Snakes have long been a problem for gardeners, especially if a person has a fear of snakes (Ophidiophobia). We often hear that snakes are important for the environment, but we wish they would stay in their own area of the world instead of trespassing into our gardens.
How can we keep snakes out of our gardens? The best way to keep snakes out of your garden is by removing the reason they are attracted to your garden in the first place. Making your garden an inhospitable environment for snakes to live and hunt in is the most efficient way to stop snake infestation before it starts. This includes changing landscaping, removing food source temptations, and possibly including a barrier if all else fails.
We have compiled a complete guide to how to keep your property snake free that includes attractants, hunting sources, and common myths about repelling snakes. The best place to start is to learn what it is about your lawn and garden that is attracting snakes in the first place. Then, you’ll remove what attracts a snake. Let’s talk about how to get this done.
What Are Snakes Attracted To In Your Garden?
It is helpful to know why snakes are attracted to your garden, only then can you remove the temptation for snakes to stay.
Snakes will set up home anywhere that provides a comfortable living environment filled with cover from predators.
Snakes “smell” via their tongue, this gives only a directional sense of smell, and not an actual scent. Snakes, like most reptiles, are cold-blooded and must regulate their body heat externally.
When searching for a habitat, Snakes will look for cover from their natural predators, areas of sun to increase their body temperature (especially during the winter months), and possibly even places to “burrow” into, depending on where in the United States you live.
What A Snake Looks For In A Habitat
- Long grass – snakes can hide in the long grass to protect themselves from hawks or other predators. Whether it be a field or your lawn, snakes will set up hunting grounds where they are safe from discovery.
- Wood Piles – this is the perfect hiding hole for snakes to curl up in. Wood piles have a lot of cover and easy access to food that crawls inside the woodpile. This can also provide a sunning perch when a snake needs warmth.
- Untrimmed bushes – another hiding space for reptiles looking to stay out of the open. This also provides branches for the snake to climb for safety.
- Leaf piles – piles of leaves provide ample coverage for snakes, they are also cool, dark, and musty, giving snakes exactly what they want in an environment after they have fed.
- Water source – snakes love water to cool down.
It is best not to create a habitat for snakes to survive in. Here are some tips for keeping them minding their own business:
- Keep long grass trimmed around the perimeter of your home
- Burn all of your wood in the winter and do not store it in warmer months
- Keep your bushes trimmed up so snakes cannot hide underneath
- Remove any bushes and shrubbery that may be problematic.
- Don’t use mulch or large rocks, as these are great for snakes to burrow into.
- Clean up any brush, leaf piles, and even recycle piles so snakes will not have coverage to hide in.
- Finally, steer clear of using any water features, fish ponds, or frog ponds.
Snakes will also look for areas that provide hunting opportunities. Snakes hunt via motion. They have a unique bone structure in their jaw that senses movement and vibration on the ground; even the smallest movement will catch their attention.
Their forked tongue “smells” the air for the direction of their food. All snakes are carnivorous, eating mostly small insects, bird or chicken eggs, frogs, other small reptiles, mice, rats, and small vermin. What food source could your garden be providing?
What Creates A Food Source For Snakes
- Regular watering of your grass – this creates meal heaven for snakes. Insects like grubs, snails, worms, and grasshoppers love freshly watered grass. This creates a perfect buffet because snakes love to eat grubs, snails, worms, and grasshoppers.
- Bird Feeders – birds are beautiful but messy. Leaving seed on the ground attracts mice, rats, and other rodents. This is an ample food source for hunting. Birds also lay eggs in birdhouses, a tasty treat for snakes to feast on.
- Mulch and large rock – mulch creates an environment for mice and bugs to hide in. Large rocks create holes to hide in for prey. These will attract snakes while they are on the hunt.
- Fallen fruit – fruit is a food source for vermin, vermin are a food source for snakes. Insects will also target rotting fruit, attracting snakes as well.
- Water ponds – some snakes need fresh water to survive, putting this in the habitat category as well. Many snakes eat frogs, fish, mosquitoes, and insects that will be attracted to a water pond or water feature. This will provide food for snakes to hunt.
- Feeding pets outdoors – pet food attracts insects and rodents. Local animals can also take advantage of this food source, spreading it around your property, creating an infestation problem.
If you work to remove a snake’s food source from your property, you will reduce the number of snakes that come to visit.
Don’t water your grass as often to deter insects from thriving. Make sure to move or eliminate bird feeders from your property (more solutions if you love bird feeders further down) to stop mice and rodents from being attracted to the food runoff and birds leaving eggs for snakes to feast on.
Make use of small river rock in flower beds instead of mulch or large rocks. Pick up all fallen fruit daily to avoid attracting pests and insects. move pet food indoors. Finally, don’t use water features in your yard to avoid creating an additional food source for snakes.
