Yes, the black snake will go through vole, mole and mice tunnels like a miner going after gold.
We've seen them coming up out of our tunnel network with tell tale bulges in their bellies.
I have a long seated hatred of snakes, but I tolerate them for critter control.

Shudder! I have a snake phobia and despise the creatures. I know it's irrational, but I'd rather have voles, mice, and other varmints than snakes. I can't even tolerate seeing pics on TV or in magazines. One was curled around a rosebush when I was fertilizing and I have pretty poor eyesight, so I didn't notice it until too late and I almost touched it. DH said he knew what was going in inside the house from all the screamin' going on outside. Can't even go into the reptile house at the zoo.......

In my zone we had black rat snakes that are very good at getting vermine. We have another type that is black with a red belly (called red bellies...) they are rather tiny and harmless. I think I remember being in Michigan an they were looking for a black snake with a bronze head they said it was poison... very different stroy. If it is dangerous I sure as heck do not want it on my property. I think they called it a copper head.
Try to find out what it is before you make your decision.
Good luck,
Liane

I have had a black snake living in my roses for two years now. Though I am not a fan of snakes, I let her stay due to the vermin and insect control. But this morning I was out moistening the mulch and uncovered a baby snake! I am thinking where there is one...there is many, but DH said to leave them be due to the benefits of common garden snakes. I can live with it. Anyways, I am sure she is more scared of me than I am of her.

I sincerely wish so many people hadn't been taught to hate and fear snakes. I think they're beautiful and interesting and know them to be very useful. I once got within about two feet of a rattlesnake in my dark garage and, although he rattled loud enough to shake the walls to warn me that he was there, he was kind enough not to bite me. I returned the favor by catching him (with my husband) and transporting him to a wilderness area up the road at 11 o'clock at night. Snakes have been mercilessly hunted and persecuted. Their appearance is not their fault, and their only goal is to survive like the rest of us. I'm glad there are those of you who will allow them to do that.

Ingrid

Its interesting that snakes don't see visible light but another wave on the electro magnet spectrum.
Ingrid, I know you mean well and so do I. but ,I have to chuckle.
sorry, I wasn't taught to hate and fear snakes. I just came up with it myself.
Samuel

I think the snake phobia is a learned behavior which goes back to the book of Genesis....how unfortunate, huh? Snakes are definitely beneficial to our environment. Just a thought.

There are two black racers that live in my garden. At first, they curled up in the mulch almost burying themselves. I'd lean over to smell Crysler Imperial, notice the snakes and run screaming away!

They got braver.

One of them started twining himself about the stakes holding up some Austin floppers. Another kept hanging out in the garage. Eventually, I named them Fred and George and have learned to accept their presence without screaming bloody murder.

Oh, and I have no mice, vermin or varmits in my yard!

About the whole --learned response or not--I think fear of snakes is a reasonable reaction if you know some are poisonous and yet don't feel a 100% confident to instantly identify all the various kinds. I had not the slightest fear of snakes as a kid in western Washington State, because none of the snakes there are poisonous. Now that I live in the South and have nearly stepped on big poisonous snakes a couple of times (one rattlesnake and one cotton mouth), I'm a lot more leary. Same goes for spiders. I don't know all the species to watch out for down here, so I try to stear clear. I had a neighbor down the street who was bitten by a brown recluse spider, while gardening. It landed her in intensive care on a ventilator for a couple days. Her entire arm to the should remained paralyzed for weeks after. Scared me to death. That's the first time I made sure to wear heavy gloves when working inthe mulch.

Getting off on a bit of a tangent, I think spiders actually look a lot creepier than snakes. Now if snakes were just the size of spiders, I'd be fine with them. Actually, they can be fascinating, but I don't like the fact that they are eat creatures much more intelligent than themselves. (Sorry folks, I kinda like rodents, even though I know we'd be over-run with them if it weren't for the predators).

I keep asking someone to give me a black snake. I had one in TN. If its any comfort the babies seem to move on - I had a bunch every year, but only one snake hanging out in the gardens. They are incredibly effective varmit control. Occasionally we'd meet up, the snake always seemed anxious to leave, although it learned to more or less ignore me.

Here in NC we live very close to the lake and we have a copperhead problem. A black snake would not only help with varmits, but would be territorial and keep the copperheads at a safe distance.

I'm hoping I'll get one next year when the babies show up.

I have an irrational and total fear of snakes. It probably comes from living in an area where there are so many poisonous ones and I admit that I don't hang around or get a close enough look at them to tell if they are poisonous or not. I run screaming like a sissy girl. I know that some of them are "good" to have around, but honestly I don't want to see them...gives me the shivers.

Carol

We have a fabulous variety of snakes in our garden. I still jump when I see one but the only thing that really scares me is a rattler. If they are living near the house my husband shoots them.

