Category: Lawn & Garden

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Wichita Snake Identification Guide: Common Kansas Snakes Near Home

You walked outside and there’s a snake on your patio. Before you grab a shovel — most Kansas snakes are harmless and actually beneficial. Here’s how to identify what you’re looking at.

Harmless Snakes (Leave Them Alone)

Bullsnake (also called Gopher Snake)

  • Size: 4-6 feet (the biggest snake you’ll see in Wichita)
  • Color: Yellow-tan with dark brown/black blotches
  • Markings: Distinct pattern, narrow head, no fangs visible
  • Behavior: Bluffs by hissing loudly and vibrating tail (sounds like rattlesnake — that’s the point). Will strike if cornered but bite isn’t venomous.
  • Diet: ROCKS at killing mice and rats. Keep them around if you can.
  • If you find one: Step back, give it space. It’ll leave.

Garter Snake

  • Size: 18-30 inches
  • Color: Dark with long yellow/cream stripes down the back
  • Behavior: Shy, will flee. Releases stinky musk if grabbed (harmless).
  • Diet: Bugs, worms, small frogs.

Rat Snake (Black Rat Snake)

  • Size: 3-6 feet
  • Color: Mostly black, white throat/chin
  • Behavior: Excellent climber — found in trees, attics, sheds. Constrictor.
  • Diet: Mice, rats, eggs. Beneficial.

Plains Garter, Ring-Necked, Brown Snake

Small (under 18 inches), shy, harmless. Yard inhabitants. Leave alone.

Venomous Snakes (Use Caution)

☎️ If You’re Bitten by a Venomous Snake

Call 911 or get to ER immediately. Don’t try to suck out venom. Don’t apply ice or a tourniquet. Keep the limb still and below heart level. Antivenom IS available at Wichita hospitals.

Copperhead

  • Size: 2-3 feet
  • Color: Copper/tan with distinct hourglass-shaped darker bands (wider on sides, narrow on top)
  • Head: Triangular, distinct from neck
  • Habitat: Wooded areas, rocky slopes, leaf litter. Found in eastern Kansas including Wichita area.
  • Behavior: Camouflaged, holds still — most bites happen because people step on them
  • Bite severity: Painful but rarely fatal with prompt treatment

Western Massasauga Rattlesnake

  • Size: 18-30 inches (small)
  • Color: Gray-brown with dark blotches and small rattle on tail
  • Habitat: Prairie, grassland, wetland edges in central/western Kansas. Rare in Wichita proper but found in surrounding rural areas.
  • Behavior: Will rattle as warning. Small rattle is sometimes hard to hear.
  • Bite severity: Venom is potent, prompt treatment essential.

Cottonmouth (Water Moccasin)

  • Size: 2-4 feet, thick body
  • Color: Dark olive/black, may have banding
  • Habitat: Near water — ponds, slow rivers. Mostly southeast Kansas, RARE in Wichita.
  • Behavior: Opens mouth showing white interior as warning

How to Tell Venomous from Non-Venomous

Head shape: Venomous = triangular (wider than neck). Non-venomous = oval/narrow.
Pupils: Venomous = elliptical/cat-like. Non-venomous = round. (Hard to check at distance — don’t get close.)
Rattle: Only rattlesnakes have rattles. (Bullsnakes vibrate tail to mimic — but no actual rattle sound.)
Color pattern: Hourglass bands = copperhead. Diamond pattern = rattler. Solid + stripes = usually non-venomous.
Size: Most Kansas venomous snakes are SMALL (under 3 ft). Big snake = usually bullsnake or rat snake.

What to Do If You Find a Snake

  • Step back. Give it at least 6 feet of space.
  • Don’t try to handle it. Even non-venomous snakes bite when grabbed.
  • If non-venomous and outside your house: leave it. It’ll move on. It’s also eating mice.
  • If venomous or inside your house: call a local wildlife removal service or animal control.
  • NEVER use a shovel unless you have NO other option. Most snakes are protected species in Kansas. Plus you might miss and end up bitten.

Snake Prevention Around the House

Best long-term solution: remove what attracts snakes:

  • Eliminate mice (snakes follow rodents — see our snake & mouse guide)
  • Mow tall grass short
  • Remove brush piles, rock piles, woodpiles near the house
  • Seal foundation gaps
  • Snake repellent granules (sulfur-based) along perimeters

We stock snake repellent, rodent control, and prevention supplies in our Pest Control aisle.