Now that you know what snakes are attracted to in your garden, you can take the proper precautions to avoid snakes in the future.
Checklist For A Snake Free Yard
- Regular Yard Mowing and Clipping
- Removal of Wood Piles
- Removal of Leaves
- Regular Trimming of Bushes
- Removal of Water Source
- Irrigation Schedule Adjusted
- Removal or Relocation of Bird Feeders
- Removal of Mulch
- Schedule for Fruit Waste Pickup Adjusted
- Removal of Water Ponds and Features
- Relocation of Pet Food
What Are Some Other Things You Can Do To Repel Snakes?
Removing potential habitats and food sources from your property will do most of the work, but there are things you can do to truly make your garden inhospitable to snakes. Take these steps to hold snakes at bay.
Install a perch for owls and hawks.
Snakes have many natural predators, including mongoose, coyotes, wild boars, raccoons, foxes, owls, hawks, other large birds, and of course, other snakes.
While we don’t want to invite most of these predators into our yard for a variety of reasons, inviting owls and hawks to your yard would not create a menace for you. Placing a perch in the offending area will prevent snakes from staying long on your property.
Seal all cracks and crevices around the home.
Snakes are notorious for hiding when they want to warm up or cool down. Cracks and crevices in your home provide the perfect spot to slither into. Regular sealing, caulking, and closing off cracks and crevices for snakes to crawl through will prevent them from setting up a habitat inside your home. If you find snakes around your home, do a home perimeter inspection and repair anything you find that could be tempting a snake.
Plant lemongrass
Lemongrass is said to repel snakes. Snakes cannot smell, so it is likely the fact that it prevents insects from festering that lowers the snake population in the area. Lemongrass is well known for keeping mosquitoes, larvae, flies, worms, and grubs at bay in any garden, drying up a snakes natural food source.
Plant Wormwood
Wormwood has the same reputation for repelling snakes that lemongrass does. Wormwood will keep insects away, and by proxy, snakes. It is also a fast-spreading plant so it can cover the perimeter of your yard quickly, making this an efficient repellent. It is invasive though, so keep an eye on it so it doesn’t take over your garden.
Plant Mother-in-Law’s Tongue
This plant is low maintenance for you but has sharp leaves to keep snakes at bay. A snake will avoid a garden with this plant entirely. It is known for being a threatening plant to snakes, making them fear danger in the same way an owl or hawk does. Unlike wormwood and lemongrass, this species of plant will not invade your garden.
Keep chickens or guinea hens.
Snakes love to eat eggs! If you keep chickens or guinea hens in your yard, they will attack a snake if they see it to protect their eggs.
Plant roses.
If you love bird feeders and just cannot part with them, plant roses around the base of any bird feeder poles or underneath hanging bird feeders. The thorns will prevent snakes from using this as a food source. If you plant roses around the perimeter of your home, this will keep snakes from nestling in cracks or crevices as well. Use a ground spreading rose for the best results.
Fencing.
As a last resort, you can install fencing. Dig a foot into the ground and install ¼” mesh fencing around the perimeter of your property. This will prevent snakes from entering completely, though it isn’t aesthetically pleasing.
Checklist For Snake Repelling
- Perch Installed
- Cracks and Crevices Sealed
- Lemongrass Planted
- Wormwood Planted
- Mother-in-Law’s Tongue Planted
- Chickens
- Guineas
- Roses Planted
- Fencing
Common Myths – Busted!
There are many common myths about keeping snakes away from your home. Pest companies often attempt to take advantage of individuals who have a snake phobia. There are also “natural” snake repellent myths flying around the internet.
Below are some common myths about repelling snakes. Beware not to fall for them!
Myth #1: Mothballs
Mothballs do not deter snakes. Snakes do not have a sense of smell other than a particular direction their food is in. Many articles online state that snakes hate the smell of mothballs. This is nonsense.
Not only that, mothballs are known toxins that we don’t want in water runoff as it is harmful to the environment. Mothballs can also harm small children that may find and ingest them. It is best not to use them at all.
Myth #2: Sulfur
Again, the base of this myth is that snakes hate the smell of sulfur. Snakes cannot smell and this does not repel them. In fact, many snakes take up home in caves or wells that have high concentrations of sulfur, making this myth a conundrum.
Most “snake repellents” that are sold in stores include sulfur. Don’t waste your hard-earned cash – they do not work.
Myth #3: Artificial Eggs
It’s a great idea, in theory. They use eggs to lure a snake; they eat the ceramic or glass egg, then they do not return. It’s true that the snake that eats artificial eggs does not return, but only because they die in an excruciating and tortured way.
This does nothing to prevent new snakes from showing up, especially with eggs laying out for them to eat. This is not the best solution but this myth continues to be passed around. Avoid it if at all possible.
