How to Get Rid of Snakes

"It was a pleasant Sunday morning. My neighbor, Anny, was busy with gardening. She was removing dried leaves and branches of plants. All of a sudden, she screamed loudly. Everyone rushed towards her and were dumbfound to see a black reptile... hissing and moving rapidly! It was a rat snake. Everyone knew, it was a nonvenomous species; but, its presence frightened everyone. Finally, it was removed with the help of a snake wrangler and Anny felt relief. She realized if she had removed the garbage and cleaned the garden earlier, the snake would not have entered the backyard of her home."

This might have happened even with you. You may have noticed a snake in your home or garden. Though, the very thought of its presence can by itself be a terrifying experience; don't get scared! Not all types of snakes are poisonous. Among 3,000 species of snakes in the world, only 600 species are venomous and these include the krait, Russell's viper, tiger snake, King Cobra, to name a few. Snakes generally like to reside in cool, shaded areas. They can be found in the bushes, sandy areas, tall grass, compost areas, under the logs, junk or trash. They prefer to stay hidden away from the sun. Snakes enter the home or the garden, in search of shelter or food. Some people attempt to kill a snake, as soon as they set sight on it. However, most snakes found near the home or backyard are nonvenomous and harmless; rather, we can say they are beneficial for humans. Snakes like garter snakes or rat snakes help remove harmful rodents like rats from your home. In spite of some advantages, it is advisable to adopt proper preventive measures, as snakebites can be hazardous, and even life-threatening. If it does enter your home or backyard, it's quite natural that you would like to know how to get rid of snakes. Here are some helpful tips about getting rid of snakes.

How to Get Rid of Snakes

Many homeowners, especially living in the rural areas, have experienced the presence of a snake on their property at some time or the other. When you notice a snake in your home or backyard, you can physically remove it on your own by holding it down with the help of a snake hook or snake tongs or take the help of a snake wrangler. However, you can start off by taking some precautions.

If you want to keep the snakes out of your yard, then make sure that there are no bushes, shrubs or thick foliage around your home, as these are natural habitats of snakes. Avoid accumulation of garbage in the garden, as this is an ideal hiding place for snakes. Always keep the garden clean by removing garden debris, like dried leaves and branches of trees. Generally, snakes prefer to shelter in the tall grass. As tall grass is home to various rodents and insects including mice, grasshoppers and crickets, it is a great food resource for snakes. So, you need to keep the grass low and mow the lawn in your garden.

Facts about snakes reveal that they are always looking for cool places to hide. A heap of compost or wood in your garden is likely to attract snakes to your property. Gaps in the heap are perfect places for snakes to hide. So, you need to eliminate these safe spots from your property.

Another way to prevent the snakes from entering your property, is to remove small rodents and insects from your home and garden area. Small rodents like squirrels or mice and insects like grasshoppers, crickets or other small bugs are food for snakes. So, it is essential to make sure your home and garden is free of rodents and insects.

You should seal all the openings in your home such as areas around the windows and doors, pipes and electrical outlets, so that snakes do not enter your home. Also, you need to put up protective fencing around the garden. Besides this, the use of a snake repellent is another effective method of keeping the snakes away from your property. These repellents consist certain components such as sulfur, cedar oil or clove oil that emit strong odor to repel snakes. The repellents may have substances that can make snakes uncomfortable to crawl over. Most snake repellents are available in a powdered form. It can be sprinkled around your home, garden or backyard. Fortunately, these products are not harmful to your pets or kids. Snakes are more active at night, so you can also use a snake trap. The trap consists of a glue board. As soon as a snake enters the trap, it gets stuck to the glue. The captured snake can be released safely away from your home.

With these useful options, you can surely prevent these uninvited guests from entering your home and garden. Even if you notice the existence of a snake in the surroundings, don't attempt to kill it. Snakes help maintain the balance in the ecosystem by controlling infestation of harmful rodents and insects. So, be kind to snakes, even they are living beings!