Are you one of the many people who are afraid of snakes? If so, it’s not going to be welcome news to find out that you have snakes under your house.
Many snakes are completely harmless, but not all types are going to be safe to leave alone. You might have garden snakes under your hose, but it’s possible that more dangerous snakes could be lurking under there as well.
You likely don’t want to allow snakes to stay under your house simply because you don’t want them there. There are ways that you can get rid of them reliably even when you’re not used to doing things such as this.
Read on to learn how to get rid of snakes under a house. Once you’ve gone through all of the information, you’ll have a better idea of what steps to take so that you won’t have to worry about them any longer.
Trap the Snakes
The most reliable method for getting rid of a snake under your house is to trap it. If you want to do things yourself, then you’re likely not going to want to get close to it.
You don’t know whether the snake that you’re dealing with is dangerous or not. This means that you shouldn’t crawl under the house and try to grab it with your hands or anything such as that.
It’s going to be easy to buy a simple snake trap that you can use to catch the snake. Once the snake springs the trap, you’ll be able to remove it from under the house.
There are several different types of traps that you could try to use to catch snakes, but people often find glue traps to be the easiest to use. These traps are sticky and snakes get stuck to them when they try to slither over the top.
Once you’ve seen that a snake has been stuck to the trap, you’ll be able to get rid of it. It’s pretty simple to use this method, but not everyone likes trapping them themselves.
If you’re afraid of snakes, then it’s still going to be unpleasant to have to get close to them. Thankfully, there’s another easier option.
Call an Exterminator
Calling an exterminator is going to be the best way to go for most people. This is because it’s the safest thing to do when you don’t know much about snakes.
There are many different types of snakes and some of them can be dangerous. Depending on where you live, there might be dangerous snakes in your area that can potentially kill humans.
Luckily, pest control professionals have the skills to handle even the most dangerous snakes. They know how to identify what they’re dealing with and they have the tools to handle the job in a timely fashion.
Rather than risking your well-being to try to get rid of a snake that has gotten under your house, it’d be better to call a trained professional. People who work in pest control can wear protective gear to get them out from underneath the house.
They’ll have tools to use that will allow them to grab the snakes without having to get close as well. This means that they’ll always be able to get the job done with safety in mind.
Also, they’ll be able to know whether it’s appropriate to exterminate the snake or not. Different areas have different laws about snakes.
Some snakes might be protected by wildlife conservation laws, and this means that you won’t be able to kill them without getting into legal trouble. Snakes such as this will need to be captured by the experts and then relocated.
Generally, it’s going to be so much easier to have a pest control specialist take care of things. It’s less hectic for you and it ensures that the job will get done swiftly.
Keep the Snakes From Coming Back
Now, you’re going to want to keep snakes from coming back. Getting rid of the snakes will be great, but you can’t guarantee that other snakes won’t get under your house in the future if you don’t take certain steps.
Snakes will usually get under your crawl space when they’re looking for food. There’s a good chance that rodents might be there and the snake is probably trying to feed on them.
This means that getting rid of the mice or other rodents will help to limit the number of snakes that will be interested in this spot. You should consider placing mouse traps so that you can kill any mice or rats in the area.
Do your best to eliminate potential food sources for the snake. It might take some effort to do this, but it’s a good thing overall.
You don’t want mice hanging out near your home anyway. These rodents are very pesky and they can get inside of your house to cause you problems if you don’t do your best to keep them out.
There are ways to try to deter both mice and snakes from entering the crawlspace, too. Some people have had great luck by placing mothballs at the entrances to the crawlspace.
Both snakes and mice don’t like the mothballs and will usually try to stay away. Just don’t use more than you have to since you don’t want the smell of the mothballs to wind up getting inside of the house through vents.
Keep the Snake From Being Able to Easily Enter the Crawlspace
Keeping the snake from being able to easily enter the crawlspace is also important. The snake shouldn’t be able to get in the crawlspace under normal circumstances, but there might be cracks or openings that you aren’t aware of.
Most crawl space areas have grates of some sort that can be removed when people need to crawl under the house. Sometimes these grates can get old and they’ll wind up cracking or holes might form in certain spots.
You might even have mesh coverings that are meant to keep animals out of the crawlspace. The mesh could have become torn, and this might mean that you’ll need to repair things or get a new covering for the crawlspace.
Go around your crawl space and examine all of the entrances thoroughly. This should allow you to see any problems that are present so that you can make any necessary changes.
