The nice weather is here in NY and soon the snakes will be out. Yikes! Does anyone have info on how to lure snakes away from my flower garden without killing them? I freak out when I see them all coiled up laying there. I can't even take care of my flowers. Please Help!
Thanks
Amy
They HATE the smell of moth balls. Igot one snake out of my attic by throwing the moth balls up there! (04/02/2005)
By guest
You can also use moth crystals which can almost look decorative in the flower bed. (04/02/2005)
By cj
Get cats! You won't have snakes. (04/02/2005)
By Edie Leonard.
Snakes will keep the populations of other small animals, rodents, etc. in check. I don't like to kill them, even though I am afraid of them, too. You must have something that is attracting them. One snake we had disappeared after we removed a pile of old wood. He liked to hunt under it and once his hunting spot was gone, he went elsewhere. If you have piles of debris around your flower garden, you may want to get rid of them. (04/02/2005)
By guest
Snakes aren't slimy, and if they aren't poisonous are beneficial to your home/garden by taking care of mice problems. The ones in my area are very venomous so I must admit I kill them, but bear in mind that the majority of snake bites are caused by people interfering/trying to kill snakes. Stamping around in the general vicinity will get rid of them - most of them are shy, retiring, and deaf creatures so making a lot of movement/vibration in the area to make them move away.
Regards
Jo (04/02/2005)
By
Powdered sulfur has always been said to work for snakes, but there is probably a reason why the snake is in the garden. If it has a food source it will be there. Without the snake you could have moles and mice. If it is not poisonous, let it be. They will move away when you get near. Just stomp your feet and they will feel you coming, and leave. They benefit your garden more than you know. Dee (04/03/2005)
By Dee
I can't believe someone of you are actually referring to snakes as "varmints" and suggesting that they be exterminated. Snakes prey on rodents and other genuine varmints and the majority of them are non-venomous. First find out for sure that they are venomous, and THEN ask for advice from an animal control agent on what to do. (04/11/2005)
By Some Guy
I heard using lots of lime helps. From what I remember it burns their skin. Lime should be used twice annually on your lawn or property. If you have snakes just load up the lime & throw down weekly not to heavy. (08/07/2005)
By Ron
The best way to get rid of snakes is to lay gravel down. They hate it as they cut themselves on the gravel. (10/24/2005)
By rob
I know there is an inherent fear of snakes in many mammals -- from primates to humans. However, they are an important part of our ecosystem and "chopping their heads off" and dowsing them with gasoline is abhorrent! The BEST WAY to control snakes is to control your own behavior by learning about them! I live in the mountains of Virginia and have black snakes, rat snakes, copperheads and the occasional rattle snake. They have NO INTEREST in humans and, in fact, benefit us a great deal by eating moles, mice, rats, etc. In fact, the king snake, which is in the area but I have not seen on my property, is immune to venom and eats copperheads. Control of snakes is simple: remove all habitat for their prey. That includes brush piles, wood piles, junk and keeping the area mowed regularly.
I used to have a fear of snakes much greater than most after a childhood experience with one. However, through education and understanding I now respect them and even look forward to seeing one! If we were to get rid of all the snakes in the world we would be over run by rodents that are far more destructive and deadly (disease, etc) to humans than snakes are.
You can learn about the snakes in your area by contacting your game and inlands fisheries our county. One person from North Carolina wrote that they have "moccasins". Well, if they were to contact a reliable source, they would learn that mocassins/cotton mouths do not live in the mountains of NC but only in the coastal areas and even then in a few isolated pockets near the dismal swamp in NE NC. They fear something that does not even exist where the live!
(05/05/2006)
By Tab
http://www.aaanimalcontrol.com/professional-trapper/nationwide-trappers.htm (07/15/2006)
By gman
Try the electronic repellers from stopsnakes.com (07/19/2006)
By Bob
I just have a warning about using moth balls or crystals to get rid of snakes. The vapor from them that is supposed to run off snakes is poisonous to humans, so don't fill the crawl spaces under your house with them. I have used them under my porches and it seems to work. Keep leaves raked up if you have copperheads- they don't like bare ground. I always rake leaves AFTER if freezes so I don't rake up a snake and have a heart attack. Keeping the grass short and weed eating helps too. I think the only real solution is to move to the city and worry about being mugged. The country is full of country critters. (09/26/2007)
By Carolyn Cook
Poisonous and non-poisonous snakes do not usually co-habitate together and in my experience the more you have of one the less you have of the other. If you go around killing off the non-poisonous breeds you are actually increasing the survival rates of the poisonous breeds due to the increase in food supply and lack of competition among the different breeds.
Most people would notice this statement to be rather common-sense but for those of you who do not, well, now you know. STOP killing off the garters, blacks, and king snakes that you find around your home. If one does happen to get in, it is usually because their food supply has also found a way in. Get rid of the food supply(mice, rats, large insects and lizards) and you get rid of the snakes. Call someone who has experience dealing with snakes to remove them from your home and place them in a safer location outside.
And Yes, I also live in a heavily wooded area and have for all my life so you can take it or leave it, just don't say that I didn't tell you so. (04/23/2008)
By Not An Idiot
I have camped in Mammoth, Ca. my whole life and there are no snakes in the area, odd for mountains! Well I was told that it's because the pumice rock on the ground they don't come around. It cuts there bellies. Maybe get some pumice if you can find it. (07/03/2008)
By Geoff
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