Snake repellant?

[G.T. Smith]

Man, I'm getting tired of killing snakes in my front yard almost daily. This month alone I've killed 3 copperheads. Most of the time they are pretty small, but this last one was a dandy. It was about 3 ft. long. Last month I killed 4. I have not had this problem in the previous 20 yrs. that I have lived here. I was kinda hoping that someone on this forum might know a trick to keep them away. I really don't want my dogs messing with them and I am especially worried about my Grand daughters when they are out here playing. Maybe they are just passing through or something. I kinda like blowing their heads off but I can't be out there all the time. I missed the last one twice and wound up resorting to the garden hoe technique which in my opinion placed me way the hell to close to it.
Any suggestions (except moving) will be greatly appreciated.
Peace,
gordon the snake slayer

 

[kennyb]

sounds like you have a nearby den of them...not good

 

[cass]

I've seen lots of repellants - from pepper to mothballs. None seems to work. The best thing to do is keep areas clear of hiding places. They still travel around a lot, so just be watchful.

 

[Bullseye 2620]

We've got 'em here in the mountains, but the only time I ever see them is in the spring and the fall when they are either leaving their dens or returning to them for the winter.

If you lived there 20 years and have never seen them behave like this before, I wonder if something is disturbing them. Construction of some kind? Timbering?

Cass has it right -- if you can locate them, destroy the nests and the snakes you find in them, but be careful. I know from experience that a copperhead bit probably won't kill you, but it will make you pretty darn sick.


Good luck.



Bullseye

 

[DeadAye]

I've posted this here before but.....
At a Boy Scout camp on The 4th of July (several years ago) a Scout Master stupidly picked up a Copperhead - A little one, btw. He was bit with 1 fang - More like grazed actually - on the web between a thumb and finger. He got anti-venom immediately and was taken to a hospital.
I saw him again at a Scout activity a few days before Christmas - His hand was the size of a football - He said it was much better!

Yeah - a Copperhead will make you sick alright - For a while.

 

[cp1969]

Hogs.

But they have a downside, too. Their respect for landscaping leaves much to be desired.

 

[Bullet Bob]

Can you rent a mongoose where you live? How about a Secretary bird?

Guessing not, so just keep on patrolling and hope it's a temporary problem. A hoe is my #1 implement of snake relief, by far.

Some dogs are naturally good at taking care of them, I used to have a German Shepherd that was heck on wheels with poisonous snakes. Never got bit, either. I bet a fox terrier would have the skills needed.

 

[kmyers]

Get a pet mongoose as was mentioned.

 

[G.T. Smith]

sounds like you have a nearby den of them...not good

kennyb,
Sounds like you might have an idea about a den. Do you know where they most likely would tend to den up? Probably in the woods and I have woods on all four sides of my 2 acre yard
Thanks,
gordon

 

[cp1969]

Being cold blooded, they've got to get underground to den or else.

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

Get a cat or two. The neighbors cat has killed two rattlers so far this summer.

What kind of cat can kill snakes? - Yahoo! Answers

YouTube - Cat VS Snake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khyGuYNMOCc&feature=related

 

[jkc]

Do you know where they most likely would tend to den up?

Look for sites with these features-

- South or West exposure to solar radiation.
- Lots of thermal mass, such as rocks, rocky soil.
- High enough above surrounding terrain so as to be unlikely to flood.
- An obvious "cave" or "snakehole" opening into the earth.
- Overhanging rock ledges, brush, limbs, etc. that provide sunning/basking opportunities with some overhead cover protecting from aerial attack.

These features are typical of den sites in this part of the world, and probably more or less universal indicators. My observation, reckoned to be accurate by a leading local herpetologist, is that snakes begin emerging from winter dens when daytime ambient air temps equal or exceed 75 degrees F for three consecutive days (which is usually about mid-March, here), with dispersal occurring not long thereafter.

So ... it may be easier to find dens in the spring, when snakes are emerging from dens to bask during midday, not far from dens, when they'll be relatively lethargic, and concentrated around the den entry(s). This exploration can be adrenaline-dumping high excitement if venomous vipers are involved. Vigilance and protective equipment, both, recommended.

A Google search for chemical snake repellents reveals, literally, "snakeoil" in the form of volatile aromatic oils (clove, etc.) as useful to purge snakes from enclosed spaces (buildings, shipping containers, etc.), but only one commercial product of unendorsed efficacy as a long-lasting repellent.

 

[straightshooter1]

I bought a commercial snake repellent, to use near the door of our pool enclosure where the snakes like to lie in wait for my wife (non-poisonous) and scare her.

All it did was stink up the area, but the snakes still hung out there, watching and waiting for her.

Finally, to keep her from shotgunning them (she's a trapshooter), I filled the area in with river rock, about three inches deep, and they have apparently found a new place to hang out.

Bob

 

[n4zov]

I have seen snake "traps" advertised that might help you catch some of those snakes that you aren't seeing. As I recall the traps consist of a long cardboard box with some kind of sticky adhesive inside that works link like an old fashioned fly paper. I am not sure what kind of attractant they use to lure the snakes inside. I would probably scatter some of those traps around to catch as many of the critters as I could.

 

[woodsltc]

Hogs.

But they have a downside, too. Their respect for landscaping leaves much to be desired.

cp1969 is correct. Hogs will kill and eat every snake they can find, and they are very good at it. However, you do have to put up with the "other" consequences of having hogs nearby!!

Don

 

[Jst1mr]

1. Locate your outdoor thermostat
2. Turn it down to -20F for at least a few months each year, occasional -40F works well too.
3. Voila! No more nasty poisonous critters to deal with.

 

[crushnbugs]

Snakes

Keep shooting em! I would use a 410....

 

[kenpofan]

Find some king snakes..they think Copperheads is tasty..

picture - a good copperhead eating snake - Ozarks Region Forum - GardenWeb


King Snake Eating Copperhead

 

[setxn]

Posted a reply in the Copperhead thread by mistake-it was about camphor bushes and moth balls to repel snakes.

 

[kennyb]

kennyb,
Sounds like you might have an idea about a den. Do you know where they most likely would tend to den up? Probably in the woods and I have woods on all four sides of my 2 acre yard
Thanks,
gordon

gordon...carefully check rock crevices...log piles...under logs..pretty much where u think they will den undisturbed...from what i gather sounds like you have many likely areas...