It’s likely that you have dealt with a snake slithering across your yard at least once or twice over the years, unless you reside in one of the very few states where there are no native snake populations.

Fortunately, more than 90% of snakes found in the US are not poisonous.

You still don’t want them loitering around your house, even though they can’t actually harm you.

If you’ve seen one or more snakes in your yard, continue reading for expert advice on 10 easy ways to keep snakes out of your yard.

Why do snakes inhabit my yard?

According to Zachary Smith, owner and creator of Smith’s Pest Management in San Jose, California, snakes enter your yard in search of food, water, or shelter.

They may also do so to avoid predators, the cold, or the heat. Lower their chances of encountering those things, and you’ll significantly lower the quantity of snakes that stray through.

How to maintain your yard free of snakes

1. Maintain short grass

According to Drew Ricketts, an associate professor and wildlife expert for Kansas State University Research and Extension, “tall grass is always snake habitat.”

This is so that snakes can conceal themselves from hawks and owls, two of their natural predators, which are tall grasses.

Given their natural shy nature and preference for solitude, snakes find plenty of hiding spots among the taller grasses. So it can be an issue if you forget to mow your yard.

2. Plug up crawl spaces and exposed foundations

Openings beneath sheds or in crawl spaces make excellent hiding places for snakes because they also enjoy curling up inside cozy, warm, and moist hiding places. Additionally, rodents, which many kinds of snakes eat, may reside there.

According to Ricketts, “these create habitats for lots of wildlife, including snakes.” Thus, after making sure nothing is already hiding there, board up or block any entrances beneath your house or garden shed!

3. Clear out any rubbish or clutter

Snakes will use any opportunity to hide, just as they like to do so in tall grass, crawl spaces, and foundations.

As a result, any clutter in your yard may serve as a haven for local snakes.

Get rid of any waste, including wood or compost piles, that can serve as a snake’s hiding place.

Store firewood in boxes or at an elevation. Similarly, trash can serve as a haven for wildlife and a source of food, so be sure to properly dispose of it in a garbage pail with a lid to keep out unwanted animals, like snakes.

4. Remove any water sources from your yard to keep snakes out

Although it’s not true for all snakes, Ricketts notes that the majority of them don’t always require a lot of standing water. “Most snakes don’t necessarily need a lot of standing water, but it’s not true for all of them. If you have water snakes in the yard, then goldfish ponds and other standing water can attract water snakes and snakes that have intermediate water needs — like garter snakes — and part of that is because it’s providing more prey for them,” says Ricketts.

Snakes often like eating the frogs and insects that congregate near bodies of water. A snake’s primary food source will be eliminated along with the water source, discouraging it from remaining in your yard.

5. Manage the populations of pests and insects

Since snakes consume a variety of insects and pests, such as slugs, grubs, cockroaches, mice, rats, voles, and more, managing bug and pest populations is one way to keep snakes from congregating in your yard.

This entails addressing any bug outbreaks and eliminating their food sources as well.

First, keep in mind not to leave out pet food that can draw rodents, mice, or other pests. Additionally, to get assistance in dealing with any form of pest annoyance, contact a reputable pest control business.

6. Don’t feed birds in your yard to keep snakes away

Similar to how certain birds enjoy eating snakes, certain snake species also enjoy feeding on particular kinds of birds. According to Ricketts, “Bird feeders can be something snakes use to target their prey. We do have snakes that eat birds and they do ambush birds at those feeders.”

The feeder you use to observe the local birds may be drawing snakes to your yard since bird feeders also draw mice, and rodents are a common target for snakes.

Additionally, avoid the bird feeder because many of them are positioned among thick grasses or trees that can serve as snake cover. Moreover, Ricketts advises not to feel guilty for not feeding the birds.

“They’re actually places where we see increased disease transmission and there are studies that show that birds that are fed have lower reproductive success, so there’s actually science behind not using bird feeders.”

7. Be wary of landscaping rocks and mulch

Deep mulch piles and rock piles are good breeding grounds for snakes. According to Smith, “Eliminate these hiding places and snakes will go elsewhere to live.”

This entails decreasing the amount of decorative rock piles, or at the at least, positioning them far from your house or the immediate yard area, and substituting crushed stone, which is significantly less conducive to snake habitats, for thick mulch when possible.

8. Maintain trimmed shrubs

According to Rickets, our scaly buddies may also make excellent hiding spots for themselves among bushy, low-lying shrubs. “Any dense landscaping like flower beds, shrubs, and those sorts of things can make for a good snake habitat.”

In addition to keeping snakes out of hiding, keeping a 24- to 36-inch space between the ground and the bottoms of any trees or shrubs can make it easier for you to spot them if they do manage to slither in.

Similarly, maintain branches clipped back and off your house and garage.

9. Use natural repellents to keep snakes out of your yard

According to Northwest Exterminating, “these natural snake repellents can be used around the perimeter of your property, around pools, along the edges of ponds and anywhere else you have noticed snake activity,” certain common home items have been found to ward off snakes.

These may consist of:

• Placed in open bags, ammonia-soaked rags surround swimming pools.
• Mix the clove oil and cinnamon and mist the area where snake sightings have occurred.
• Lime juice blended with hot sauce or peppermint oil, sprayed all the way around your yard.
• To keep snakes away, spread vinegar around the periphery of ponds and pools.
• Diced onions and garlic, combined with rock salt, then dispersed across your garden.

But remember that any natural repellent, including store-bought ones, would need to be reapplied often and may cause harm to other animals or even plants, so take caution while using them. The question of whether they actually work is also a source of debate.

One of social media star @ceithgriffith’s DIY snake repellents is displayed in this TikTok:

@ceithgriffith Snake repellent #cartricksandtips #isitworhthemoney ♬ original sound – Ceith Griffith

10. Take into account a snake fence

If eliminating food sources and hiding places hasn’t worked and you’re seeing a lot of snakes in your yard, you may consider building a fence as a final resort.

The Utah University State Extension states that in order to keep snakes from going under the fence, it must be buried a few inches below ground level and have hard mesh or solid metal sheeting that is ¼ inch or smaller.

To stop snakes from slithering up and over it, the top should likewise be curled out.

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