Horry County hospitals are reporting a higher number of snake bites this year.
Since the beginning of the year, emergency room staff at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center have treated 25 snake bites, not including one on Monday.
At Conway Medical Center, eight people have been treated so far this year. In 2009, there were 14 patients total, and 15 were bitten and treated in 2008.
On Monday, there were at least two snake bites reported in Horry County. One went to Grand Strand, and the other went to Conway Medical Center.
The CMC patient is a repairman who was working on a pool pump at a home on Myrtle Ridge Drive.
Around 3:30, Tony Fresso said he heard some screaming outside.
"And he come running over to my house and said a big, brown -- about four or five foot -- snake bit him on the hand," Fresso said. "His hand started to pump up."
The man was taken to Conway Medical Center, but his name and condition were not available Monday night.
Environmentalists warned earlier this year that the prolonged winter we had would make snakes more aggressive.
They said the cold compressed the breeding season for most snakes, leaving them about three weeks to do what they normally would have had six weeks to accomplish.
This summer's rains have also increased the mice and frog population, so snakes have been on the hunt more.
Medical staff at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center say there will be another peak in snake bites this fall, as snakes prep for the winter.
They say anyone, like golfers, who may be in wooded or brushy areas should use caution.
Dr. Jarratt Lark said if someone is bitten by a snake, they should stay calm and not panic. Despite conventional wisdom, Lark said do not use a tourniquet because it can restrict blood flow. He also advised against trying to siphon or suck out the venom.
Lark said the most common bites are from pit viper snakes, and listed the ones we find out our area in order of least venomous to most venomous: copperhead, water moccasin, and the rattlesnake.
