps and spreads a repellant he'll not charge the inspection fee - just the fees and taxes for the traps and repellant of ~$400. For the $400 he'll do both the house and shed. We didn't discuss whether or not I'd get to keep the traps.
I'm not going to pay $400 to have someone remove a snake. I also don't have the time/resources to remove everything from the shed looking for the damn thing. So, I have a couple ideas:
1) Fill a bucket with ammonia. Toss in a chlorine tablet. Run for the door & slam it shut. Leave the door shut for a couple days, then open it for a day and let everything air out. Questions on this method: how much of each chemical to use to fill ~5,000 cuft? How corrosive will the resultant fumes be, ie will the fumes cause problems for any/all the stuff (Xmas decos, power & hand tools, tiller, mower etc)? This has the possibility of leaving a snake carcass in a hidden spot, in a non-environmentally controlled metal shed during a TX summer. But I'd be willing to put up with a smell for a while - it'd let me know he's no longer among the living.
2) I've got a couple small tires headed for the dump. Instead, I could douse 'em with gas, lay 'em on the floor and throw a lit match at 'em. That should create enough smoke to fill the shed, hopefully causing said snake to seek fresh air. No real downside to this one except for the smell of burning rubber, which I've lived through before. Just not sure it'd work.
For tonight I've left the lights and radio on and threw some mothballs around. The mothballs most likely won't do anything for making the snake high-tail it outa there, but they may help keep the other critters out. I also tossed out a couple/four rat traps in possibly likely areas, just in case. I'm going to pick up a few glue traps tomorrow - which are basically what the "expert" was going to use, minus the chemical attractant.
My biggest concern, besides getting rid of this bastard, is knowing he's gone.
A few ideas considered and rejected for various reasons:
1) Detcord - hard to get a hold of
2) Nuke from orbit - even harder to do than detcord
3) Burn it to the ground - insurance company might have a problem with this
4) Build another workshop and let the snake have this one - SWMBO has a problem with this, although she has said we (I) need a larger workshop
