Snake Safety

Hi J.,

I am not an expert, but I recall my sister having a snake problem in her backyard in Arkansas. Like you, she saw Rat snakes and then a Copperhead. She put out mothballs all over her back yard. I remember the smell, but she didn't see anymore snakes. I will ask her how long this worked and get back to let you know later today, hopefully.

Jenn

Hi J.. I don't envy you one bit. If there is one thing that I am terrified of it is snakes. There is a product called Snake Away that you can get at Lowes. I think you sprinkle it around the perimeter of your home. Not sure how effective it is though. If I were you, I would call a pest professional. Several years ago I had a house in the woods and had them come out so that I was assured not to have any snakes and whatever they did worked. Good luck.

P.S. People are recommending moth balls. I didn't have luck with moth balls. As a matter of fact, a black snake was laying with moth balls surounding him in my garage. I almost think that he liked them.

Hello J.,
My husband has had experience with snakes, he has a Pest Control Company. We live in Durham now, but he still services clients in VA and we have family there. We plan on coming next FRI/SAT. You can call him and talk to him if you like.

cell: ###-###-#### Jerry's Knock em Dead Affordable Pest Control

Hi J.,

My response will be a bit different from everyone else's.

While I think it makes sense to keep the debris down, I am a huge fan of live and let live with respect to snakes. If you're near a wooded area, there is certain to be rodents as well as snakes. Keep the snakes around and you'll likely NEVER have a problem with rats and mice in your home. Personally, I'd rather encounter a snake outside my home (or even inside) than mice and rats inside my home and crawling around in the walls (I get this now)...no snakes near me!

So, just be careful which "evil" you'd rather be ridding yourself of. Leave the snakes alone, they'll leave you alone...teach children a healthy respect for them, looking, no touching and educate them (and yourself) about the snakes and they're behaviors. Get rid of the snakes though and you're likely inviting another pest that is much more difficult to control.

Just my two cents! Good luck.

D.

There is a product called Snake B Gone. I purchased it from Lowes. I had a black snake that the snake b gone got
rid of.

Once we actually had a black snake inside our AC unit. Not for long though.

hi , we live in the country and the snakes are surely waking up getting active.! having babies too! One of the things that my neighbors told me was that you need to keep the grace short and dont let the bushes get thick and woody underneith. Dont have any kind of wood pile near the place where your family is active in the yard.
FYI--The rat snakes will keep the rodents away and are harmless. Better a snake then a rat!A rat snake will not bother anyone but the critters it is after. My husband was bit trying to remove one and it just hurt a little! Rats and mice tho, are bold and well, that is enough of that...anyway
Also look up on line about the kind of snake you are seeing and what their habitate is and if that matches your yard, have it removed. Then lay out the detering chemicales and have your hoe handy because you wont KNOW they are not their as long as there are snakes in the area that you live. Hope this helps.

J.,
To keep snakes away from your home clear any old branches, leaf piles, stones. Rat Snakes/ Black snakes are non-venomous Copperheads are venomous. Once your yard is clear try lining the yard and around your house with moth ball flakes. Not moth balls, kids might think they are candy.
I'm sure you know they are more afraid of us. Depending on where you live are you sure it's a copperhead and not a water moccasin/cotton mouth. These are much more venomous than Copperheads but tend to be mistaken for them when they are young. The adults water moc tends to be darker so make sure you are not cofusing that with a rat snake. I suggest posting on Craig's List for help. You should get a few answers. If some one wants to come to your house, make sure your husband or another male friend is home and have your children go to a neighbors house. We have dealt with many CL people buying/selling and have never had a problem but the CL killer freaks me out now. Sorry to drag on....
Good Luck!!

I don't know if this works or not, but I have heard that you can spread moth balls around your yard and that the smell of them will deter snakes from coming close. I do agree with the other poster who said that rat snakes are not a huge problem, they will keep the rodents away.

Spread a line of sulphur around your yard. There is also a product called snake away.