An ideal summer … for reptiles too
August 2025 marks a new scorching summer in France, with average temperatures up 2.3 ° C over the last 10 years according to Météo France. Result: snakes, like other reptiles, adapt their behavior. And The roof of your house becomes a privileged target.
For what ? Because the attic Shadow, freshness, calm and potential prey (rodents, insects). According to the American organization Critter Controlspecialist in wildlife management in inhabited areas, snakes climb regularly in granaries via plants, trees or ivy stuck to the walls.
Once installed, they can stay there for several days, or even a whole season. And unlike a received idea, the majority of them are not stuck, but indeed came from his own free will.
The reflex you have every summer (and which helps them)
You may have done it without thinking about it: Let a climbing rose grow, a vine or a ivy on the southern facadeor neglect a size scheduled for late June … These decorative plants, especially if they go up to the gutters or under-roots, offer a perfect access ramp For a snake in search of a shelter.
The University of Florida also expressly recommends Never let the vegetation climb to the roof in his recommendations for the prevention of intrusive fauna. Their studies show that Snakes can climb up to 3 meters high via stems, branches or plant trellis.
Non -poisonous species like the snakes, but also vipers, can sneak there in early morning, attracted by freshness and shadow, and descend without being noticed.
© Shutterstock
According to experts, poorly cut vegetation is at the origin of almost a third of the intrusions of snakes identified each summer.
Gardening errors to avoid (and those to be favored)
The good news? Just correct a few gestures to drastically reduce the risk to see a snake appear in the attic. Here are the recommendations made by the National Wildlife Federation:
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Never let a climbing plant reach the roof or gutter edge.
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Cut hedges, shrubs and lianas to minimum 50 cm of any vertical surface.
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Remove decorative trellis directly backed by the facade.
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Check the absence of cracks or holes in the attic (same small).
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Do not store wood, boxes or bags in the attic, especially in summer.
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Install a fine metallic anti-intrusion grid on the ventilation of the roof.
Discreet but preventable intrusion
According to the Hérault rescue center, interventions related to snakes in the houses have tripled in ten yearsespecially between June and September. In 42 % of cases, the reptiles had accessed the building via a vegetation point stuck to the frame.
A survey by the Reptilia Conservation Association on 700 households in rural areas confirms that 78 % of known intrusions could have been avoided by a simple vegetation size. Clearly: This apparently harmless summer gesture has become a direct lever of involuntary cohabitation.
Snakes, protected by law in France, cannot be killed. But everything is done to promote remote cohabitation. And it starts … with the pruning sheer.
© Shutterstock
A growing ivy against a facade: a perfect bridge for a snake to join the attic.
