They rarely ever bite unless they feel cornered and threatened. Their usual response to a threat is to escape. Thus their moniker. If cornered or threatened, then they will bite as an attempt to escape.
View attachment 8779042
Then I must be the unfortunate soul that gone one pi$$ed. Apparently one had trapped themself inside my garage in a corner where I couldn't flush them out. So, I just let it stay there. Problem was, it was summer time and my garage would get up to 95F in the summer. And, since I normally kept the garage door closed, there was no escape route for him/her. Eventually it died. I wasn't aware of it until a few weeks later, when I started to smell this horrible "stench of death" near the corner of one of the doors. I had to solve that problem quickly, so I started to move boxes/shelves around... and then I found it...dead as a door nail. And it staaaaaaank! And. removing the carcass did not remove the stench... not completely. So I had to bleach out the floor near where I found the carcass to make that happen. Problem solved..... or so I thought.
Almost a year later, and regularly every 6 months or so, another black racer tries to crash my garage and hole up in that very same spot where its ancestor perished. I dunno. Maybe their sense of smell is so great that they can recognize that spot even after my bleaching it. This time, I was able to chase out and keep out our current guest. But it's where I learned how furious they can get when pi$$ed/confronted. S/he came after me several times as if to bite, but I was able to push it away with my plastic garden rake. After a few attempts, s/he didn't come back after that, but does appear near the garage door as if s/he wants to try again, at least every 6-9 months or so but scatters away when it sees me.
Anyway, I've blocked off that spot in my garage and I've sprinkled some Cinnamon and ground black Pepper around that area (as an irritant) so it won't be tempted to come back there again. I wanted to use moth balls but that's illegal - can't use them outdoors or for any intent other than the original. I now have rubber barriers on the garage door floor and one the door itself that seals the door so the racer can't penetrate. But, to this very day. I still am careful when I open the door to ensure he's not waiting for me to try and sneak in. And, sometimes, he'll leave me a "message" to let me know he's been there. He leaves me a shed.
I don't mind him roaming around the exterior/curtilage of the property. They're good for keeping the salamander/newt population in check (not that I mind them being around either). Just not inside the house or garage (or sun porch).
