The viper is a useful animal and also protected like all other snakes in Sweden. You can recognize the adder on its zigzag pattern. However, some vipers become darker with age, even completely black, and can then be confused with the snake. One thing that sets them apart is that the adder's head is matte unlike the snake's which are glossy. The snake usually has two clear white or yellow spots in the neck, it is the clearest characteristic that distinguishes snakes from vipers. Vipers are the only snakes in Sweden that are poisonous to the native species. However, they rarely go on the attack.
How to avoid them:
- Avoid piles of leaves in your garden.
- Keep the grass short.
Suitable treatments: vipers are protected and should definitely not be controlled! If you have a problem with a viper in your garden, you have to move it to another place a couple of kilometers further away.