Snakes have a love-hate relationship with the majority of humans.
Seeing one in a zoo is a source of entertainment, but the sight of the same creature in flesh and blood inside one’s house evokes anxiety and fear.
Snakes need a place where they can hunt, rest and breed, and do it all over again and again.
If they can do these activities in your house, then hallelujah! They will take refuge on your property.
We know that venomous or not, an encounter with a snake in your home can evoke your flight or fight instincts.
Troubling as it might seem, ridding snakes from the premises is easy and do not always involve an adrenaline rush or turning ninja.
We’ve discussed some tricks and tips in the article below to help you purge your humble abode from their existence for good. Dive in to find them out.
Why Do Snakes Get Attracted to Your House?
Getting rid of snakes will become easier if you determine why are they attracted to your house in the first place. As a simple rule, snakes love to lurk around the place where they can find food and shelter.
Following are the sources of their meals and accommodations:
Food Supply
Like any living being, certain things are extremely palatable for snakes too. These include frogs, rodents, moles, voles, slugs, snails, insects, fish, and small farm animals. If one or a few of them exist in your house, snakes will keep visiting.
Use pest control to reduce the population of pests; properly clean and cover your animal shelter; seal your garbage canisters; sprinkle vinegar around pools and ponds to discourage the slithering reptile from showing up on your doorstep.
Sheltering Spots
Snakes tend to stay out of humans’ sight.
Therefore, broken sewerage pipelines and gutters, nooks and holes in the foundation, ceilings, ventilation ducts, around doors and windows, etc. act as comfortable lodgings for snakes.
Seal all such cracks and crevices to eradicate snakes’ favorite resting spots.
In addition to that, heaps of wood, rocks, debris etc. on the property also allow snakes to take shelter without being seen. Avoid keeping such piles close to your residence to stop snakes from taking refuge there. No shelter, no snakes!
Avoid Excessive Water
Excessive moisture and water puddles attract mice, rodents, toads and other such pesky pests, which in return encourage snakes to keep visiting.
Avoid flooding your lawn or yard with water; remove deep puddles of water; fix leaky faucets and broken water pipes to overcome the issue.
Snake-Deterring Landscape
Believe it or not, snakes prefer to stay out of the limelight. They tend to visit and stay in yards or gardens laden with tall grass, shrubs, overgrowth, heaps of mulch and burrows to avoid being observed.
Consider arranging your landscape in anti-snake design by keeping grass, trees, and plantation trimmed. Consider planting snake repellent plants, such as lemongrass, marigold, wormwood, garlic, and onions, to force the snakes to scurry away.
I would advise you to install snake-proof fencing around the premises to fully seal all the possible entry points of snakes.
Useful Tips to Get Rid of Snakes in the House:
A little smart and creative work can compel snakes to stay at a safe distance from your residence. For instance:
Natural Repellents
If you don’t want to share your living quarters with snakes, generously use snake-repulsing products regularly. Snakes don’t like the odour of essential oils, garlic and onion, ammonia and vinegar.
Spray the homemade mixture of any of the listed repellents inside the house as well as around the yard to drive the reptile away.
You can use a mixture of lime and peppermint or hot pepper around the perimeter as well. Its pungent smell and itchy feeling on the skin will compel the creature to leave the property.
Use Human Hair
Snakes prefer to avoid our company as much as we want to avoid theirs. Use human hair close to possible snake entry points to let them know the humans live there. Ta-da…snakes will look for alternative accommodation.
Professional Service
If you’re unsure of the species of the snake residing in your house or can’t locate its hiding spot, contact a wildlife control specialist, professional pest control company or local fire department to remove the bothersome creature from your house.
If you’re brave or trained enough to approach a snake, you can use snake-trapping cages or glue traps to capture the predator and remove it from the proximity on your own.
Conclusion
Regardless of the snakes’ tendency to stay away from the human population, they often get attracted to houses where they can find comfort and food. As long as the creature is non-venomous and following the rule of “not attacking first”, there’s no need to call it a battle of survival.
The remedies and tips discussed above are simpler and non-risky methods to rinse your house of snakes infestation. You can use a combination of these tactics to keep them away for good.
