i have TON'S of gardener snakes or garden snakes, whatever they're called?

Question

in my yard. we had them years ago but they disappeared then came back with a vengence last spring. this spring, they're even worse. they come up on the porch too.does anyone know how to get rid of them? i have a young son and a dog so it needs to be safe for them. thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Garter snakes are great pest control!

While the adaptability and perseverance of our common snakes makes them extremely difficult to eliminate entirely, removing potential shelter can significantly reduce the number of snakes in an area. Shelter for snakes is almost anything close to the ground that they can enter or get beneath to avoid predators and extreme temperatures. Boards on the ground, log and leaf piles, cracks and crevices in foundations, rock walls, ground-hugging shrubbery, dense patches of vegetation and narrow spaces beneath decks and outbuildings are all popular forms of cover. The number of snakes around a home can be reduced by sealing or removing some or all of these shelters, but use common sense. A nearly snake-free yard would have a wide, close-cut lawn extending right to a tightly sealed foundation: no flower gardens, no rocks, no shrubbery. Unless you really want to surround yourself with a boring, uninviting landscape, it is much easier to live with an occasional snake in the yard.

There are no safe, effective snake repellents capable of keeping snakes away from yards or pools. However, if snakes are inhabiting small, confined areas - such as that crevice behind the front steps - a few tablespoons of naphthalene ("moth balls") may temporarily drive them out so that the entrance can be sealed.

Answer 2

They are called Garter snakes.They are there because there is food for them.They are totally harmless and actually very gentle.They can be handled easily but I do not recommend making them pets as they need to be cared for and they are more valuable as a pest controller in the wild.
A cat will definitely get ride of them, along with song birds,and any other thing that they can get there claws/teeth on.They will wipe out most all the small wildlife in the area.If you can keep chickens,they also will reduce the snake population with out too much impact.
The snakes are probably controlling the mouse/rat population in the area.There is a balance to nature and you must be careful when you upset it that can bring disastrous results.The County Animal Control offices can also give you advice,but the Forestry or Game Control people do a little better.

Answer 3

Sorry Palma, but moth balls will not work. Snakes go to areas that do not have a lot going on, people/dogs/cats movement, noise, etc and there is a food source. The best bet is to leave him there and let him eat the other things in your garden and keep the mice, rabbits out. Carry a stick with you and hit the ground and anything around your garden to make noise (vibrations) as you enter. Most of the time they will not come back if you are there enough and make noise (aka vibrations). Either that or buy a hawk or mongoose.

Answer 4

Garter snakes are harmless. I'd view it as a good opportunity to teach your child a little about nature!

If you get rid of their source of food, they will move away of their own accord. Garter snakes eat small insects (like crickets), field mice, moles, small stuff like that.

Or, look for a herpatologist in your area who might come and round them up and relocate them for you.

Answer 5

If your yard is fenced in, spread Lime dust on the outside of it. The dog and the kids will not get in it, and snakes wont crawl over it. It burns their skin.

Answer 6

Traps help alot.A dog can also kill snakes but I wouldnt recommend it.If you have time then you can mow and cut the grass then you get a machete and kill them.

Answer 7

Get a cat, no more snakes.