How to Treat Snakes
Snakes are always a challenge. Before you get rid of them though, make sure that you have a type of snake that is venomous. Non-venomous snakes can actually be a good thing. You see, one of the reasons they may be coming into your yard is that you have a food supply there. By that I mean you may have mice, rats, frogs, or other small critters that the snakes want to feed on. While the frogs may not be so bad, you certainly don't want the mice and rats running around. So, the snakes can help you out by getting rid of some of these pests. Now, if you are thinking, “Yeah, but these things really freak me out,” then you are not alone. Personally, I cannot stand these things. Nevertheless, if they are non-venomous, I summon up my courage and I leave them alone.
That being said, if you want to get rid of them, then the very first thing that you need to do is make sure that you remove any food supply that exists in your yard. That means you need to remove any food that may attract critters like rats and mice. Make sure that all trash cans are tightly sealed and do not leave any food out for dogs and cats. Always feed your pets indoors. You may also be offering them a food supply without realizing it. For example, if you have any standing water laying around the yard, like a small pond where you keep koi fish or something, then those areas can also breed things like frogs.
Finally, you can break the food chain. If you ever watched The Lion King, then you've heard about the circle of life. Big critters eat little critters and that includes bugs. So, in order to break the food chain, a good place to start is by getting rid of the bugs. You can treat your lawn every couple of months with Bifen XTS. I will give you a link to my video on how to treat your yard with a hose end sprayer. Just treat from the house up to the property line. This is going to kill all the bugs on your lawn, and it has a residual of around 60 days. It actually does not last 60 days, but it takes a while before the bugs can get reestablished. If there are no bugs, then no food supply for small critters and small snakes as well. If you have no bugs and no small critters, then no food for the snakes. It takes a while for this to be effective, but the snakes will eventually realize that your property is not a good hunting ground, and they will probably hunt elsewhere. That doesn't mean that one will not occasionally come on the property, but it will reduce the likelihood over time.
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Video on how to treat your yard with a garden sprayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wifoTU5dmp0
Bifen XTS: https://www.domyown.com/bifen-xts-p-1236.html
Garden hose sprayer: Amazon.com : RE Chapin MFG Works G499 Adjustable Rate Dial Hose End Sprayer, 32 OZ : Patio, Lawn & Garden
Snakes also like to find hiding places, so make sure that you do not offer them any. This doesn't just mean places they can go under, like firewood, turned over trash cans, piles of leaves, and so forth, but also they like to blend in with the environment. That is why it is common to find them in a garden. They didn't go in your garden necessarily to eat, but to blend in with the environment. Of course, a garden could offer them a food supply if other critters are eating some of those vegetables that you planted. At night they like to hide in places that are particularly dark. Cover is a snake's best friend. They do not like you anymore than you like them, so you will often find them in tall grass where they are not easily seen. So, be sure to keep your lawn mowed. Finally, make sure that you don't have any ditches or holes in the ground that they can get into easily. In other words, do not allow the snakes any place where they can seek cover.
If these prevention methods fail, then you need to start bringing out the big guns. Probably the most effective way to keep snakes out of your yard is to exclude them by installing snake proof fencing. You can purchase these products on Amazon and I will give you a link to just one such product as an example. Feel free to look around Amazon or other suppliers to find the fencing that would be best suited for your property and needs. This type of fencing makes it difficult for snakes to go under or climb over them.
Snake proof fencing: Hardware Cloth 1/4 Inch 8in X 20ft, 23Gauge Galvanized Welded Wire Metal Roll, Garden Rabbit Fencing, Snake Fence, Chicken Gopher Racoons Critters Rehab Cage
You can also try some snake repellents. There are any number of them on the market. They typically use environmentally friendly materials that irritate the snakes so that they don't come around. You can experiment with different products to see what works best for you. I will give you a link to just one of them.
Snake repellent: Snake Out Snake Repellent - Free Shipping
There are also snake traps available, but I am reluctant to use them because of the possibility of killing other critters that you may not be interested in getting rid of. So, if you're going to use traps, then try to stick with the ones that are designed to catch snakes alive. I will give you a link to just one of these types of traps.
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Snake trap: AmazingTraps The Amazing Humane Snake Trap - Catches and Release All Kinds of Snakes - Reusable!