Hello, friends! Down here in the south it's that time of year again when our little slithery friends are beginning to make their presence known. Around here, having a snake in your yard is pretty common from time to time, but they are mostly "just passing through". I for one appreciate them and their super exterminator skills when it comes to mice, so if I see a little oak snake {non poisonous} I will just leave him to himself and he will eventually leave. How do I know that he will just leave? By taking precautions.
First think you need to do is walk around your property and look for anything that could become a snake habitat {they are constantly looking for new real estate}. Snakes like dark places like under debris and logs. If you have any log piles or fallen logs on your property that you don't want to remove, then it's time to treat that area.
Now, once you have determined the areas you need to snake proof {log pile, garden, foundation of your house, ect} it is time to start repelling those little buggers.
One method you can try is a VERY old method, my grandfather and dad used to do this one, simply sprinkle moth balls anywhere you don't want to deal with snakes. Now me personally, I don't like this one because, well let's face it: Moth balls stink.
I have researched and found a method I am much more fond of. Snakes hate the smell of clove oil and cinnamon. Simply mix together equal parts cinnamon and clove oil in a spray bottle and spray around in areas you don't wish to stumble upon a scaley new friend. Now, because the spray can be washed away in heavy rain, I would highly suggest reapplying after a good steady rain or storm.
And to my friends here with me in South Georgia, I don't mean the almost daily 3:00 pm quick rain, that is usually not enough rain to wash away the mixture, but if you want to reapply then you can.
Tips for avoiding snakes:
- Always check wood piles and spray your repellent. Never store a wood pile too close to your house
- Make sure your rodent problem is under control. If you leave a lot of food around (garbage uncovered) then the mice will stay close by, and so will snakes looking for the mice.
- Always keep extra pet food covered. If you keep your pet food in a barrel outside make sure mice can't get inside. Mice=snakes.
- Make sure you treat around fallen logs and large rocks, these are perfect nesting sites.
- Keep your lawn cut short. Long grass is easy for a snake to stay hidden in from predators, short grass is more dangerous for a snake to cross into, so they are less likely to do it, especially if you have a lot of birdie friends around your house.
Do you have a friendly snake on your property? I have a little Kingsnake that likes to stay out in the far bushes of the property. He is unfortunately camera shy so I will do an update with his picture, until then here is a picture of a king snake via wikipedia:
Now, I know what you are thinking. Why on earth would I want to keep one as a friend. Well, you don't have to, but his particular area of the yard, I don't not spray repellent because of him. Why? King snakes eat Rattlesnakes. That's right, this little guy not only kills and eats vermin, but also very, very, bad and venomous snakes. He may stay...far away from the house...but he can still stay.
Hope this helps, watch your step!
