Gardening & Landscaping
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
snake in yard???
hi ladies. i think we have a snake in our yard somewhere. we found a snake's skin that was shed recently near our front steps. dh called a local company to ask about snake repellents and they said "it's normal in this area" and that it's a garter snake or a black snake, but not deadly. i'm upset by this b/c i dont like knowing there's a snake nearby with our dd who enjoys playing outside.
any suggestions on how to get rid of snakes and keep them away?
Re: snake in yard???
The other day, while at Ace, I happened to see snake repellent when looking for a fungicide. I thought it was weird because snakes aren't much of a problem around here. But, obviously the snake repellent does exist.
On a different note, I've never seen a snake in a yard that wanted to be anywhere near people. (Although my brother used to be good at catching them and then letting them go in the house). As long as your area isn't known to have rattlesnakes or something, I wouldn't worry about it. My bet is the snake that left the skin is long gone anyway.
Snakes are a good thing. They keep down moles, voles and mice which can destroy landscaping.
A garter snake won't hurt your DD and will likely scatter if he senses her outside. This is why you haven't seen him. He'd be more frightened of her than the other way around unless you fill her head with fearsome ideas.
Garter or black snakes should be welcome to your yard. They keep the rodent/pest population down and are a natural part of the ecosystem. We have lots of garter snakes and they are scared of humans and our dog. Our curious dog always freaks out and tries to smell them but the garters always get away. Not once have they tried to bite her.
However, if you want to get rid of them you'll need to limit their food sources. Garters in particular like to live near bodies of water since they love fish and amphibians. They also eat slugs, spiders, earthworms, insects, leeches, and lizards.
I am irrationally afraid of snakes. I know they are good, scared of me, etc. However, I am still terrified.
I will be FLAMED for this, but I have a snake guy. I had a snake on my porch a few years ago and called him. He put down the Snake-Away. He said it works for half the people. He also----here come the flames----puts down snake traps. They are like big mouse glue traps. He checks them every day for a few days. My husband also checks them a few times a day b/c he thinks it's cruel. *IF* a snake is found, they pour vegetable oil on it until it can wiggle loose. The snake guy refuses to kill a snake, so he would release it six miles from my house.
SO far, none have been found since we started putting them down. We caught a couple lizards but my husband checks the traps so often, he was able to use the oil trick and release them. It took about 30 seconds for it to wiggle loose.
Also, I have 'desnaked' my yard. There are no piles of wood, brush, or anything obvious that would offer them a hiding place. I also don't put out bird feeders or anything that feeds their food source---mice.
I'm nuts, I know.......but I won't even walk my dogs in the neighborhood unless I look all around in case there is a snake. There was a dead one in the road that my neighbors cleaned up before I got home b/c they knew I would freak out about even a dead one.
I seriously thought of being hypnotized so I wouldn't be such a freak about them.
thank you so much for providing this... i was so mad at my dh for not taking this as seriously as i wanted him to. it really freaks me out!!! i'm terrified of snakes and i think it would give me a heart attack or panic attack at the least to actually stumble upon one. i hate the thought of them being around our home. sorry ladies. i understand what you're saying, i'm just not there yet.
my dh put down some snake repellent that contains naphthalene (sp) yesterday and he trimmed the bushes near our house. this made me feel a little better, but i plan to get more bushes cut out and i'm getting on a tighter schedule to have our lawn mowed. more money, but i need this for peace of mind.
ETA: oops, thought i was quoting MM's comments above.