Snake bites double in WA in past decade

Recorded snake bites in Western Australia have more than doubled in the past decade, with an expert saying Perth's burgeoning human population is displacing the reptiles.

More than 120 West Australians were bitten in 2015, up 22 per cent on the previous year, with WA Poisons Information Centre data also suggesting snakes are becoming more active earlier in the warmer months.

Professional snake catcher Steve Smartt said snake encounters in Perth's southern suburbs had doubled since he began working more than 20 years ago.

Mr Smartt said he believed the catalyst for the increased encounters was rapid population growth pushing snakes away from city bushland and open space - being developed for new housing - into established suburbs.

"Snakes are trapped in certain bushland and swap areas in the city, but we're slowly pushing that away so we're finding more and more around our homes," he told AAP.

"I find them in areas where you just wouldn't find them before."

Recorded snake bites have steadily increased over the past decade, while November and December have remained the most dangerous months.

Snake bites are at their lowest during the winter months when the cold-blooded animals are in their torpor, with fewer than three incidents on average in July and August.

Mr Smartt said the majority of the snakes he encountered in Perth were dugites.

Anne Wortham, 75, died in August last year after being bitten by a snake at South Beach, near Fremantle in Perth's south.

THE INCIDENCE OF SNAKE BITES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

* 2005- 35

* 2006- 57

* 2007- 56

* 2008- 41

* 2009- 80

* 2010- 99

* 2011- 91

* 2012- 99

* 2013- 92

* 2014- 100

* 2015- 122

MOST DANGEROUS MONTHS

* November- Average of 13.8

* December- Average of 13.5