Carla, if you could get over your fear and tolerate the snake, it would be a huge benefit to your garden and no risk at all to people. But I understand that may not be possible for everyone.

I will not harm the S----. I just want him to respect my garden time and when I'm inside, he can have his fun. I hope he eats 50 voles a day.
Michael, I'm just one of those people that don't like to see them. Once I saw one at my aunt's farm on the way to fish and I went inside for the rest of the day. LOL

Carla

I think the fear of s____s (lol) is instinctual. It's been shown to be instinctual in monkeys. I bet almost everybody jumps like Pam when they see a good-sized s_____ unexpectedly. I can truthfully say I'm not afraid of harmless s____s, but I still jump if surprised and get an adrenaline rush. Carla, you should make a habit of expecting to see him when you go in the garden. No harm in throwing a stick at him.

Hopefully, the black snake will take care of your garden pests: voles, field mice, etc. They will not bother you, and in most cases, are more afraid of you, then you should be of them. Black snakes, Blue Racers, and the non-poisonous kinds are good for the environment and should be spared. Stop worrying.

I haven't seen any snakes in the yard but I am sure there are plenty in the woods here, and some poisonous ones as well. My neighbor has a large blacksnake that lives under her house and she doesn't want anything to happen to it- good varmint control. As for spiders I have several garden spiders in my various flower beds. I try to remember where they are as I am scared of spiders and don't want to accidentally come face to face w/ one up close. I appreciate their pest control and don't want them harmed. The real problem here is black widow spiders. Any time I pick up anything off the ground or pots stacked, I try to be careful and move it w/ my foot first. The black widows are, fortunately, not aggressive, however, IF they have an egg sac, they will be, and they can jump several feet. I can remember my grandfather squishing them w/ his bare thumb...
My son was about 5 when he brought me one on the end of a long stick. Lots of spiders here...
BTW, I think the weather has done something to the toad population here because I have seen very few of them. I have seen plenty of tree frogs (those tiny, attractive bright green frogs). Brandy

I jump, but after the startle I'm ok. Not so my older daughter. Seriously phobic. I had two snakes, Snively (Whiplash)Frontyard and Snively (W) Backyard. When daughter came home to be married in 01, husband held the trash barrel while I used a soft shrub rake to "pitch" them in. Then into the back of the truck for a ride down the road a mile to an overgrown culvert area by a farm brook, lots of lunch. They never came home. And the rodent population went up.

I orginally am from So Cal. I HATE black Widows. We had to spray all our lawn furniture and turn it over about every week. At night when I took my walk I would take a flashlight and squish them as I walked along this long block wall. They loved to live in the little weep holes at the bottom of the wall. They are evil looking spiders. The rest of spiders I don't mind so much. I also do not mind snakes. But then I do not live where they are poisonous. I suppose I would change my mind if they were. BUT have any of you seen those videos on the news of thousands of rats in Australia? Mice as well? If you think about having as many rats around as that and you would not mind a non-poisonous snake around. I do think it is cultural. '

A few years ago before my handicapped MIL died she had a large possum in her backyard. She was always afriad of animals..she had polio and was afraid they would make her fall. She wanted my hubby to kill this poor opossum. My hubby could not kill a thing. But we went with a baseball bat to the wood pile and he smacked on the pile a few times and said "okay it's probably gone". WE laughed so hard..like either one of us could club a harmless animal to death. As we were leaving we saw her I looked into her frightened eyes and fell in love. She was so scared she did not move for about three hours. As it turns out she was a Mama and we believe she had her babies in our wood pile. Hubby used to see her and the babies would be off her sometime. I looked opossums on the internet. They are the only marspupial on the North American continent. They are the janitors of the forest and eat what other animals will not. They are are NATURAL rat predators. They are beneficial and I love them.

I know it isn't rational (my biologist husband reminds me all the time) but I can't stand snakes - they just creep me out.. We used to live in an area where there were rattlesnakes and we had a few in our yard when the children were little - that didn't help. Now we live in an area that only has "harmless" snakes, but I still can't stand them. I hate running into them when I'm on my hands and knees weeding or planting. I hate it when they get into our little pond and eat our "pet" frogs and goldfish. (Did you know frogs cry like a baby when caught from the back?). I'd much rather have the mice and voles. So my husband and I have come to a compromise - he catches them and drives them a half mile down the road to a swamp. It never gets rid of all of them (either that or they're like Lassie and know how to come home!).

Michael, I LOVE your replies, always!

Carla

I like most wild critters including snakes, my daughter saw that in me growing up and is terrified of snakes. I don't think it is learned behavior. I'd rather have the snakes than the rodents like this guy:
Nancy

Here is a link that might be useful: 9 lb Rat

One good thing about rattlesnakes is that they are great travelers. If you see one in your yard one day the chances are very good you will never see it again. Having said that, I can't imagine that anyone with small children would ever want to take that chance.

Ingrid