How To Keep Snakes Away From Your Home And Garden, According To Experts

Whether you’re frightened or fascinated by them, snakes have important roles in your garden, eating insects and keeping mice, vole, and rabbit populations in check. They also serve as prey for other predators, such as hawks. But probably the most important thing to know is that they’re not at all interested in you.

“Snakes generally are harmless to us,” says John C. Maerz, PhD, of the Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. “They’re shy animals that would rather hide than come in contact with us.”

They’re also not as dangerous as many people think. “It’s okay to be uncomfortable with snakes,” says Maerz. “But if you’re curious, even if it comes from a place of fear, you can learn about them to understand their behaviors so that you feel safe.”

Most of the time, you’re probably not even aware of a snake’s presence in your garden. “If you see one, it probably didn’t just show up. It’s been there all along but they’re very cryptic,” says Maerz. “If you think about how rarely you see one, you realize snakes aren’t typically an issue in our yards.”

Understanding Snakes

Snakes do occasionally make their way into sheds, garages, or crawl spaces, often looking for cover from predators or so they can stay cool. “They love brush piles, stacks of wood, compost or mulch piles,” says Michael Mengak, PhD, Certified Wildlife Biologist and professor, Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. “In hot weather, they may be attracted to cool, damp places, such as in basements.”

 But no matter what stories you’ve heard, snakes are not aggressive and don’t chase people. “Snakes know they can’t eat you. If they’re seen, they try to bluff their way out of a situation by puffing, hissing, or rattling to warn you that they’re there,” says Maerz. “Finally, if they’re completely cornered, they will strike. Biting is a last-ditch effort.”

In the Southeast, there are several venomous snakes that could potentially cause an injury to a human or pet: three species of rattlesnakes (eastern diamondback, timber, and pygmy), copperhead, cotton mouth (also known as water moccasins), and coral snake, says Maerz. But any animal will bite if pinned down.

Interestingly, not all snake bites contain venom because snakes have some control. “The purpose of venom is not to defend a snake, but to inject digestive enzymes into prey,” says Maerz. “Venom takes a lot of energy to produce.” That means they generally aren’t going to waste it on you-- something they know they can’t digest.

How To Keep Snakes Away

There’s no foolproof method for keeping snakes away from your home and garden, but you can make the habitat less inviting, with these tips from Maerz and Mengak:

• Reduce the type of cover that’s attractive to snakes. Store firewood up off the ground and away from the house, says Mengak. Keep grass mowed, even up against buildings, because they like to hunt in tall grasses. Remove piles of brush or other debris.
• Reposition bird feeders farther away from your living area. Dropped seeds attract rodents, which invites snakes, says Maerz.
• Don’t leave pet food bowls out overnight. Again, this attracts not only rodents, but also other wildlife you likely don’t want hanging around, such as raccoons, opossums, and skunks, says Mengak.
• Cover openings into buildings and around pipes and vents. Use ¼-inch mesh hardware cloth or expanding foam. Seal gaps beneath doors with door sweeps.
• If you encounter a snake, leave it alone. It’s simply going about its business. Get kids and pets away, and allow it leave the area on its own. “If you don’t bother it, it won’t bother you,” says Maerz.  
• Spray the snake with the garden hose if it’s near your house. “They can learn the negative association of hanging out in a certain area and will leave,” says Maerz.
• If you or a pet is bitten, contact your healthcare provider or vet ASAP, if you have concerns. Most bites are minor, but small dogs can be at risk for painful bites because they tend to explore with their noses, says Maerz.
• Wear boots when hiking and heavy gloves when working in the garden and reaching under shrubs or rock piles, says Mengak. Or use a stick to tap around first to alert any potential snakes of your presence so that it can get away.
• Forget about repellants, sonic devices, or snake fencing. Ditto for essential oils and certain plants sold to “repel” snakes. “It’s all nonsense,” says Maerz. “None of it is effective, and it’s a waste of money.”
• If you have a snake that needs removed, contact your state’s wildlife services. It is illegal to remove or kill snakes in many states. Some species are protected because, like all animals, they are subject to habitat loss and other environmental threats, says Maerz.