Snakes are mysterious creatures that have been feared throughout time since the dawn of man. Snakes are not the evil, slimy, scary creatures people refer to them as.
In fact, snakes are actually very beneficial to the environment. Snakes are carnivores so they eat of ton of insects and rodents that can cause a variety of problems on your property.
Many homeowners may wonder how to keep snakes away. The key to keeping snakes away is to keep all the other smaller pests that they feed on away as well. It’s very important to implement a good animal management plan on your property to keep you and your family safe from unwanted snakes.
There are certain steps you can take in order to make your property less snake friendly and prevent a snake problem in the future.
Do a monthly visual home inspection of the exterior of your home.
You don’t have to be a home inspector to perform an inspection like this. You are just simply looking for things that look out of place or different than they were before. If you notice that a piece of your soffit is missing, some caulking fell out and a hole is exposed, vents are not screened, or a gutter that has been torn down due to weather damage, call the professionals at Animal Remover to set up a snake inspection.
Pay attention to noises that you hear in your home.
When people hear noises in their homes, they often contribute these noises to the settling of simply living in an older home. However, these noises can sound very similar to some of the noises that mice make when they’re walking across your ceiling or climbing up out of a wall void. Ninety-nine percent of all homes in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana have had a mouse problem at one time or another. Most mouse problems originate from the attic and eventually the mice make their way down into the living space. Mice usually weigh a couple of ounces and when walking on top of the insulation in your attic they may not even make a sound. A snake’s biggest food source is small rodents.
Implement a good rodent control/pest control program.
Snakes only eat live prey and their biggest food sources are insects and small rodents such as mice, rats and chipmunks. Check your basement, garage, crawl space and attic very thoroughly for rodent droppings. If you discover rodent droppings, you must address this problem with trapping or rodenticide immediately to prevent a snake problem.
Keep a neatly manicured lawn.
Also make sure that shrubs are neatly trimmed and at least 2 feet away from the home. This provides cover for snakes to travel around the property undetected.
Make sure that the trees surrounding the home are not overlapping the roof.
Not only can the trees themselves cause damage to the home, but they are often highways for snakes crawling on and off the roof. Snakes can still climb up siding, brick, gutter downspouts and many other areas, so simply trimming trees will not solve the problem. However, it will help to eliminate the easy access to the roof.
Keep all bird, squirrel and deer feeders at least 20 feet away from home.
People love to watch the animals on their feeders and like to keep the feeders as close to the home as possible. However, the animal feed falling on the ground will attract a lot of the smaller rodents that snakes prey on and can lead to a snake problem.
Items like kiddie pools and tarps laying in the yard are perfect habitat for snakes.
Make sure these items are put away.
Keep stacks of firewood at least 20 feet away from home.
This makes for a great rodent and snake habitat.
Even with all of the above tips on how to keep snakes away, snakes can still be very persistent and may intrude into your home. If you have snakes in your attic, crawl space, walls, on your roof, or living under your porch, call the experts at Animal Remover for fast, effective, and humane snake removal and control.
For more information please visit our snake removal and control page.
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