Snakes are a common creature found throughout the United States, and most people will see them in their yard or near their home at some point. Some of these snakes can be helpful, but that doesn’t mean people like seeing them on their property. To get rid of these animals, you can turn to a number of home remedies to try out.
13 Home Remedies to Keep Snakes Away
You can turn to these 13 home remedies as a way to keep snakes away from your home and yard.
1. Get Rid of Food Sources
Snakes will be attracted to multiple types of food sources, especially mice and rats. One of the best ways to prevent seeing snakes around your home is by eliminating anything that could be a possible food source for them. Insects, fish, and frogs are also popular prey for snakes, so if any of these are on your property then there are likely snakes around too.
2. No Standing Water
Snakes are drawn to standing water, whether it be a pond or a bird bath. Just like they need a food source, snakes also need a source of water, and your yard can be appealing if it has either of these.
Getting rid of any standing water around your home will keep many snakes from returning, once they realize the water is gone. It can also help keep mosquitoes from breeding in your yard.
3. Remove any Shelter
Just like other animals, snakes will need to have some kind of shelter. Some snakes can dig burrows for shelter, but others will find debris in your yard appealing as a place to live.
This can include under sheds, in tall grass, and under wood piles. If you want to keep snakes off of your property then you need to make sure they don’t have access to any shelter.
4. Fill up Burrows
If you see any burrows in your yard that could belong to snakes then make sure to fill them up. Old burrows left by squirrels or gophers can also be used by snakes, some of these should be filled too. You can use dirt or gravel to do this, and it will prevent snakes from being able to find shelter in these burrows.
5. Fox Urine
There are plenty of predators that snakes will steer clear from, such as foxes and coyotes. Fox urine can be bought at many farm stores, since it is a natural repellent of snakes and other nuisance animals. Spraying some of this around your property will keep many snakes in the area away.
6. Wormwood
Wormwood is a well-known plant that has been found to be effective in keeping snakes away. Planting a few of these around your house and yard can keep these slithering animals away. Wormwood can grow out of hand though, so be sure to keep an eye on it.
7. Lemongrass
Just like wormwood, lemongrass is a natural way to keep snakes off of your property. Planting a few in your yard will be useful in keeping snakes away, but it is not certain what exactly about this plant repels them. It can also grow too big, similarly to wormwood, and should be watched carefully.
8. Chickens and Turkeys
Having chickens and turkeys together on your property is an effective way to keep snakes away, and take care of any that get too close. The snakes will wander into the chicken coop after eggs, but turkeys and chickens can be fierce predators of them and will attack the snakes. Another option to consider is guinea hens.
9. Essential Oils
Essential oils are often used as insect control and repellent, and they can be just as effective in repelling snakes. Clove, cedar wood, and cinnamon are some of the best essential oils for keeping away snakes. You can apply these oils around your yard, or in any area where you have noticed a lot of snake activities.
10. Roses
Roses are a beautiful plant that can enhance anyone’s yard, while working to keep away any annoying snakes. These bushes are effective around the posts of porches or birdhouses, as the thorny stems keep the snakes from being able to slither up to the post.
11. Sulfur
Sulfur works similar to the way essential oils do when it comes to keeping snakes away. Putting some of this around your property can be quite effective in keeping these animals away. It is used in many store-bought snake repellents, but is just as useful when used on its own.
12. Garlic
Snakes do not like garlic, just like most other animals, so it can be used to keep these slithering creatures out of your yard and away from your home.
Add chopped garlic to oil and let it set like that for a few weeks. After a few weeks you can strain the garlic cloves out, and spray the oil in areas where you don’t want to see any snakes.
13. Relocation
If you see a few snakes in your yard and they do not seem to be deterred by anything, the next option is to just relocate them entirely. You can do this yourself, if the snake is harmless, or call in an expert. As long as snakes are relocated far enough away, but still in their habitat, they should not come back to your property.
Conclusion
You can keep snakes out of your yard using a number of these home remedies. Many of them can be created with stuff you already have at home, and if not the ingredients can be found at low costs.
