Snakes are drawn to residential areas seeking food, water, and shelter, often unintentionally provided by homeowners. Keeping snakes away relies on making the property unattractive and inaccessible. Effective prevention involves a multi-layered approach addressing these three primary needs, encouraging snakes to move to more suitable habitats. Property owners can implement safe, practical modifications to discourage their presence without harming the reptiles or the environment.
Making Your Property Less Appealing
Snakes rely on cover to hide from predators and regulate their body temperature, making the elimination of potential shelter the first step. Maintaining a short lawn is highly effective, as snakes avoid open, exposed areas where they are vulnerable. Mowing grass to a height of two to three inches removes the dense cover snakes need to feel secure while moving across the yard.
Removing debris piles drastically reduces available hiding spots and overwintering sites. Clear away wood piles, rock piles, construction materials, and accumulated junk that creates dark, cool voids near the ground. Firewood should be stored on a raised rack, ideally at least 12 inches off the ground, and kept far away from the home’s foundation.
Dense, low-lying shrubs and thick ground covers also offer excellent shelter. Trim the lower branches of bushes and shrubs to maintain a clearance of 6 to 12 inches above the soil, minimizing hiding spots against the house or fence line. Controlling standing water is also useful, as leaky outdoor faucets, broken drainage, or excessive irrigation attract prey species like frogs and earthworms.
Controlling Snake Food Sources
Snakes are primarily attracted by the availability of prey, most commonly rodents, amphibians, and large insects. Controlling these populations is a major component of snake prevention. Implement comprehensive rodent management, focusing on eliminating food sources that sustain mice and rats.
Securely store pet food, bird seed, and grain in tightly sealed, rodent-proof containers. Bird feeders are significant attractants, both because spilled seed feeds rodents and because they become ambush points for snakes preying on birds. If using feeders, choose designs that minimize spillage and regularly clean the ground underneath.
Reducing insect populations, such as crickets and grasshoppers, diminishes the food supply for smaller snake species. This involves reducing outdoor lighting that draws insects to the perimeter or switching to yellow or sodium vapor lights, which are less attractive to flying insects. By making the environment unsuitable for their food, snakes will naturally move elsewhere.
Physical Barriers and Exclusion
The most reliable method for exclusion is installing a physical barrier, such as snake-proof fencing. This barrier must use a mesh size of one-quarter inch or smaller to prevent small snakes from squeezing through. The fence material should be durable hardware cloth or galvanized steel mesh.
For the fence to be fully effective, it should extend at least 36 inches above the ground. The bottom edge requires careful installation: the mesh should be buried six to twelve inches deep, or bent outward in an “L” shape and anchored to the surface, to prevent burrowing. Angling the fence outward by approximately 25 degrees at the top can discourage climbing species.
Structural sealing is required to prevent snakes from entering buildings like homes, sheds, or garages. Snakes can pass through any opening larger than a quarter-inch, necessitating a thorough inspection of the foundation. Seal all cracks, utility openings, and gaps around pipes with caulk, mortar, or a fine wire mesh. Address gaps under doors and windows with weatherstripping or door sweeps to ensure a complete seal.
Debunking Ineffective Deterrents
Many commercially available products and home remedies are promoted but lack scientific backing for snake prevention. Ultrasonic or vibrational stakes, which emit continuous sound or vibration, are generally ineffective. Snakes are sensitive to sudden ground vibrations but quickly habituate to the constant, non-threatening stimulus from these devices, learning to disregard them.
Chemical repellents, often containing naphthalene (mothballs) or sulfur, are unreliable in controlled studies. Snakes do not sense odors like mammals; they use their forked tongue and vomeronasal organ to process chemical cues. Studies show snakes are often unbothered by these strong odors and will simply move over or around treated areas.
Using substances like mothballs outdoors is often illegal and introduces toxic chemicals into the environment, posing a risk to pets and children. Other rumored deterrents, such as garden lime, fox urine, or sticky glue traps, should also be avoided. Glue traps are inhumane, catching non-target wildlife and causing a slow death.