Snakes…. Some of us have a fear of snakes. While others it doesn’t bother so much to even pick one up. The good news is the vast majority of snakes are harmless snakes. That said, it doesn’t mean we want them slithering around. Thankfully, there are some fantastic, natural snake repellents that actually work.
While I don’t like snakes, I don’t care to kill them. They do serve a purpose, and they can also be detrimental (they will eat eggs). But, they also eat mice and rats neither of which I want running around my house or property.
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So, while I do run the risk of snakes getting into our coop, we’ve found ways to combat them naturally and they stay in their part of the world and we all stay in ours. They keep the mice away, I keep them out of my chicken coop. It’s a win-win, really.
The problem with keeping them where they belong and away from our home can be difficult, though. We have children, dogs, and other animals all around our little homestead.
Putting something down that could potentially harm me, my family, or my critters really isn’t an option.
Not only do I have to worry about the wrong someone or something getting into a harmful chemical, but I also have to worry about what it could potentially be doing to the land. I believe we are meant to care for the land and scattering chemicals all over it doesn’t fulfill that obligation.
Since I don’t like snakes, but I think I like chemicals even less, I needed to find natural ways to get rid of snakes. Since we live close to the water and a wooded area, they are bound to come around, but we keep them at bay, naturally.
I’ve found a few effective ways to keep snakes in their side of the woods. While adding a few of these options is your best bet, any one of them will help your problem a little, though adding several options is going to be more effective.
Do mothballs repel snakes?
Not only are mothballs ineffective at repelling snakes, but it’s also illegal to use them outside. Mothballs are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which means using them for anything other than their intended use is illegal.
Using mothballs is dangerous, especially outside where other wildlife, pets, and children can come into contact with them and be harmed by them. So, just don’t do it. They don’t work, anyway
The Most Effective Snake Repellents
All of these repellents are natural and will have varying success. That said, they are the best snake repellents using natural ingredients. I’d rather deal with a snake problem than utilize questionable substances.
All of these repellents can help keep snakes out of things you do not want them in, but they will not kill them… leaving them to eat all the small rodents their slithering selves can consume… which, in my opinion, is a win-win.
A lot of these repellents are based on things that a snake doesn’t enjoy the smell of, so let’s discuss.
West Indian Lemongrass
Lemongrass is a great herb to grow on your homestead. It repels mosquitos, and ticks, and also helps repel snakes.
Lemongrass is a great herb to grow on your homestead. Not only is it beautiful and easy to grow, but it repels mosquitos, and ticks, and also helps repel snakes.
For best results, you’ll want to plant lemongrass around the perimeter of the area to keep snakes away. You can pot it and bring it indoors for overwintering if you live in a climate where it’s not a perennial.
We put several pots out around our deck during the summer months when the bugs and serpents are out to help keep them away. It’s definitely a favorite and I make it a point to grow it every year.
Garlic Spray to Keep Snakes Away
Garlic and onions are thought to be one of the most effective ways to repel snakes because they contain sulfonic acid, the chemical that causes us to cry when we chop onions.
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You’ll want to infuse oil with garlic so it has a really strong odor. You can use the spray in any area you want to repel snakes away from.
The most effective places for this snake repellent spray are doorways, windowsills, crawlspaces or basements, and even around the perimeter of your home. It can also be used around chicken coops and other outbuildings.
Be forewarned, though, it takes a large amount and you will have to reapply it after a heavy rain or every 2-3 weeks to maintain effectiveness.
Ingredients
- 10 Cloves of Garlic
- Garlic Infused Oil (how to make infused oils)
- Water
- Small glass jar
Directions
- Place a bit of water ( a couple of tablespoons) in the bottom of a blender. Add the cloves of garlic, and blend until you have a paste.
- Add the oil and blend up a bit more. Then, pour the liquid into a jar and keep the lid on for at least an hour before using.
- Put a couple of drops wherever you want to repel snakes. Doorways, windowsills, crawlspace entrances, around the perimeter of your home, wherever.
- You’ll need to reapply the solution if it rains or every 2-3 weeks for it to remain effective.
Mother in Laws Tongue
The mother in laws tongue is also known as the snake plant. It is a succulent variety that has sharp leaves.
It does not have an odor, unlike garlic and lemongrass, but it repels by affecting the snake’s senses. This succulent plant is very easy to grow and attractive. Simply water it a time or two every week and you’re good.
In cooler zones, this does best as a potted plant that gets set outside in the warmer months. In warmer climates, USDA zone 7 and above, it can be grown outdoors year-round.
Clove and Cinnamon Oil as a Snake Repellent
Several commercially available, natural snake repellent products contain these two potent essential oils.
To use this, you’ll simply mix clove oil and cinnamon essential oil in equal parts in a spray bottle. You can spray it directly on snakes but use caution in case they don’t slither in the opposite direction as they should.
