Snakes on the site are unlikely to delight the owner. All representatives, when sensing danger, can bite, which will lead to the appearance of a strong pain syndrome. You should find out as early as possible how to get rid of snakes in your summer cottage in order to exclude an unpleasant neighborhood. However, some experts do not recommend killing parasites as they are an important part of the biosphere. When fighting, it is better to give preference to more humane methods. It is better not to hesitate if small children regularly spend time on the site.
If snakes are bred in the country, you need to take action
Where can snakes appear on the site?
The woodworking industry is driving the search for a new place for snakes to live. That is why a representative can sometimes be found not only near forests, but also in large cities, far from nature.
The main habitat of snakes is the forest. Due to the massive cutting down of trees, the representative is forced to change his place of residence and survive in new conditions. Also, the reptile is often brought along with building materials.
The animal often settles in a summer cottage. It is there that there are comfortable living conditions. You can find a representative:
- under the roots of trees;
- under the garbage and in the trash heaps;
- in tall grass and under bushes;
- in a shed or cellar.
Snakes can hide under dry foliage and debris
Snakes are predominantly nocturnal. It is impossible to meet the representative during the daytime. Summer residents should be alerted by the abrupt disappearance of mice, cats and rodents. We need to find out who destroys them. It is possible that reptiles did it.
From time to time, remnants of snakeskin can be found on the site. The shed skin can be seen near the animal's habitats.
It is possible that the snake ended up on the site after escaping from the terrarium. Such a fugitive is a danger to animals and children, and sometimes adults.
Homemade fencing and special traps
Physical influence in the fight against cold-blooded reptiles is most effective. The easiest way to protect yourself from unwanted intrusion is to build a fence around the perimeter of the site. A mesh woven from galvanized metal steel is best suited for its creation. The cell size should not exceed 6 mm. The snake will not be able to crawl if the height of the fence is more than 80 cm.To exclude the formation of accessible cracks, it is advisable to bury the lower part of the fence into the ground to a depth of 15 cm.
In this case, the posts for tensioning the net should be on the inside of the fence. Then the snake will not be able to use the pillars to overcome the obstacle that has grown in front of it. Any fence must have a gate. They are the most vulnerable part of the fence. It is important to ensure that they are constantly closed, that their structure does not have a gap, that there are no foreign objects on the outside. It is necessary to constantly mow the grass around the perimeter of the fence.
Mesh Fence Is The Best Means Of Protection Source
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Anyone who is closely familiar with the habits of animals knows how to deal with snakes on the site using homemade traps. Among them there are models that do not kill creepers, but only deprive them of the ability to move.You can make one of them yourself by buying double-sided glue paper from a hardware store and taking a piece of plywood or a straight board.
The paper is glued on one side to a solid base, the trap is set along the place where the reptile was sighted. She, again crawling along the beaten path, will definitely stick. This method of capture is suitable for those who are not afraid of close communication with vipers. After all, after that, you will have to come into contact with a live snake, take it outside the site. It will be possible to release it by pouring vegetable oil on the body. How the liberated animal will react, the common man does not know. Therefore, this method of struggle is not suitable for everyone.
Snake Catching Velcro Source
There are ready-made traps for sale. They are usually large in size. Sold as rugs or runners. With the help of them, you can catch not only snakes, but also rats. To do this, roll the base into a tube, put the bait inside. The animal, having climbed inside, is sure to get stuck.
The Catchmaster 402 Baited Rat, Mouse and Snake Glue Traps Professional Strength is made of cardboard and very sticky glue. It is only suitable for catching small reptiles weighing less than 2 kg. Putting it at random is useless, you first need to observe and find out the main paths of movement of the object. One large grasshopper will do as bait.
Ready-made traps from the manufacturer Source e3.
Another trap "Humane Snake Trap by Snake Trap" looks more solid. Its base is made of plastic. Inside it is a permanently attached adhesive tape. The device has a closed shape, so a cat or dog will not get inside it. This is an advantage. The disadvantage is the high price. Many buyers note that it will be expensive to buy several of these traps, and it is easier to throw cheap sticky tapes around the area for catching mice. It will turn out to kill two birds with one stone: and catch a reptile, save money.
