In 2024 we had some pretty decent weather. If you are one who walks, boats or plays golf you may have been able to take advantage of those beautiful days. We had many weekends where both Saturday and Sunday were nice. We did in 2024 experience about two months of little precipitation which required our clients to run their irrigation systems more often. These systems are great if you do not want your grass to become brown and dormant in the middle of the summer. The irrigation system sources are usually town water or well water. Town water usually requires a backflow preventer installed on the system. Well water, if not being used as a source inside the house does not require a backflow preventer. Well water will require its own pump. Both system regardless still need to be winterized in the Fall. (below left is a mouse who found shelter in an irrigation valve box. Below right is a well pump that froze and cracked from not being winterized properly).
Irrigation valve boxes provide a nice spot for the mice to nest. We recently found, to our surprise, that it is not only mice that like the protection of the valve box but the snakes like it also. Where there are mice there will be snakes.
Pictured (below left look closely) is the valve box with a snake coiled in it.
Pictured (below right) is the upset snake having been removed from its cozy valve box home. It was not easy trying to remove the snake from such a small tight area. Two long sticks used like chop sticks were used to remove the snake. Neither we nor the snake were harmed.