Related

Visit Mr. Mc’s Market

📍 1901 E 21st St N
Wichita, KS 67214

📞 (316) 265-9930

📧 admin@mrmcsmarket.com

🕐 Open 9 AM – 9 PM, 7 days a week

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Wichita Snake & Mouse Control Guide: Kansas Fall Rodent Prep

Fall in Kansas means mice looking for warm walls and snakes looking for the last warm rocks of the season. Here’s how to stop both before they show up in your house.

Mice — Stop Them Before They’re Inside

By October, every Wichita house with an unprotected gap is hosting at least one mouse. Female mice can have 5-10 litters per year, 5-7 pups per litter. You don’t have ONE mouse — you have a problem brewing.

How they get in

  • Any gap a pencil fits through (1/4 inch)
  • Foundation cracks
  • Under garage doors with worn seals
  • Around utility lines coming into the house
  • Through dryer vents with broken flaps
  • Up the toilet (rare but real)

Stop them — outside first

  • Seal every gap with steel wool + caulk (mice can’t chew through steel wool)
  • Replace worn garage door bottom seals
  • Cover dryer vent with a fine mesh
  • Trim bushes back 2+ feet from the house — denies cover
  • Move firewood and brush piles 20+ feet from the house

If they’re already inside

  • Snap traps — most effective per dollar. Bait with peanut butter, not cheese
  • Bait stations — for outdoor / garage use. Mice eat bait, die in walls. Smell happens for a week
  • Glue traps — work but slow death; avoid if you have a soft heart
  • Snap traps in pairs against walls in pantry, under sink, garage, basement

Snakes — Common Kansas Species

🐍 Bullsnake

Big (4-6 ft), non-venomous, eats mice. Beneficial — leave alone if possible.

🐍 Garter Snake

Small, harmless, eats bugs and small frogs. Don’t kill.

🐍 Rat Snake

Black/brown, climbs trees. Eats rodents. Beneficial.

🐍 Copperhead

Venomous. Coppery diamond pattern. Found in rocky/wooded areas around Wichita.

🐍 Cottonmouth (Water Moccasin)

Venomous, near water. Rare around Wichita but found in southeast Kansas.

🐍 Rattlesnake (Massasauga)

Venomous. Small. Found in prairie/grassland in central Kansas.

☎️ If You’re Bitten by a Venomous Snake

Call 911 or go to the ER immediately. Don’t try to suck out venom. Don’t apply ice. Don’t use a tourniquet. Keep calm, immobilize the limb, get to a hospital — antivenom is available.

Snake Prevention

  • Eliminate cover — remove brush piles, rock piles, woodpiles within 30 ft of the house
  • Mow tall grass short — snakes prefer 6+ inches
  • Eliminate prey — control mice (above), and snakes leave
  • Snake repellent granules work in some cases (sulfur-based or naphthalene). Apply along foundations, garage perimeter
  • Snake-proof fence for high-traffic yards — 1/4 inch hardware cloth, 30 inches tall, buried 6 inches, leaning outward

What We Stock

Snap traps, bait stations, glue boards, steel wool, snake repellent, mouse-proofing supplies — all in our Pest Control aisle.

Related

Visit Mr. Mc’s Market

📍 1901 E 21st St N
Wichita, KS 67214

📞 (316) 265-9930

📧 admin@mrmcsmarket.com

🕐 Open 9 AM – 9 PM, 7 days a week

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Mosquito Control for Kansas Backyards: What Actually Works

By June, your Kansas backyard is hosting mosquitoes whether you want them or not. Here’s the straight playbook on what actually works to control them — from eliminating breeding spots to which treatments work best in our humid Kansas summers.

Step 1: Eliminate Standing Water (The Single Biggest Move)

Mosquitoes lay eggs in stagnant water. One forgotten bucket can produce hundreds of mosquitoes a week. The #1 highest-impact thing you can do is dump every container that holds water.

