Snakes can be a serious issue for homeowners due to security reasons. As they may not be adorable creatures, we would prefer to not have snakes near our house, venomous or not! To help you deal with this problem, we listed 7 tricks to efficiently prevent these dangerous reptiles from creeping into your garden.
Use a snake repellent
First and foremost, we recommend using a snake repellent. The latter is a product that helps repel snakes by spreading an unpleasant smell in the area. However, it may be hazardous to both humans and pet’s health due to its chemical ingredients.
As a better alternative, you can make homemade snake repellent, which is much safer. Besides, you can easily find all the needed ingredients from your kitchen. Firstly, what you need are garlic and onions, which provide a strong smelly odor for snakes. Then, please follow the steps below:
- Cut 4-5 cloves of garlic coarsely and slice the onions lengthwise.
- Then, boil them in a saucepan for 5 minutes before leaving them for at least 3 hours (or a night).
- Thereafter, add a little salt into the mixture before putting it in a spray bottle.
- Now, your homemade snake repellent is done. Just spray it all around your house to keep snakes away!
Plant anti-snake trees
Owing to the fact that snakes naturally have an excellent sense of smell, they hate all strong odors including spices, and consequently avoid being near plants with a strong scent. Here are the top 3 recommended anti-snakes plants:
- Marigolds: The latter not only make your garden beautiful, thanks to its yellow flowers, but also diffuse a smell that snakes dislike.
- Lemongrass: Although its citrus fragrance is pleasant to humans, it is too strong for snakes, as well as mosquitos.
- Garlic: Best-known for its pungent taste and aroma, garlic is one of the best snake repelling plants ever.
In addition, snakes are also afraid of some plants, like Mother-in-Law’s Tongue, which features leaves that can hurt their skin. Thus, you may grow some beautiful spiky shrubs all around your land as a barrier to prevent unwelcome visitors from sneaking around your house.
Tidy up your yard regularly
In general, snakes prefer messy and overgrown yards where they can hide from predators. Moreover, the untidy land also attracts frogs and mice, which are snakes’ favorite food! As a result, it is important to keep your garden clean if you want your house to become a snake-free zone.
For that reason, you should trim shrubs/bushes and mow the lawn frequently. Furthermore, do not forget to remove all debris, unwanted items, and clutter in order to make sure that there will be no hideout for snakes and other animals.
Look out for cool and dark gaps or holes around the house
Aside from the overgrown backyard, the land with plenty of holes and crannies is a perfect shelter for snakes as well. Besides, they also love dark and damped places like a garage, a basement, or an old shed.
Therefore, you should inspect the exterior, interior, and underneath of the house for small gaps and holes. Thereafter, seal them all to prevent snakes from entering. Also, you may demolish an old useless building so no one can take it up as a shelter!
Install snake-proof fences
Another potent way to protect your house from these creepy reptiles is to construct a snake-proof fence. The latter can be made of wire mesh, rubber sheet, or vinyl. Most importantly, it must be installed close to the ground without any gap under the fence.
Also, your house’s barrier should be higher than 3 feet so that it becomes more difficult for snakes to climb up. For a better result, we recommend putting gravel or prickly plants around the fences as well because snakes generally fear slithering over sharp and pointy objects.
Remove all snake food sources
Similar to other creatures, snakes usually inhabit near their food sources, such as small animals and insects. That’s why you should always clean up your property and eliminate garbage that will attract rodents. In addition, do not leave your pet’s food plate outside.
Furthermore, if you have chickens, we suggest you secure the hen house and collect the eggs regularly, otherwise, they may become the main meal for snakes and other predators.
Find a big dog, a snake hunter!
Last but not least, as canines are naturally snake’s enemies, another efficient solution is to adopt a dog, especially terrier breeds that are originally bred to chase smaller animals.
Dogs are indeed good at finding and hunting snakes, thanks to their smelling and hearing talents. This is the reason why snakes definitely stay away if they scent dogs nearby and consequently will not choose your place as home.
And now you have learned how to keep your house free from snakes. Nevertheless, in case the snake problem seems too difficult to handle, it is advised to seek professional help immediately for your safety. We hope this article can help you successfully repel unwanted visitors from your yard!
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