Exactly so, nativemel. Any snake bite can get infected, but if you know for sure you've been bitten by a venomous snake, get professional treatment as fast as you can to avoid complications. Don't attempt any first aid yourself, except to keep the limb below the level of your heart. Some folks now recommend a compression wrap (like with an Ace Bandage) but NOT a tourniquet. But most experts say the best thing is just to get to a medical facility pronto. Most snakebites are NOT fatal, but they can become very nasty wounds, and the sooner you receive proper treatment, the better the chances that you won't have any longterm effects. Tom, your picture is of a baby cottonmouth and you are very right that it could be mistaken for a copperhead by someone who doesn't know snakes. Of course, ALL of you folks here who read my posts on ID-ing cottonmouths would recognize this one immediately by the dark cheek stripe. Copperheads do not have this, btw. It is diagnostic for the Florida cottonmouth. There are many things this lady's snake might have been, some venomous, most NOT, but a copperhead really isn't very likely. Of course, since none of us saw her snake, we could argue the point forever and it wouldn't change her mind a bit. But for future reference to most of the folks on this group, you aren't likely to be menaced by a copperhead in Florida, unless you live in the area shown on the range map above. Nativemel, glad you dad survived the experience without permanent injury or disfigurement. I'm sure it wasn't fun, though. Be careful out there, folks. No need to be in a state of alarm, unable to enjoy your yards & gardens. But keep your eyes open and don't do silly things (like reaching under logs or rocks without looking first.) Marcia

I am sorry to revive an old thread, but I made this account specifically to clear up some of the misinformation you guys have going on here. I found this page through google and it was in the top ten results for "Eastern Kentucky Snake". And the type of information you guys got going up above this post CAN and WILL get people hurt or KILLED!! No offense, well, actually ALL OFENSE, wayne222 you are/were a fool who spreads misinformation about things you have no idea about! Stop being an arm chair expert. It is obvious to anyone who knows better that not only have you never lived in Eastern Kentucky, but you must not have ever been to or known someone from here either. If you had spent as much time in our vast natural wilderness like you say you have, then you would know better. Not only do we have a very very large poisonous snake population here in Eastern Kentucky, but it is a very serious problem. We may only have 4 types, sure. But there are so many of these types that living here you will deal with them regularly. There are three types of snakes you will see a lot of and those are yellow banded king snakes, not a threat of course as they kill and eat other poisonous snakes, then there is the PIT viper (yes PIT viper wayne222 named for the heat seeking pits on the front of their heads) and copper heads. The pit vipers in question are Eastern Diamondbacks. There are so many that the folks around here have different names for the different colors they come in. The people here know that if you go through the woods being loud and talking, stomping or whatever you will likely drive off any rattlers. BUT the copper heads DO NOT RUN!! They will try and blend themselves in and hide. That is why they are dangerous. If you get too close they are very very aggressive. A rattle snake will only run so far as well. If you get too close to where they are hiding BAM they may or may not rattle first. NEVER go into the woods without a stick and/or pistol. NEVER put your hands or step where you can't see. My step dad was digging for roots this year and didn't pay attention in a black cohosh patch. He was bit on the thumb by copper head and lost a sizable chunk of flesh from it. I am an avid gardener and raise a sizable garden every single year and I have been doing that since I was old enough to swing a hoe. I kill at least 10 rattlers/copperheads every year. Why do you guys think we have so many snake handling churches here? And let me tell you, there are A LOT of snake handling churches. Just this year alone, two of my dogs were snake bit in my own yard. One happened recently and looks like she might not pull through. I have already had a snake church come through and catch a hand full of snakes on my property, and I have killed my usual 10 or so. WE ARE OVER RUN!! WE NEED ST PATRICK!!! Let me tell you this. If my dog dies, you will be hearing about a new St Patrick movement right here in the good ol blue grass state.

Did they look like little gnats? I have them too and yeah, they are just annoying. What I did was take an idea from a Canadian product called Stiky Sticks... I took a craft stick and wrapped fly paper around it a couple times then stuck them randomly in the cups. It's less obvious you have fly paper everywhere and the bugs go right to it. I will say.. it's a very, very sticky project and be mindful of where the sticks are placed.. lest one gets caught in your hair as you are tending to your plants. Not that it happened to me of course.. someone I know ;)

Well, we decided to go with the aforementioned Gerber Viper compact-elongated WC for our bathroom reno, and since little seems to have been written about it here or elsewhere, wanted to provide my first impressions so others would have a reference point. I would have chosen a Toto Drake II (which we used elsewhere) for this room, but none of the moderately-priced Totos are available in a compact-elongated size - that is, less than 28" from the back wall. It's an impressive piece of engineering. It has a good, strong flush. It cleans the sides of the bowl well, sending a good amount of water down the sides with a slight swirl motion before quickly lowering the water level to flush quickly from a large flume from the front. A good-size area is normally under water, generally a good thing. A convenient front-mounted flush lever is an easier reach than Toto's side lever or especially the Kohler's Wellworth side lever that needs to be pressed in the back, which is unintuitive. It's reasonably quiet. Uses only 1.28 gallons per flush. The Toto Drake II double-cyclone loo we used in another room isn't that much better (although I like the forceful spray that emanates from just two large holes in the rim vs. the Gerber's conventional setup). Still, given the Gerber's lower price - we picked it up for about $245 locally, it's a good deal. I also like it's height - 16-3/8" above ground, slightly lower than most comfort-height commodes, and perfect for my 5'8" frame. Gerber themselves sells a next-model-up Avalanche compact-elongated loo that's a shade shorter front-to-back and slenderer left to right, but is 17" tall before (included soft-close) seat - a bit too tall for me, although I do like it being one-piece yet still affordable. Anyway, with all the love thrown Toto's way in these forums, I thought this Gerber warranted an excellent writeup. Significantly better overall than the similarly-priced Kohler Wellworth (w/class 5 flush) or American Standard Cadet 3, and given Toto doesn't offer a compact-elongated model, I'd highly recommend these. Overall, the flush is as good as a standard Toto Drake (not Drake II, which I've also used in several locations). The Drake is perhaps more impervious to clogs, but the Gerber cleans the bowl better, and fits in less space. 12" rough-in only for the compact models, although the standard-depth Vipers also are available in 10" or 14" rough-in. I'd strongly consider a Gerber Viper of any size if you need a good toilet in the low-$200 range. This post was edited by lee676 on Mon, Mar 25, 13 at 8:13