Snake control in Ibiza and Formentera
Nova Falcons, has the main focus of its activity on the island of Ibiza, where we have been based for more than 15 years. Here we work, live, socialise... and of course, we try to care for and preserve every corner of our islands. Because more than "ours", it would be correct to say that they belong to those who will succeed us in the future. For anyone who lives in the Pitiusas and has a minimum of appreciation and interest for its biodiversity and environment, the serious problem that invasive species (whether fauna or flora) represent for our ecosystems will go unnoticed, being the most relevant one nowadays, the invasive snakes.
The absence of predators, optimal environmental conditions and the regular and constant entry through massive imports of centenary olive trees for ornamental purposes, without any kind of control or special security measures, has led to a plague of snakes in Ibiza and Formentera. A plague which, due to its invasive nature (it is a non-native predator that lacks natural predators), seriously threatens the current biodiversity of the islands and the natural balance of the current ecosystems.
The only measure to avoid the extinction of local species due to the predatory action of snakes, today consists of the control and capture of snakes, either through the services of a company, or through voluntary actions of citizens both in the domestic and private sphere, as well as in public spaces.
Only a constant and massive capture of snakes, will prevent that tomorrow endemic species of Ibiza and Formentera such as the Pitiusas Lizard (Podarcys pityusensis), will be added to the list of extinct species due to the alteration of ecosystems by the hand of man.
Thus, in order to satisfy a growing demand from administrations, companies and individuals who are aware of the seriousness of the problem, as well as out of pure environmental commitment to the islands where we live and work, Nova Falcons carries out controls and captures snakes in Ibiza and Formentera.
The months when snakes are most active are the summer months, and they become dormant in the winter months. However, the mild temperatures outside the summer months, especially in spring and well into autumn, mean that snake sightings and captures can be made from March to November.
In Nova Falcons, we are specialists in the control and capture of snakes, working in any point or corner of Eivissa and Formentera. We are the only company in the Pitiusas Islands that works with its own line of mice breeding, and with traps of our own manufacture. The main snake species to control in Ibiza is the horseshoe whip snake (Hemorrhois hippocrepis), while in Formentera it is the ladder snake (Rhinechis scalaris). However, both species are present on both islands, and are in the process of expanding. These two types of snakes belong to the Columbridae family, and are therefore listed as invasive species in the Balearic archipelago, as indicated in Royal Decree 1628/2011, of 14 November, which regulates the Spanish list and catalogue of invasive alien species.
Beyond the control of invasive snakes, within our reptile control services, we also capture and recover exotic reptiles from terrariums, such as agamas, iguanas and turtles.
You can find more information and data of interest, both on the species we work with and on the work carried out in this field, in the Divulgation area of our website.