TOPEKA, Kansas (AP) — Recent hot weather has caused a spike in the number of calls to the University of Kansas Hospital’s Poison Control Center from residents reporting being bitten by snakes.

Dr. Tama Sawyer, director of the center, said there were 38 calls from across Kansas concerning snake bites, up from 31 during 2010. Most of the bites have been from timber rattlesnakes and copperheads.

Sawyer said the reason is when it gets hot the snakes seek the shelter of shade. Many of the bites happen when residents put their hands in shaded areas to pull weeds and are struck by the snake.

She said it was unclear if the increase in the number of calls was a result of more bites or better reporting.