Escapees November-December 2022

scouts are quick, sometimes only needing a few hours to fi nd your kitchen. Speaking of kitchens, be sure to keep everything cleaned up inside. Remove trash regularly; keep dishes washed and countertops and stovetops clean. It really helps a lot if there’s no food source to attract them. Finally, if the dreaded infestation does develop, see if you can spot the entry point by looking for the tell-tale ant trail, and then treat that area to create or re-establish the barrier. Other crawly bugs you may encounter? Spiders and scorpions come to mind, and that’s why you never leave your shoes outside at night! Snakes can be found in most parts of the US, except in Alaska and Hawaii. Although most snakes are harmless, there are several species of snakes in the United States that are venomous. These include rattlesnakes, water mocca sins (also called cottonmouths), copperheads and coral snakes. Snakes will usually avoid people and bite only if they feel threatened. It’s a good idea to learn how to identify the common venomous snakes, and if you see

one, give it a wide berth. My take on snakes is leave them alone if at all possible. They are bene fi cial predators and eat a lot of bugs and small rodents. Never kill a snake “on sight.” Most, if not all, will retreat if they see you, and bites are extremely rare unless you are messing with the snake, you know, trying to catch it, or take a picture, etc. When hiking, especially in remote areas where snakes are likely to be found, wear loose, long pants and tall boots, and watch where you put your feet. Poke your walking stick into tall grass ahead of you, or, better yet, choose another path. Never handle snakes, even dead ones. If you see a snake, slowly back away from it. Cute Wildlife your urge to “give them a little something.” Feeding any wild animal is bad in several ways: First, you are conditioning them to seek out human food and will make them less fearful of people in general. Also, many of our snacks aren’t really good for them. When you drive away, you take that free food source with you, and they’ll have trouble going back to boring old pine nuts and seeds. Finally, free handouts will attract other, less cute critters, and that’s what we’re hoping to avoid. I see some RVers with Hummingbird feeders hanging on their rigs, and I have mixed feelings about that. I know humming birds are awesome to watch, and their feeders don’t attract other animals, but I often wonder if we’re doing them any favors. When we drive off, we take that food source away, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s hard on them. I generally follow a “don’t feed wildlife” policy, regardless of how cute and entertaining they may be. Scavengers The most common scavengers you’ll encounter are raccoons, possums, and stray dogs and cats. They rarely pose a threat to life and limb; they’re just looking for a free meal. Raccoons are devilishly clever and will sometimes undo latches and bungees to get at tasty things, so be sure to secure all trash and edibles Okay, I agree: Squirrels are fun to watch, and chipmunks are just cute as all get out, but please resist

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ESCAPEES Magazine November/December 2022