snakes

Ok, my number one fear......snakes. I'm sorry, but I'm petrified even though my area has only garter or corn snakes. I just put out my garden boxes (still empty) and today my son came running in the house when he spotted one by my sfg. Ok, so how do I send them elsewhere? Do mothballs work around the outside of the boxes?

Hi there
I do not know how to get rid of snakes, but I do know that moth balls are extremely toxic and so you likely would not want them near your garden
I am sure someone else will have lots of ideas for snakes

We have never had any kind of deterrant work. If your area is an environment they like you are more than likely going to see them occasionally. Hopefully others have some sort of repellant that has worked but for me... shovel. If thats to close for comfort, 12gauge.

Something I was told but never tried is that snakes will not cross Sulfer dusting powder. It irritates their eyes and they cannot blink it away. You can probably find it in a feed store or garden center. Just sprinkle a ring around your garden area. (The story I was told is that sprinkling a row of this across your barn doorway will keep copperheads out of your barn.) Not sure about toxicity though, so you may want to check into that before getting too close to your future dinner with it.

You should box them up and mail them to squat_johnson and mama llama to help them control their voles!

The snakes will only hang around places where there is food. Unless you have lots of critters (frogs, mice, voles, etc.), they will likely move on elsewhere to feed and not hang around your garden.

I fear snakes as well, but, luckily, only have the garter snakes. I usually keep an old mop handle in the garden and use that to poke around in the compost and leaf pile area to send them on their way when I'm working that area. My heart jumps into my throat when I come upon one suddenly. My slithery friend quickly disappears when he sees me. I would never kill them. They keep the field mice, voles, grasshoppers, etc out of my garden and along with my toads, are good friends to my gardens.

No Airdoc No!!

My son and I are alway careful to beat the "bushes" before gardening. We are in copperhead country. He has already killed two in his yard over the past year. I was lucky, only a blacksnake that dropped from the tree just after I turned the corner of the house. Scared me and dead snake. I take no prisoners.

And I'm petrefied of snakes too.

Kay

Thanks, after the hubby got home from work I sent him outside with a shovel and the anaconda (er, um, baby garter snake) was finished off...chop, chop.

Snakes hunt voles, and mice and such. They are a beneficial animal in the garden. The garter snake will run away from you. Look at it, it is a foot long, not a boa constrictor, LOL. "All God's critters got a place in the choir."

If your in a warmer climate, there isn't much you can do, unless yr willing to injure them.

I just make a lot of noise and bang around alot (easy to do gardening) and then seem to get out of the way when I'm coming.

The alligators are a different story though

Zone 9 is not all fun & games ...LOL

gillenkl wrote:Thanks, after the hubby got home from work I sent him outside with a shovel and the anaconda (er, um, baby garter snake) was finished off...chop, chop.

Those little snakes are your friends:( if they are not dangerious snakes just leave them be please. I my garden I have been suprised by a snake or 2, ok a lot more than that but they have always left in a hurry. Guess they were more suprised than I.

Yes, I agree... most small snakes are beneficial to gardens. They eat some of the pests that plague us.

I hate snakes, too, but luckily we only have garter snakes here. We do have quite a few of them, though. On any given day, the neighbor boys are always successful in "hunting for snakes" during the summer.

Personally, I'm too scared to even go close enough to kill one, which I would do without any remorse, but my general goal is to avoid them. I wear close-toed shoes in the yard, and am not graceful in walking. Usually the rustle of the grass is enough to send them creeping along out of my way. I also take a good look around the garden beds before digging in. Fortunately, I haven't had any major snake surprises in the beds themselves, but I do wear gloves. It makes me feel more protected, even though I know they can't even bite.

If I did spot one in my bed, I'd scream like a little girl and run back in the house-- gardening can wait until the snake goes somewhere else!

I remember doing some things in the garden one year and all of a sudden this "thing" just moved really quick and slithered away. It was a garter snake-scared the heck out of me. I told Mel about it and how much I hated snakes and that I wanted to get rid of them.

"What for? Their good for your garden! They do a lot more good than harm."

He then said if I saw one there is probably more-like a family!

No way-only saw one.

Two days later I opened my compost bin and there is 3 or 4 of them all curled up right next to each other. You talk about freak out! I couldn't bring myself to whack them over the head with the shovel that I had in my hand at the moment. So, I carefully picked them up with a hoe and put each one of them in a black plastic bag and threw it in the garbage.

Two days later when I put the garbage out I gently prodded the bag I put the snakes in. Lo and behold, the bag was empty! I don't know what happened to them but that whole experience really freaked me out. Like others, I now make sure I make some noise and rattle a few things on my way on out to the garden. I know they are good for the garden but I don't like them at all. Our son's got a big laugh out of the whole thing

Howdy Folks:

And then there was the story of a car full of Texas Aggie college students that had captured a large snake and put it in the trunk of their car. While one of them was pumping gas he asked a local guy to look into the trunk and tell him what kind of snake it was. Carefully looking inside the trunk he said, "Snake? What snake? There is no snake in here". The rest of the college students exited the car in record time.

I don't import snakes into my garden, but, I don't run them off either.

God Bless, Ward and Mary.

Funny how fate works. I was getting a bag of MM I made yester day and scared a snake I was not sure what kind at the time, turned out to be an eastern garder snake. Did I run screaming for a shovel? Of course not I grabbed my camera and snapped some pics will try to post tomorrow. I live and garden as a part of nature I do not try to master it or eradicate it. So what if I have snakes and toads, lizards and frogs. My veggies have a little insect damage here and there as long as there is balance I just let nature do what nature does. There have been times when the balance has been thrown out of wack or at least it looks like it to me and I will step in and make the smallest most earth friendly correction, but that's all. I have been rewarded greatly for acting in this way. Let the snakes live. We have at least 50 different kinds of snakes in florida and only 5 are venomous. I learned how to ID those so I can keep a safe distance and try to take pics of the rest.

Thanks to all, I see we all handle snakes differently......some flee, some remove, some coexist, some take pictures.....to each his own. Happy gardening to all! Now I'm off to trash pick a playtent I saw in my neighbors trash - I'd like the poles for garden stakes.

here is my snakie friend from yesterday

Gracious! That's a PYTHON

Shannon, thanks for sharing a portrait of your garden friend!

Now that would freak me out big time. Thats a garter snake?

yep an eastern garter snake so pretty.

Oh, that totally gives me the creeps! You're one brave gardener!

snakes are so beautiful that poor snake was so frightened of me I had to be quick to get the pic before he/she retreated into the milk crates holding up the pumpkin box.

I feel ya though, you know what realy scares me bees. I'm getting better I don't run and hide when the "bully bees" come after me any more. I just freeze and repeat to my self 'it is only the buzzing, it is only the buzzing, they are not going to sting you.' LOL I think I should ware ear plugs. They seem to think my ears are beautiful flowers.