What snakes are dangerous to humans
Not all snakes are dangerous to humans. Some representatives only bite painfully and this is the only minus of meeting with a reptile.
Dangerous representatives are described in the table.
Snake | The color is black or yellow. When danger is sensed, the representative is able to throw himself under the feet of a person and instantly bite. |
Yellow-bellied snake | The representative does not like excessively wet areas. Selects dry areas. The snake can be found in hay or in animal burrows. The snake is highly aggressive. In case of danger, it can even jump to a height of 1 meter. The bite can lead to an instant allergic reaction. |
Vipers | They pose a mortal danger. They have a black calf color. There is a gray pattern on the back. It is better to fight with such representatives radically. |
All of these representatives are dangerous to humans.
One of the snakes that can be found is the yellow-bellied snake
Video description
The video tells how to drive the snakes from your summer cottage:
It scatters over the site, has an unpleasant persistent odor, and is washed off by rain. Anyone who is looking for an answer to the question of how to drive snakes from a summer cottage can use folk remedies of this type. But if the pellets get into the mouth of a pet or child, it will end badly. Therefore, aggressive drugs can be used where the site is still being developed and undergoing improvement.
The rest can be advised to plant garlic along the fence, scatter mustard powder around the perimeter of the site, sprinkle balls of naphthalene and sulfur near a compost heap or in a destroyed bird's nest, install iron turntables on the ground (their blades will spin from the wind, transmit vibrations and scare away creeping guests).
What are the serpentine habits
When snakes appear on the site, you need to familiarize yourself with snake habits. This will help avoid attack.With prolonged heat, snakes hide in shelters where the temperature is low. On such days, it is possible to meet a representative under trees and bushes, as well as among the debris. One careless movement will result in a bite.
After a long cold or regular rains, snakes, on the contrary, crawl out to bask in the sun. Also keep in mind that the reptile has a strong sense of smell.
After the destruction of the representative, the body should be taken as far from the house as possible.
The item that was used to kill the snake must be well washed with water and soap. This is due to the presence in the blood of a substance that resembles the smell of a female at the time of mating. If you do not adhere to these recommendations, the number of snakes on the site will increase significantly.
Chemical snake repellents with mothballs and sulfur
Naphthalene
First, there is a very strong neurotoxin hidden in these balls. If it gets into the mouth of a child or dog, it can all end badly. Secondly, science has failed to prove its effectiveness against snakes. Scientists directly state: "Naphthalene is not a snake repellent." Don't believe the scientists - just watch the MythBusters series. Adam Savage and company also destroyed this legend. And laboratory work with pure naphthalene showed that it is not a hindrance to snakes. Scientists Gary J. San Julian and David K. Woodward conducted an experiment to prove this: they put a snake in a closed box, put repellent in front of it, and put bait behind it - and almost always the animal ignored the mothballs.
Sulfur
Sulfur is not often used neat against snakes. More often it is mixed with the same mothballs. We can confidently write one thing about this mixture: it stinks strongly and is easily washed off by rain. It is possible that a certain concentration of the two ingredients can affect the snakes. There is evidence of “limited effectiveness” for a number of registered drugs based on naphthalene and sulfur. This is confirmed by the fact that a number of repellents "sulfur + naphthalene" still received a state license. They work best with rattlesnakes and checkered garter snakes, but ... with reservations.
Means Snake-a-way of 7% naphthalene and 28% sulfur, for example, laboratory testing has not passed. Rex E. Marsh, from the University of California, put a strip of repellent on the floor of the room and took turns launching the kite. According to statistics, every second snake repeatedly crossed the obstacle. And Snake-a-Way's competitors have not earned the reputation of being "universal repellents."
How to kill snakes on the site
Snakes are difficult to kill with chemicals. This is due to the fact that the representative eats the prey alive. First of all, it is recommended to clear the ground of debris, grass, as well as useless buildings and heaps.