Check weekly:

  • Kid pools
  • Plant saucers under flower pots
  • Bird baths (refresh water every 3 days)
  • Wheelbarrows, buckets, kiddie pools
  • Clogged gutters
  • Old tires
  • Tarps that pool water
  • Pet water bowls (refresh daily)
  • Recycling bins left outside

Step 2: Treat Water You CAN’T Drain

Decorative ponds, rain barrels, low spots — use Bti dunks (Mosquito Dunks brand or generic). These are bacterial pellets that kill mosquito larvae but are safe for fish, birds, pets, and people. One dunk lasts ~30 days in standing water.

Step 3: Treat the Yard Perimeter

Mosquitoes rest in shaded, humid vegetation during the day. Treating those resting spots knocks down the daytime population.

  • Permethrin or bifenthrin yard spray — apply to underside of shrub leaves, tall grass, fence lines, shaded areas
  • Reapply every 3–4 weeks during peak season (June–August)
  • Don’t spray flowering plants when bees are active (early morning or evening is safest)

We stock yard sprays in our Pests aisle.

Step 4: Personal Protection

  • DEET (20–30%) — gold standard, lasts hours
  • Picaridin — DEET alternative, less greasy, doesn’t damage plastics
  • Permethrin-treated clothing — spray clothes (not skin) and it lasts through multiple washes
  • Long sleeves + pants at dawn/dusk during peak season

What DOESN’T Work (Save Your Money)

  • Bug zappers — kill harmless insects, almost zero mosquitoes
  • Citronella candles — minor reduction in immediate area only
  • Ultrasonic repellers — proven ineffective in repeated studies
  • Bats / purple martins — eat mostly moths, not mosquitoes
  • Mosquito-repelling plants (citronella geraniums) — minimal effect unless crushed

🦟 West Nile Virus is in Kansas

West Nile virus is endemic in Kansas mosquitoes. Most infections are mild but some are serious. Use repellent when mosquito activity is high — dawn, dusk, and warm humid evenings. Don’t ignore mosquito control.

Yard Maintenance That Helps

  • Mow regularly — shorter grass = less daytime mosquito cover
  • Trim shrubs back from outdoor seating areas
  • Run a strong fan on the patio — mosquitoes are weak flyers, can’t fight wind
  • Replace exterior bulbs with yellow “bug lights” — fewer attractant photons

Related

Visit Mr. Mc’s Market

📍 1901 E 21st St N
Wichita, KS 67214

📞 (316) 265-9930

📧 admin@mrmcsmarket.com

🕐 Open 9 AM – 9 PM, 7 days a week

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Common Kansas Summer Pests & How to Stop Them

Kansas summers bring three things you can count on: heat, humidity, and bugs. By July, every yard in Wichita is hosting something. Here’s the rundown on the most common Kansas summer pests, how they get in, and how to stop them before they take over.

The Worst Kansas Summer Pests (And What to Do About Each)

1. Ants

Sugar ants, carpenter ants, pavement ants — they all want the same thing: a crack into your kitchen.

Stop them:

  • Caulk gaps around windows, doors, and foundation cracks
  • Bait stations near entry points work better than sprays (the ants carry poison back to the colony)
  • Keep counters wiped and sweet stuff sealed

2. Mosquitoes

Standing water plus 85° heat equals a mosquito factory.

Stop them:

  • Dump anything holding water — buckets, planter saucers, kid pools, clogged gutters
  • Treat the yard with a perimeter spray every 3–4 weeks during peak season
  • Keep grass cut short and shrubs trimmed (mosquitoes rest in shady cover during the day)

3. Chiggers

The worst part of Kansas summer for anyone going outside. Tiny mites that bite the inside of ankles, behind knees, anywhere clothing fits tight.

Stop them:

  • Spray boots, socks, and pant cuffs with permethrin before going out
  • Avoid sitting in tall grass — chiggers wait there
  • Shower with hot water and soap as soon as you get inside; bites don’t show for 24 hours but the chiggers fall off in the wash

4. Wasps and Hornets

By July, paper wasps are building under eaves, in mailboxes, in patio umbrellas. Bald-faced hornets are bigger and meaner.

Stop them:

  • Spray nests at dawn or dusk when wasps are clustered and slow
  • Don’t try a big nest with a small can — get a jet-stream wasp spray that shoots 20+ feet
  • For repeat problems near doors, hang a fake nest (paper wasps are territorial and won’t build near another colony)

5. Roaches

Mostly German cockroaches indoors, American cockroaches in garages and sheds.

