 Here's a few reassuring garter snake facts. They're quite shy and won't bite unless provoked. If you should be bitten, the worst you can expect is a slight swelling or rash. And best of all, garter snakes have a healthy appetite for slugs, cucumber beetles, squash bugs, oh, and mice too. That is the Old Farmer's Almanac Radio Report. Got a question for the old farmer? Ask it at almanac.com. Score 94 and hit 106.