How To Get Rid Of Garden Snakes Home Remedies

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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. So, while I do run the risk of them 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. And putting something down that could potentially harm myself, 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, I 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 for how to get rid of snakes. Since we live close to 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, it's illegal to use them outside. Moth balls are regulated by the 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 all natural or made of natural ingredients because I'm not a fan of harmful chemicals to control anything. 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 it 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, 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, it repels mosquitos, ticks, and also helps repel snakes.

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 a way. 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.

You'll want to infuse some oil with garlic so the odor is really potent. You can use the spray in any area you want to repel snakes away from.

This spray is perfect for places like 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 tablespoons) in the bottom of a blender. Add the cloves of garlic, 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

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 effecting 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

Several commercially available, natural snake repellent products contain these two potent essential oils.

To use this, you'll simply mix clove and cinnamon essential oils 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. You will need to regularly reapply this spray to see its benefits including after a heavy rain or every couple of weeks if you don't receive any precipitation.

Keep a snakes food sources to a minimum

A snakes primary food sources are rodents. And where do rodents love to hang out? In places where they can hide like tall 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 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 keep them further from the foundation block, and I try 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

Snakes are notorious for hiding in cracks and crevices. We have a wood pile 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 wood shed that locks, great. But if you don't, store your wood 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.

Check your home for cracks, broken screens and such to make sure the snakes can't find a way to slither inside your home. Same goes with 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

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 anyway right outside the chicken coop. Keep all feed, pet food, chicken, rabbit, horse, goat, whatever you've got going on… in a tightly lidded container. 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 the rodents out, you won't have near the problem with snakes. This isn't to say that they won't come around, they will, but less rodents equals less snake activity.

Get some chickens, pigs, and/or guinea fowl

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 porcines can help keep the snakes away.

Fox urine

Foxes are 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.

Cedar Oil

Cedar oil has a powerful scent and gives off 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

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.

There are several ways to keep snakes out of your yard, but these are the best ways I've found. I hope this information can help keep the serpents away from your home or homestead.