You can use boards to patch up holes so that snakes won’t be able to use those holes to get under the house any longer. If you see any cracks that are being used as entrances, then you’ll want to fill those with silicone caulk to get things back to good.
You’ll need to be observant and take the time to do the necessary repairs. Yes, this could be a time-consuming process, but it’s necessary if you don’t want snakes to become a constant problem.
Get Rid of Hiding Spots
Snakes are going to stay in your yard if there are many places that they can hide. You might find them hiding in piles of wood that you haven’t taken care of.
Old branches, woodpiles, leaves, mulch piles, and even compost heaps could become hiding spots for snakes. You don’t necessarily have to avoid using mulch if you’re worried about them, but it might be wise to use other deterrent methods to keep them away from mulch if you know that they’re a problem in your area.
Secure your compost bin and ensure that it’s in some type of enclosure that won’t allow snakes or other animals to get in. Take the time to get rid of piles of wood and other debris that they might be utilizing as hiding spots.
If you do a good job of cleaning up your yard, then you won’t have as many snakes around. Fewer snakes in the area will make it less likely that they will find their way under your house.
Landscaping
Landscaping is something that you should focus on to reduce the number of snakes on your property. You already know that getting rid of hiding spots is important, but even mowing your grass on time can help.
Snakes will hide in tall grass if you aren’t mowing your lawn often enough. Letting weeds get out of control will give them more hiding spots, too.
Be proactive about maintaining your lawn and garden areas. If you do this, then you’ll have fewer snakes to worry about.
Plant Things That Snakes Don’t Like
Did you know that there are plants that snakes don’t like? You can use this information to your advantage to try to keep them away from your house.
Plant things that snakes don’t like around the perimeter of your home. This should make it so that they won’t even get near your house since they won’t like the plants that are surrounding it.
There are many great options that are proven to work well as snake repellents. If you want to plant something that’s aesthetically pleasing, then marigolds might be your best bet.
Marigolds are very pretty flowers overall and snakes absolutely dislike them. If you plant those around your house, then you should be able to keep them away nicely.
Lemongrass can also work well as a snake deterrent option. This is a plant that is very easy to take care of and it’s actually somewhat of an invasive plant.
You’ll need to be careful not to allow lemongrass to take over your garden area. Even so, it’s good for keeping snakes away, and you can plant it near crawlspace entrances if you’d like to.
Wormwood is known to repel snakes, too, and you might want to go with that instead. Simply pick the plants that appeal to you the most and you’ll be able to do a good job of keeping them away.
Fox Urine
Fox urine is a great repellent that snakes will recognize right away. There are many animals that are natural predators to snakes, and foxes are common predators that you’ll find killing snakes in North America.
You can buy a snake repellent that uses fox urine as a primary ingredient. Then, you’ll be able to go around spraying the repellent in your yard.
Be sure to spray the fox urine repellent near the crawlspace entrances so that the snakes will stay away. If you use this repellent properly, then it should keep them from wanting to go under your house.
If you’re having big problems with snakes on your property, then using repellents will be an effective way to try to get them to go away. They might go find other places to look for food if you continue to use repellents.
Spray Ammonia
Ammonia is another repellent that you can use to keep snakes away from your home. Snakes really hate the smell of ammonia and it’s going to make them slither in the other direction.
Spray spots that you know snakes might be interested in with ammonia. It should keep them away from your home and any other spots on your property that you’re trying to protect.
Some people go a step beyond just spraying ammonia, too. You could soak towels or an old rug in ammonia and then place it in spots where snakes might hide.
You could place the ammonia-soaked rug by the crawlspace to keep them from getting near it. Overall, this is an idea worth trying if you have enough ammonia and an old rug that you don’t mind ruining.
Final Thoughts
Snakes are definitely pests that you don’t want to have to deal with. While many snakes aren’t dangerous at all, there are some that are deadly.
You don’t want snakes under your house and you need to take steps to get them out. The easiest thing to do is to call pest control specialists to handle the job.
Some people will choose to save some money by buying snake traps and removing the snakes themselves. Just be careful if you decide to go this route because you might not know what you’re dealing with.
You also have to remember that killing snakes won’t always be allowed. Look up the local laws in your area and try to know which types are protected and which aren’t.
Once the snakes have been removed from under your home, you can use deterrent methods to keep them from coming back. It’s also prudent to repair cracks and holes that are allowing them to get under your crawl space.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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