You can fight snakes with saltpeter
It is also recommended:
- process the soil around the perimeter with nitrate, and also scatter rags soaked in a harsh substance;
- decompose mothballs and tablets;
- carry out processing with a low-toxic composition;
- periodically burn rubber tires on the site.
All of these methods help scare off parasites from the site. Treatment with chemicals is carried out only by special services.
More effective ways to fight
Not everyone knows how to drive a snake from a summer cottage, therefore, to solve such a problem, many prefer to involve special services. But calling a herpetologist to the house every time to catch one snake is an overhead. Such a visit is not always able to get rid of creeping reptiles once and for all: they caught one, the next snake can crawl out of the forest in a day, two, a week. Professional cleaning of the site and the surrounding area helps. Such works are expensive, but the invested funds are fully paid off with peace of mind for the health of family members.
Herpetologists - Specialists Who Can Help Fight Snakes Source
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The manufacturers of repellents can tell you how to protect the site from snakes. There are different models on sale, but the action is the same for all: the devices produce noise, vibration or ultrasound. They are installed in places of possible settlement of evil (near compost pits, dumped boards, garbage heaps).
Finding the right device will not be difficult if you know exactly who to scare away. For example, a viper is not afraid of ultrasound, but it crawls away when it feels strong vibrations on its way. In order to use repellent devices, you need to know what kind of snake lives in the neighborhood, which model of the device is suitable for achieving existing goals.
Devices-repellents in the fight against creeping Source images.kz.prom.st
Are scarers effective
Scarers can be used to eliminate and prevent the appearance of snakes. Such devices are:
- biological;
- electric;
- mechanical.
You can buy the device at almost any hardware store. Depending on the type, the design scares off with a pungent smell or outgoing waves that are invisible to humans. This will prevent snakes from finding prey in your area, which means that the animal will not come to the local area.
You can use special devices to repel pests
Folk remedies and compositions for fighting snakes
Since snakes are sensitive to smells, you can scatter dry mustard over the territory or plant more garlic. It is also advised to remove all skin from the site after the snakes molt, because they return to their old places and live where they left their skin. The snake identifies this place by the smell, but you should not touch the skins with your hands, so as not to attract the snake with your scent.
If you burn grass in the area, snakes are unlikely to come there - they cannot stand the smell of burning. Some people practice burning old tires or ash. As odorous repellents, you can use amofoska, herbicides, naphthalene, saltpeter.
Is it possible to drive away snakes with the help of animals
To fight, you can use natural enemies - hedgehogs. The animal is not afraid of poison and does not mind eating a pest. You can catch a "savior" in the vicinity after evening. Another option is to take a hedgehog from a nursery or nearest zoo. In the future, the hedgehog can become an excellent pet.
You can also lure a hedgehog to the site. To do this, you need to lay out treats - plates of milk, wet cat food, etc.
A dog must also be present on the site. Loud barking will scare away the pest. However, this method does not work if the adjacent territory is too large, and the animal is on a chain.
Chemicals
Already understanding what snakes are afraid of at their summer cottage, it is not difficult to find poisons designed specifically for cold-blooded reptiles. This method of struggle has its pros and cons. Repellents are commercially available. Their assortment is large, this complicates the choice of a specific tool. You need to solve the problem by carefully studying the instructions for each drug.
Chemical Repellents Effective Against Snakes Source
For example, “Dr. T’s 4-Pound Nature Products Snake Repelling Granules ”is capable of repelling only rattlesnakes, it is useless against other species. The composition of the mixture is extremely simple. It contains 7% naphthalene and 28% sulfur. One bag is enough to cultivate two hectares of land. The manufacturer is silent that it is possible to achieve the expected result if the agent falls directly on the sensitive receptors of the snake. Simply put, she must manage to crawl over the scattered granules. This means that they must be scattered very tightly.