Myth #4: Releasing Predator Snakes
This is the most harmful myth that persists. While predator snakes may eat the immediate threat of snakes you are dealing with, this can interrupt the natural ecosystem and cause catastrophic problems for the local environment. It has never been proven to work as an option and is illegal in most states. Read more here about how releasing snakes can damage an ecosystem.
Myth #5: Relocation of The Snake
Another option that sounds like you’re doing the best thing for the snake. You don’t want the snake around your property, so you attempt to relocate it. This is problematic for a few reasons:
- Close proximity puts you or your family at risk
- Most snakes die when relocated
- It doesn’t solve future snake problems
We will discuss this more in-depth down further. If you do choose relocation, it is best to call a professional.
Myth #6: Sticky Traps
In theory, sticky traps could trap a snake. However, these traps are well known for trapping animals you did not intend to trap, such as birds, rabbits, or even your own pets.
When animals are trapped against these surfaces, their bones can break and they die slowly while in a great deal of pain. It is best to avoid them, especially if you have birds, foxes, chipmunks, squirrels, or any other beloved animals that visit your garden.
Myth #7: Weapons
Many people attempt to use weapons to deter snakes from harming their family or returning to their property. If this was successful, it wouldn’t do anything to prevent snakes from returning in the future. It is also problematic for other reasons:
- Close proximity to the snake increases the risk of snakebite
- It kills the animal and snakes do important work in our ecosystem
The most common issue with using weapons is firing a gun at a snake. If you fire a gun at the ground, you could injure or kill anything that the gun ricochet lands on. Using a shovel requires accuracy, opening you up to the risk of not severing the head of the snake and facing a recoil strike.
The same holds true for attempting to slice the head of a snake with a knife or sword. Most snake bites happened because humans were attempting to handle or kill the snake.
Myth #8: Essential oils and garlic oil
Cinnamon, clove, and cedarwood are commonly referred to as snake repellents. There is no scientific data to back this up and most references include that snakes do not like the smell of these oils. The same holds true for garlic-infused oil. Kerosene oil will kill a snake, but only if the snake ingests it.
Avoiding these common myths should save you time, money, and frustration when they don’t work efficiently. It is best to stick to habitat changes, as these methods have been proven to reduce snakes populating your space.
What to Do if a Snake Get in
If all the steps above fail, what should you do? One question to ask yourself is, should you be afraid of this snake in the first place?
The largest reason to keep snakes out of your garden is safety, but if a snake is beneficial to your garden, it may be best to conquer your fear of the snake. There are over 3000 species of snake and very few are venomous or dangerous.
In fact, there are only four types of venomous or dangerous snakes in the United States: Cottonmouth’s, Rattlesnakes, copperhead, and coral snakes. Nonvenomous snakes mostly just want to be left alone and some may even protect your garden.
How a Non-Venomous Snake Can Be Beneficial to Your Garden:
- If you have grasshoppers, snakes will eat them and save your crop from decimation.
- Snakes love to eat slugs. A garter snakes presence will protect your plants from a slug infestation.
- Snakes eat rodents who will feast on your fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
- A gopher snake will eat gophers before they can burrow and ruin your crop.
- The King Snake will eat a rattlesnake and are immune to venom.
- Snakes eat mosquitoes which can protect you and your family from West Nile Virus
- Snakes eat ticks, protecting you and your pets from Lyme disease
There are many ways to identify snakes to see if they are venomous or dangerous. A local Herpetologist will be the best route for you to identify local breeds of snakes, search for one in your area. This website can also help you identify your slithering foe.
How dangerous a snake is will largely depend on your area of the country, but the general rule of thumb for venomous snakes in the United States is:
- It has elliptical eyes
- It is large and fat
- It has a rattle
A common myth is that a snake is venomous if it has a triangular-shaped head or a diamond pattern. This is problematic because most snakes have a triangular-shaped head and many that are nonvenomous have a diamond pattern or another distinct pattern. Colors are also not a great indication of the danger of a snake.
How to Tell if a Snake is Venomous
While we don’t suggest getting close enough to see the snake’s eyes, if a snake is thin, it is a clear indication that you are in the clear. This is a snake you will leave in your garden or around your house to protect from other snake species and pests.
If you think a snake is venomous, DO NOT approach it. Call a snake removal service if you have one local to you or stand far away and spray the snake with a garden hose.
This appears to be the best option to get snakes to move along. Snakes are rapidly becoming endangered from lack of habitat, urban development, and humans introducing other species in areas where they are not native. We need snakes for the environment, even if we do not want to cohabitate with them.
Summary
In closing, when you use this complete guide, you should no longer be plagued with snakes.
From changing the habitat, avoiding common snake repellent myths, and overcoming your fear of individual snakes that might be helpful to your garden, you will conquer your garden’s problematic snake infestation in no time.
