How To Keep Snakes Away From Your House
Few homeowners rejoice at the sight of snakes in and around their house. Snakes are scary and potentially dangerous, depending on where you live, the type of snakes, and whether you have pets. You are in luck if you are struggling with how to keep snakes away from your house.
The best way to keep snakes away from your house is to use snake repellent that contains naphthalene. You can also keep snakes away if you scatter cedar chips or garlic oil around your house. Clove oil, lemon juice, marigolds, and lime can also keep snakes away from your house.
Make sure to maintain your lawn regularly so that it will be less appealing to snakes. Ultrasonic snake-repellent devices can also help take care of your snake problem. Follow along as we explore how to keep snakes away from your house.
How To Repel Snakes
1. Snake Repellent
Snake repellent spray is the best way to keep snakes away from your house. It typically contains naphthalene, which is repulsive to snakes. You may recognize naphthalene as the chemical in mothballs, but it’s much more effective as a spray.
Some homeowners scatter mothballs in their yards instead, but that can be dangerous. This is especially true if you have pets, as it could harm them if they eat one of the mothballs. Snake repellent spray costs between $15 and $30 per bottle, and you typically only need to apply it once per month.
2. Maintain Your Lawn
Snakes thrive in outdoor areas that are overgrown and populated with dense grass and weeds. Your lawn will be less appealing to snakes if you mow it regularly and pull the weeds. It’s also important to prune your bushes and remove fallen branches and leaves from your yard.
Snakes are unlikely to slither through clean areas because they don’t like to be exposed. This will also help keep frogs and many pests out of your yard.
3. Install A Fence
Install a fence to keep snakes away from your house if you live in a heavily wooded area. Vinyl fences are particularly effective for keeping snakes out of your yard. It’s hard for snakes to slither up a vinyl fence because their bodies struggle to grip the surface.
Avoid brick and wooden fences because snakes can easily climb them. Make sure to get a snake-proof fence. Snake-proof fences go deep into the ground and leave no spaces between the fence slats. Without this kind of fence, snakes can easily climb up or crawl under many standard fences.
4. Natural Oils
Snakes have an incredibly strong sense of smell. Many natural oils smell foul to snakes, even if they smell good to humans. For example, clove oil and lemon juice are quite irritating to snakes.
Snakes will avoid clove and lemon oil at all costs. Scatter some clove or lemon oil around the perimeter of your yard or wherever you see snakes most commonly. The acidic nature of lemon is off-putting to snakes, and they are unlikely to move close to your house.
5. Put Lime On Your Lawn
Not only can lime help your lawn thrive, but it can also keep snakes away from your house. Put some lime 6” deep in the soil in your lawn. Snakes will be able to detect the lime as they slither through your yard, and they will likely leave.
Your grass will also grow greener and thicker, which makes lime the most surprisingly beneficial snake repellent. Spring and fall are the best times to put lime on your lawn.
6. Ultrasonic Snake Repellent
Ultrasonic snake-repellent devices are among the best ways to keep snakes away from your house. These small devices emit an ultrasonic sound that is off-putting to snakes. Ultrasonic devices are used to repel all kinds of animals, from stray dogs and deer to snakes and rabbits.
The only downside to ultrasonic snake repellent is that it may upset your dogs. Try to only use an ultrasonic snake repellent when your pets are indoors, if you have any. This will keep snakes away from your house without upsetting your animals.
7. Garlic
The scent of garlic is disgusting to snakes. Raw garlic and garlic oil can keep snakes away from your house because of the strong odor. Everything from mosquitoes and aphids to snakes and deer will stay away from your house if you scatter some garlic oil around the perimeter.
Garlic oil around your house and in your soil beds will deter snakes and other pests. It will also help protect your garden from pests that chomp on your plants. Plant some garlic near your fence if you want to go the natural route. That way, you can produce your garlic oil and you’ll be able to harvest plenty of garlic.
8. Marigolds
Marigolds may be attractive to humans, but they are off-putting to snakes. These beautiful plants release alpha-terthienyl into the soil, which is perceivable by many animals. Snakes pick up on the alpha-terthienyl in the soil and stay away from the area.
Deer and rabbits will also stay away from your house if you have several marigolds in your garden. Marigolds have the bonus of making your yard look more vibrant and lively.
9. Netting
Reinforce your fence with netting if snakes climb it or crawl through the slates. Netting creates a barrier that is hard for snakes to get past. Hang some netting on the back of your fence to keep snakes from climbing the fence.
You can cut the netting and secure it to the bottom of the fence so a snake can’t slither into your yard through the cracks. This will also help keep other animals and pests out of your yard and away from your house.
10. Cedar Chips
Snakes hate the smell of cedar. They are unlikely to approach your house if you sprinkle cedar chips around the perimeter. You can also dissuade snakes if you sprinkle cedar chips in the soil beds around your yard.
However, you must exercise caution if you keep livestock on your property. Cedar is toxic to cows and can kill them. Otherwise, cedar chips are a great way to keep snakes, moths, cockroaches, and some types of beetles away from your house.
What Attracts Snakes To Your House?
Food, small animals, and dense grass attract snakes to your house. Snakes commonly approach houses when homeowners leave bowls of food out for their pets. They are also attracted to houses with bird feeders, and they will do almost anything to get to them.
Ideally, you should never leave food outside once you bring your pets indoors for the day. This will help keep snakes and other pests, such as mice and shrews, away from your house. Bringing bird feeders inside can also help repel snakes.
However, some homeowners swear by bird feeders as a way to repel snakes. That is because bird feeders can help attract natural predators that typically prey on snakes, such as owls.
Summing It Up
Snake repellent, garlic, clove oil, lemon juice, and cedar chips can keep snakes away from your house. You can also repel snakes if you build a fence or reinforce your existing fence with netting. Install ultrasonic snake-repellent devices around your house so snakes don’t approach your yard and house.
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Nick Durante is a professional writer with a primary focus on home improvement. When he is not writing about home improvement or taking on projects around the house, he likes to read and create art. He is always looking towards the newest trends in home improvement.
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