New movers to Lexington County may face an unfamiliar danger.

Venomous snakebites are on the rise in the Sunbelt.

Surprisingly, our neighboring states, North Carolina and Georgia, are setting records.

In both states, snakebites have been rising for several years and are up more than 10% from a year ago.

According to poison-control centers, copperheads represent a majority of bites in fast-growing suburbs of Raleigh and Atlanta.

The reasons for the increase include:

• Those of us who grew up in the South learn to recognize copperheads by their “Hershey Kiss” markings.

In North Carolina, nearly half of the adults were born somewhere else.

• Rapid suburban spread into forests and farmland.

• Last winter’s record-setting rainfall caused wild plants to flourish, creating ready food for rodents who become food for snakes.

Snakebites occur nationwide but North Carolina, Georgia, Texas and Florida represent 39% of them.

Copperheads are the dominant snake. They thrive in suburban environments because they have relatively small roaming areas, a strong homing instinct and are willing to eat anything.

Copperheads camouflage themselves easily in underbrush or leaf piles with their tan scales and brown triangular markings.

Learn how to identify native venomous snakes at http://myscmap.sc.gov/education/pdf/VenomousSnakesSC.pdf .