interfx - I don't think the rocks will be a problem. Just make sure you don't have any rats/mice around and try to keep ground cover under control. I've lived in GA my entire life and haven't had any really bad encounters. You'll probably run across one eventually, but don't let it get to you! razorback33 - you're lucky you don't have the neighbors I have. I constantly see rats going underneath their house. Their answer? Let's get a cat preggers so we will have more cats to eat the rats. Funny how the 3 cats hey already have don't seem to be doing any good. I've already seen two baby snakes in my yard, so you can imagine how many others are lurking around! They frustrate me to no end! They are nice people, but they need to get off their lazy butts and get a job. Maybe then they could afford to get rid of the rats! 4 adults and 3 minors in one house - not one of them has a job!! Ugh, I'll get off my soap box now!

I would say, "Yes" as that looks like mealybug. You need to get a handle on this one. Here is a link that might be useful:

Thanks, sportsguy and wayne. Looked up some pictures and pretty sure that's what it was. The tiny size fits, too. From what I read, a brown snake is sub-terranean most of the time so that also makes sense that I found it pulling grass away from the wall. Wish I would have had the presence of mind to try to catch it for a better look (not to try to keep.) It was SO CUTE! He/she is welcome to eat as many slugs and bugs as it can find! Thanks again for pointing me in the right direction.

pjb, Sometimes you cannot avoid them though. I know someone who was turning on his faucet and got bit. Someone I used to work with was doing laundry inside her home and reached down to get some clothes and got bit, they figure it came through the dog door. I went to turn the lights off in my garage one evening and turned the corner in my hallway and there was one (I didn't get bit). Several species of rattlesnake will give you the chance to retreat but some like the Mojave green are just plain nasty. In the 20 years we've lived here I have dispatched more rattlers than I care to think about. My 4yr old g-son was less than 1/2 ft from one. Luckily it was injesting and couldn't strike. DH was weeding one winter and touched the back of one- thank God it was lethargic from the cold. I went to get a sweater one night (7/4) from DH's truck- stepped down and heard a rattle. I had to wait in the dark until it rattled again and then I jumped the other way. That was a 3' diamondback- it was less than a foot away. BTW, that 2 year old I posted about last month. The child is Dr. Sean Bush's little boy. Dr Bush who lives about 1/2 mile from us is the ponytail venom doctor from the TV channel Animal Planet's "Venom ER" show. Jude saw the snake in their backyard and tried to pick it up. Dr Bush keeps snakes, spiders, scorpians etc in his garage (well contained) and Jude thinking this was one of his daddy's snakes that got loose wanted to help. If you ever got bit Dr Bush is the man you want to take care of you. In fact he is on call if President Bush (no relation) ever gets bit at his ranch in Crawford.