glue boards don't just catch crickets

It took in excess of half an hour to free this guy from the glue trap that was supposed be trapping crickets at my door. I was certain that we wouldn't be able to get him off. He had wrapped his body around the trap, encircling it and then affixed a few inches of his tail as well. The upper portion of him looked like he was skinned - the skin was so spread out from the body stuck to the glue. I couldn't remove even his tail. With a lot of dish detergent (careful to keep any from getting in his mouth) and delicate persistence on the part of my Dad - he was off. (My job was to hold the freed portions of it to keep it from reattaching as it squirmed.)
I would've taken pictures in the trap - but I didn't think we would get him out and I was very upset about it. So I didn't want pictures to remember that I had killed it.
Mom even 'helped' in the process (having grown up in E.Africa - she's not at all fond of snakes). After it was freed I had to rinse it off for a long time - we can't have a fully functional but sticky snake. Mom held it so that we could smell if the detergent was rinsed without smelling my hands.
We think he's free, clear, and very clean.



I've never been so happy to hold a snake.

For those who are wondering - he's a fox snake, the most likely of the species of snakes in Wisconsin to be found in the house. The young snakes will eat insects (crickets obviously) and then move up the pest chain to rodents and such.
They are useful to have around. Completely harmless, even though they will rattle their tales when provoked - moreso when they are larger - it's more impressive. This is not the first time that we've interacted with one at the house.