Stop them:

  • Fix leaks — roaches need water more than food
  • Bait gel works better than sprays for indoor populations
  • Vacuum, throw out the bag, repeat

6. Spiders (Brown Recluse Especially)

Most Kansas spiders are harmless. Brown recluses are not. They like dark, dry, undisturbed spots — basements, closets, shoes left in the garage.

Stop them:

  • Shake out shoes before putting them on
  • Knock down webs in basements, garages, and under furniture
  • Sticky traps in corners catch wandering spiders and tell you what you’ve got

Yard-First Defense

The cheapest pest control is the kind that stops bugs at the property line.

  • Cut grass to the right height (3–4 inches for fescue) — bugs hide in tall grass
  • Trim shrubs back at least a foot from the house
  • Keep firewood, mulch, and brush piles 20+ feet from the foundation
  • Clean gutters before summer — clogged gutters breed everything

What We Stock

We carry everything you need to handle Kansas summer pests in our Pests aisle — sprays, bait stations, granules, and traps for indoor and outdoor use.

For bigger problems or recurring infestations, see our Effective Pest Control Solutions page for what works in Kansas.

Hit It Early

The best time to start pest control in Kansas is May. The second best time is right now. Whatever’s in your yard today is breeding for next month — get ahead of it.

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Stop by Mr. Mc’s Market — Wichita’s Neighborhood Spot

📍 1901 E 21st St N, Wichita, KS 67214
📞 (316) 265-9930
📧 admin@mrmcsmarket.com
🕐 Open 9 AM – 9 PM, 7 days a week

👉 Got a pest problem? Stop in for sprays, baits, and treatments — or call (316) 265-9930.

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Late-Spring Lawn Care in Kansas: Heat-Ready Grass, Weeds & Watering

By late May, Kansas weather is already swinging into summer. The lawn you have right now is the one going into July. Hit a few things this month and the grass stays green through the heat. Skip them and you’ll watch it brown out by the Fourth.

Mow Tall — Especially in Kansas

The single biggest mistake Kansas homeowners make is mowing too short. Short grass burns. Tall grass shades its own roots and holds water.

  • Tall fescue / Kentucky bluegrass: 3.5 to 4 inches.
  • Bermuda / Zoysia: 1.5 to 2.5 inches.
  • Never cut more than 1/3 of the blade in one pass.
  • Sharp blade only. Dull blades shred grass and brown the tips.

Water Deep, Not Often

Daily watering teaches roots to stay shallow. Shallow roots fry in July.

Soak the yard once or twice a week — about 1 inch of water total, applied early in the morning. Stick a tuna can on the lawn while the sprinkler runs. When it’s full, you’re done.

Late-Spring Weed Knock-Down

May is your last clean shot at broadleaf weeds before the heat. Spot-treat dandelions, clover, and creeping charlie now. Wait too long and post-emergent sprays scorch the lawn.

If crabgrass is already up, you missed the pre-emergent window — but a targeted post-emergent in late May or early June still works. Don’t apply broad weed-and-feed in 85°+ heat. Burns the grass.

Feed Cool-Season Grass Light, Warm-Season Heavy

  • Fescue / bluegrass (cool-season): Light feeding in May. Heavy spring feeding pushes growth right before the heat, and you can’t keep up watering it.
  • Bermuda / zoysia (warm-season): Now’s the time. Hit it with a full nitrogen fertilizer once soil temps are steady above 65°F.

Watch for Grubs and Pests Early

Grubs hatch in late spring. By the time you see brown patches in July, the damage is done. Treat now, before they’re feeding. We carry lawn and garden treatments along with pest control supplies — stop in if you’re not sure what your yard is dealing with.

Walk the Yard This Weekend

Mow tall, water deep, knock back weeds, watch for bugs. That’s the late-spring playbook in Kansas. Everything else is bonus.

For seed, fertilizer, sprayers, weed treatment, grub killer, and pond supplies — we keep it all stocked in our Lawn & Garden section.

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Stop by Mr. Mc’s Market — Wichita’s Neighborhood Spot

📍 1901 E 21st St N, Wichita, KS 67214
📞 (316) 265-9930
📧 admin@mrmcsmarket.com
🕐 Open 9 AM – 9 PM, 7 days a week

👉 Need seed, fertilizer, weed killer, or a sprayer? Stop in or call (316) 265-9930.

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