Do mothballs repel snakes?
Snakes like invading homes in search of shelter and food. As such, sighting or coming across this critter is quite usual, though not a common occurrence. Due to the scary nature and the danger that a snake can cause whenever it invades households, you might get a bit uneasy. And as a result, you might go looking for a solution from whatever source available within your reach. So…yeah, you might even go for mothballs from any store that could have them in stock. But, will the mothballs work out the much-needed miracle? Of course, it may not!
Even though mothballs have been used as repellents for decades, their effectiveness in snake control is not yet confirmed. Besides that, no snake removal expert has confessed to using mothballs to repel snakes out of a home. Therefore, forget what the ads say and opt for other ways of repelling snakes out of your home. While mothballs have been touted as a general repellant for years, they're not only a waste of time and money but also harmful to your pets and children. If you're looking for the best ways of keeping away snakes from your home, then the following tips come in handy.
Eliminate snake attractants
Snakes often invade human residences in search of food and shelter. And it would be very impractical to eliminate snakes or keep them at bay when your home provides their favorite food and hiding places. Therefore, if you're serious about keeping off snakes from your residence, the following steps are crucial.
Eliminate possible food sources: Snakes often prefer places with many rodents since they're the primary source of food for them. Besides that, snakes also feed on birds, moles, frogs, voles, fish, and insects. Therefore, if you want to keep snakes away, you should have a proper rodent control strategy and ensure that your home isn't rich in the snake's favorite prey. If snakes can't find food in your home, they'll slither away in search of food in other areas.
Eliminate all hiding places: Snakes have a great affinity for damp and dark places. As such, you're likely to find them hiding in holes, cracks, and crevices. As such, eliminating these hiding places can go a long way in keeping snakes away from your home. Below are some of the steps that can help you eliminate the possible hiding places for snakes.
Inspect the exterior of your property or home and ensure you seal off all the holes and cracks you find.
After that, repair damaged ventilation duct, piping, and gutters.
Repair any damaged screens on doors and windows.
Replace broken doors and windows.
Since snakes can also hide in compost heaps and woodpiles, you should store your firewood in sealed wood boxes that are lockable. Additionally, get rid of wood-chip-mulch, leaves, and straw mulch accumulating on your property.
Make changes to your landscaping regularly: If you have noticed that your garden is prone to snakes, then changing your landscaping is one of the best options for deterring snakes from being frequent visitors to your garden. You can do that through the following:
Regular gardening to seal snake holes, remove debris, and overgrowth.
Use materials that do not allow snakes to slither over easily. Such materials include holly leaves, eggshells, gravel, and pine cones.
Plant snake repellents to keep snakes off naturally. Some natural snake deterrents include lemongrass, wormwood, and marigolds. These plants provide a long-term deterrence, thereby keeping your home snake-free at all times.
Keep the grass short to remove hiding places for snakes.
If the aforementioned steps do not provide the much-needed solution, then it's time to install a snake-proof fence. Common snake-proof fences are made up of either plastic sheeting, steel mesh, or a catch net. If you install a snake fence, ensure it has the following features:
Make it flush with the ground
Ensure it’s angled outwards
Make it 4 feet deep and 3 feet high
Use natural predators for biological snake control: Raccoon and foxes are some of the known snake predators. But, you can also rear guinea hens, pigs, turkeys, and cats to keep snakes out of your compound. If you have foxes in your area, their urine is a great snake repellant. All you need to do is get the urine and spread it around your property.
Use naturally derived products: Natural products are a great substitute for harmful mothballs. You can use naturally derived repellents such as garlic and onions, vinegar, lime, clove, or cinnamon oil.
Note: With the above alternatives, you can still keep snakes out of your home effectively without thinking of mothballs, which are not only harmful but also ineffective.
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