The copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) is a venomous pit viper native to North America, frequently encountered in wooded suburban and rural areas across the eastern United States. Their excellent camouflage allows them to blend seamlessly with leaf litter, making accidental encounters a common concern for homeowners. Since copperheads possess venom that requires medical attention, learning how to safely exclude them from your property is important for both human safety and the snake’s well-being. Reducing the risk of an encounter involves proactive modification of the environment and the installation of appropriate physical barriers.
Eliminating Shelter and Food Sources
The most effective long-term deterrent for copperheads involves making your yard an unsuitable habitat by removing their preferred cover and primary food sources. Copperheads are ambush predators that seek out cool, dark places where they can hide and wait for prey. Eliminating potential shelter is the first and most actionable step in prevention.
Piles of leaves, pine straw, and cut grass clippings offer ideal insulation and camouflage for a resting or hunting copperhead. All yard debris should be regularly raked and removed, especially from areas near foundations, porches, and patios. Woodpiles should be stacked neatly and kept elevated at least six inches off the ground and positioned as far away from the home as possible. This denies them the warm, sheltered crevices they use for thermoregulation.
Copperheads favor areas that provide both cover and sun, such as overgrown garden beds or ivy thickets. Keeping your lawn mowed to a short height and trimming back dense shrubbery prevents the creation of these attractive, concealed spaces.
Adult copperheads primarily feed on small rodents like mice, voles, and shrews, making prey control an indirect method of deterrence. If you observe signs of a robust rodent population, implementing exclusion or control measures will remove the primary attraction for the snakes. Bird feeders and pet food left outdoors can unintentionally sustain rodent populations, so these items should be secured or removed. Additionally, eliminating leaky faucets or poor drainage areas is beneficial, as standing water attracts amphibian prey.
Installing Physical Barriers
While habitat modification works to discourage copperheads, the installation of physical barriers provides a definitive line of defense for specific areas like play yards or outdoor living spaces. Specialized snake-proof fencing is designed to prevent their entry by exploiting the snake’s inability to navigate a smooth, vertical, or angled surface. This type of barrier should be constructed using a galvanized or aluminum mesh with openings no larger than a quarter-inch.
The fence material needs to be at least 30 to 36 inches high above the ground to prevent climbing. Critically, the bottom edge must be buried a minimum of six to ten inches deep to prevent snakes from burrowing underneath the barrier. For increased effectiveness, the fence can be angled outward from the enclosure at approximately a 30-degree angle, which makes it virtually impossible for the snake to move up and over the obstruction.
Beyond the perimeter, copperheads can enter structures through surprisingly small openings. Inspect the foundation of your home, garage, and shed for any cracks, gaps, or holes larger than a dime. These entry points should be sealed with concrete, caulk, or copper mesh exclusion material. All exterior doors, including garage doors, should have tight-fitting weather stripping and door sweeps installed to eliminate any space at the threshold.
Evaluating Effectiveness of Repellent Products
Many homeowners search for chemical or natural substances to repel copperheads, but most commercial and home-remedy deterrents have shown very limited success in controlled studies. Products that rely on strong odors, such as sulfur, essential oils, or mothballs, are generally ineffective because snakes do not rely on a strong sense of smell for navigation or threat detection. Snakes primarily sense their environment through vibration, heat, and chemoreception via their tongue and Jacobson’s organ, making airborne scents a poor deterrent.
Research has demonstrated that snakes will often cross bands of granular or powdered repellent products placed directly in their path. Furthermore, some common home remedies, like mothballs, contain naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene, which are toxic pesticides. When used outdoors, these chemicals pose a significant health risk to children, pets, and local wildlife, and they contaminate the soil and groundwater.
Relying on any scent-based repellent offers a false sense of security and is not recommended as a primary strategy for copperhead exclusion.
Safe Action When a Copperhead Is Found
Despite all preventative measures, an occasional copperhead may still enter the yard, requiring a calm and safe response. The most important rule upon encountering a copperhead is to immediately maintain a safe distance, generally at least six feet, and ensure all children and pets are moved away from the area. Never attempt to handle, capture, or kill the snake, as most bites occur when people actively provoke the animal.
Copperheads are not aggressive toward humans and will typically try to move away or remain still until the perceived threat passes. Often, the snake will leave the area on its own within a short period, sometimes only a few minutes or hours. If the snake is in an inconvenient location, you can encourage it to move by gently spraying its tail area with a garden hose from a distance.
If the snake takes up residence in a high-traffic area and does not move, contact a professional snake removal service or licensed wildlife control expert. These professionals are trained to safely capture and relocate the venomous snake without risking a bite. Attempting amateur capture or relocation significantly increases the risk of a dangerous incident.