You can also use this mixture on any porous surface such as a wood deck of the perimeter around your home. It does not work well on hard surfaces, though.
Like the garlic spray, the only thing that is a hassle is it will need to be regularly reapplied to see the benefits including after heavy rain or every couple of weeks if you don’t receive any precipitation.
Keep Food Sources to a Minimum to Keep Snakes Away
A snake’s primary food source is rodents.
And where do rodents love to hang out? In places where they can hide like long grass, overgrown shrubbery, overgrown plants, and garden areas where there is a lot of cover.
If the mice love it, and the snakes eat mice, then you’re going to find snakes in these spots.
I know how hard it can be to maintain everything, especially when most of us work as well as a homestead. But, the more trimmed and cleaned up the areas around your property are, the more you can curb snake activity.
I try to keep our lawn mowed at least once a week. We moved our hostas into pots and kept them further from the foundation block, and I tried really hard to keep the garden weeded.
Our garden sits right behind our garage, so I know if I don’t have it weeded, there will be mice in the garage and snakes slithering all around the yard, and close to our coop. Weeding can be a lot of work and time-consuming, but it keeps the snakes (and rodents) away.
Eliminate Hiding Places to Keep Snakes Out of Your Yard
Snakes are notorious for hiding in cracks and crevices. We have a woodpile at the very edge of our property for our winter heat and all summer long, while the snakes are active, you can see them peeking their heads out from between the wood.
If you have a woodshed that locks, great. But if you don’t, store your wood piles away from the main parts of your property until the snakes are either hibernating or going dormant (depending on the climate where you live).
Try to keep all scrap metal, trash, compost piles, leaf piles, and the like to a minimum and keep these things away from the main area of your property.
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Check the outside of your home for cracks in foundations, broken screens, and such to make sure the snakes can’t find a way to slither inside your home or crawl spaces.
The same goes for coops and other outbuildings. They can slither into a really small space, so make sure you do your best to patch up any holes they can get into.
If you have piles of things near your home, you can lift them up off of the ground and that will help a little bit, too. With the snakes anyway. Keeping the spiders out is another story.
Keep feed tightly enclosed to keep snakes away
Again with the rodents. Where you attract rodents, you’ll attract snakes. And leaving food open out here would result in the neighborhood raccoons having a feast right outside the chicken coop.
Keep all feed, pet food, chicken, rabbit, horse, goat, whatever you’ve got going on… in tightly lidded containers in covered storage areas. We use metal trashcans with tight-fitting lids to store our feed in.
Just whatever you use, make sure the lid fits well, and try not to sprinkle too much feed all over the ground if your chickens aren’t going to eat it. Though ours like to get in the bowl and scratch it out all over the ground anyway…
If you keep rodent populations to a minimum, you won’t have near the problem with snakes. This isn’t to say that they won’t come around, they will, but fewer rodents equal less snake activity.
Get some chickens, pigs, and/or guinea fowl to control snakes
A few years ago, we finally added guinea fowl to our flock of chickens and ducks. We had 6, something ate 4 of them while they were young keets and we wound up with a pair.
Forewarning, guinea hens can be very annoying. They’re incredibly noisy. And they’re really not very bright. But, they will most definitely eat snakes. And ticks.
Ours actually attacked a fox that was trying to get into the chicken run and chased off a rogue rooster from our neighbors (still don’t know how that rooster got all the way over here).
Pigs are another natural predator of snakes and can be a great addition to your homestead if you have the space. They’ll add a sustainable source of meat, help clear up land, and keep the snake population in check.
Chickens can be a great addition to any size homestead. My chickens go crazy over snakes, toads, and mice. If they see one, they’ll get it and fight over who’s going to eat it. They ganged up on a mole once and it didn’t end well for the mole.
Livestock can be incredibly beneficial in several ways. These particular fowl and porcine can help keep the snakes away.
Fox Urine is a Natural Snake Repellent
Foxes are natural predators of snakes. And while I have no desire to invite them onto the property, their urine will do just fine.
If you have fox indigenous to your area, go get some urine from the local sporting goods or farm store and spread it wherever you don’t want snakes. This is a great option for a backyard perimeter.
Control Snakes with Cedar Oil
Cedar oil is a great scent-based snake repellent that releases phenols that repel snakes. You can use cedar oil anywhere you don’t want them to come around.
You can also use cedar shavings in places that are prone to snake problems so long as you don’t have livestock in those areas. Simply spread the shavings around and you’ve got yourself an easy snake repellent (that smells pretty good).
Vinegar As a Snake Repellent
Vinegar is effective at keeping snakes out of bodies of water like ponds and swimming pools. So, if you find yourself with a snake problem and they’re getting into these areas on your property, put some vinegar in to help keep them out.
If you found this post on natural snake repellents helpful, I’d love to hear your thoughts and questions in the comments below! Also, feel free to tag me with your snake repellent ideas on Instagram @therusticelk!
Source: https://gardencourte.com
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