If you learned snakebite first aid as a Boy Scout, hunter, camper, military service member, or outdoorsman, there's a good chance much of what you were taught is now considered wrong.

For decades, Americans carried snakebite kits containing razor blades, tourniquets, and suction cups. One of the best-known was the Cutter Snake Bite Kit, a staple of sporting goods stores and first-aid kits for much of the twentieth century. The instructions seemed straightforward: Apply a tourniquet, cut the bite site, and suck out the venom.

Today, toxicologists recommend doing none of those things.

The shift did not happen overnight. Traditional snakebite treatments survived for decades because they sounded logical: If venom is dangerous, removing the poison should help.

Researchers eventually discovered a flaw in that logic. Much of a rattlesnake's venom does not immediately enter the bloodstream. Instead, it remains near the bite site before spreading through the lymphatic system, which moves fluid through muscle activity. Every movement of the affected limb can help transport venom.

Beginning in the 1990s, researchers tested long-standing snakebite remedies and repeatedly reached the same conclusion: Tourniquets, incision, suction devices, ice, and electric shock offered little benefit and often increased the risk of injury.

The issue has renewed relevance because 2026 is shaping up to be an unusually active rattlesnake season across much of the western United States.

Three Californians died from rattlesnake bites between February and April, an unusually high toll in a state that typically averages about one snakebite fatality per year. The victims included a 25-year-old mountain biker in Orange County, a 46-year-old hiker in Ventura County, and a 78-year-old Mendocino County resident who was bitten three times while walking on rural property.

Other western states have reported similar trends. Emergency physicians around Salt Lake City treated approximately 17 rattlesnake bites by early June, compared to the typical eight or nine seen by that point in most seasons. In Arizona, the Banner Poison and Drug Information Center in Phoenix had already managed 10 rattlesnake bites by March 18, more than what officials would normally expect. Colorado wildlife officials also reported earlier snake activity linked to unusually warm winter and spring temperatures.

Experts believe weather and food availability may be driving the increase.

For pool and spa service technicians, rattlesnakes are a workplace hazard.

Unlike hikers, who often spot a rattlesnake before reaching it, service technicians frequently place their hands directly into areas where snakes may be hiding. Wildlife agencies and pest-control companies have documented rattlesnakes beneath pool equipment, under covers, inside storage sheds and among stored toys, inflatables, and other outdoor materials. Equipment pads, retaining walls, dense landscaping, irrigation boxes, drainage channels, and debris piles can all provide cool, shaded hiding places.

Avoiding Bites

Experts recommend wearing work boots and long pants when working in snake-prone areas. Before reaching behind a heater, opening an equipment enclosure, lifting a pool cover, or moving stored materials, technicians should visually inspect the area, use a flashlight in low visibility, and avoid placing hands where they cannot see them.

Removing rodent attractants, brush piles, stacked materials, and other shelter can also reduce snake encounters. Because rattlesnakes frequently rely on camouflage rather than fleeing, a few seconds spent inspecting an equipment area can prevent a potentially serious injury.

What To Do If Bitten

The California Poison Control System advises victims to move away from the snake, remain calm, call 911, and seek immediate medical care. Patients with significant symptoms may require antivenom, which remains the standard treatment for serious rattlesnake bites and can reduce tissue damage and other complications when administered promptly.

Remove rings, watches, jewelry, boots or tight clothing before swelling develops, and keep the affected limb as still as possible while awaiting transport.

Poison-control experts also advise against traditional snakebite remedies.

Tourniquets can increase tissue damage by trapping venom, swelling and pressure at the bite site. Cutting the wound or attempting to suck out venom removes little or no venom and may worsen the injury. Ice can worsen tissue damage by reducing circulation, and electric shock has repeatedly been shown to be ineffective.

The old snakebite kit in the truck may be a relic of another era. For today's pool and spa technicians, the best response is far simpler: Stay calm, limit movement, and get professional medical care as quickly as possible.