Any, even the smallest rain, is able to completely neutralize the chemical, so you have to process the site over and over again. Experts advise against scattering powder granules near snake holes discovered. From this, the reptile will be locked up and will not leave the house until his death. Dog owners admit that this chemical cannot harm pets, but if children taste it, they will certainly be poisoned. Therefore, this must be taken into account when choosing this method of fighting snakes.
Means from manufacturers for repelling snakes Source i.
Why be afraid of a snake
Like every living thing, snakes have fears. The animal does not tolerate strong odors. It can be any seasoning or aromatic herbs. You can also use mustard and garlic.
In this video you will find tips on how to get rid of snakes in the country:
Snakes are also afraid of any loud sounds. The noise will help scare the animals away and prevent the parasite from re-entering the area.
Snakes are also fearful of cats and dogs. However, keep in mind that some representatives are poisonous and can fatally injure a pet. It is for this reason that it is better for her to rely on the hunting instincts of a four-legged friend.
How to get rid of snakes
The most harmless representative of the creeping kingdom is the snake, but its appearance makes the heart beat faster, and the bite of sharp teeth does not give pleasant sensations, and the entanglement of a large individual can even cause a fracture. Most often, it is difficult to identify who is in front of you: a viper or already, so the reaction can either run away or cut the body with a sharp object.
But you can get rid of the harmless creeping humanely.
What are the snakes afraid of
All of the above methods are suitable for snakes, but there are a couple of effective methods in the collection of folk recipes. They are afraid if:
- sprinkle mustard powder;
- a smoke bomb if snakes are found in the cellar;
- plant elderberry, garlic, ethereal herbs on the territory.
- fence the compost pits with a fine mesh.
How to catch a snake
If there are few safe reptiles in the garden, then you can not drive them away, but catch and take them out.
- Wear ankle boots or high rubber boots on your feet.
- Make sure that it is in front of you, and not a viper. The harmless snake has two red or orange spots on the sides of its head.
- Try to behave naturally, slowly lower your hand, grab the creature as close to the head as possible.
- Hold it firmly in this position, lower it into a pre-prepared bag with its tail down.
- As soon as her head is level with the edge of the bag, release her head abruptly and tie the bag tightly.
Who is the danger
To understand how to deal with uninvited guests, you should familiarize yourself with some of the features of their behavior. So, vipers are active mainly at night, therefore the greatest chances of encountering them are in the early morning and evening. But snakes can also be found in the daytime - if the weather is cool, they will look for sunny places, but if it's hot outside, the reptiles will hide in the shade.
In fairness, we note that snakes are never the first to attack, and their manifestation of aggression is only a defensive reaction. But if you do not notice the reptile and step on him or accidentally touch him, the answer will definitely follow in the form of a bite.
Please note: snakes can be more aggressive in the spring (moulting and egg-laying period), during the summer and early fall. Immediately after hibernation in spring and autumn before dormancy, the reptiles are sedentary and lethargic.
Most often, the following types appear on the site:
- viper;
- runner;
- already;
- copperhead.
Snakes common in our territory (from left to right): viper, snake, snake, copperhead.
Of the listed reptiles, only the first species is dangerous to humans - the bite of a poisonous viper can be potentially dangerous, although it is very rarely fatal. The other three types of reptiles are not dangerous, and yet the neighborhood with such animals cannot be called pleasant. On the other hand, reptiles help get rid of pests in the area such as moles, small rodents and frogs.
If there are snakes in the house
So, we examined the methods of dealing with reptiles that have chosen the garden and beds. But what if creeping reptiles have settled in your house?
- Initially, inspect the house from the outside around the perimeter - all found cracks, openings, holes must be sealed with mortar.
- Examine ventilation ducts, wiring and other openings in the basement - they will also need to be reduced in diameter if they cannot be completely blocked.
- Put all food in the refrigerator, store animal food securely in containers with tight sealed lids. Remember - if a reptile has no food, it will have nothing to do indoors.
- If a snake or, even worse, a nest is found, it is necessary to physically remove them outside the home.
To get rid of reptiles, it is best to call specially trained people - herpetologists. You should not try to handle the snake if you are not sure that it is not a viper or other non-venomous species.
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