Snake-Guard or Snake-Away (home, scorpion, live in)

[Maisy Jacob]

Has anyone ever tried these products? Do they work?

I know most snakes aren't poisonous but with a small child playing in the yard, I would rather they just not be present in my yard.

Thoughts?

[Artmcm]

Never used those products before. However, someone once recommended to me about using moth balls around the perimeter of the yard to ward off snakes.

[Ollie1946]

A spayed/neutered yard cat can be a decent defense with snakes. Also, making sure you don't have wood piles, brush piles around your place. Sheds that are off the ground are also good places for snakes to "live" under. If you have rodents, they attract snakes as well. When my children were small, I would check the yard before letting them play outside. I also taught them to give ANY snake a wide berth and to let me know if they saw one. You might call your local extension service concerning these products usefulness or the local game warden.

[JagFan27]

I used moth balls because it was cheaper and was the same ingredient as those products.

[johnrex62]

Strong second on the yard cat, and absent a motivated snake hunter such as that, scattering cat hair in areas that make good snake habitat can also help reduce the likelihood of a snake sticking around.

[Robyn55]

Do not get a cat! They are the biggest destroyer of birds in our environment. And - at least where I live - in St. Johns County - they must be fenced in on your property. If off property - they must be on a leash.

Cats perform no useful function in our environment. Snakes do. And they get everywhere. They will sit on your driveway to warm up on a cold day - or slither under a closed garage door to cool off on a hot day. They are part of our environment - and take care of pests in our environment (like small rodents - they're native to the environment - and snakes are about the most environmentally friendly "exterminator").

Luckily - most of our snakes are totally harmless when it comes to people. If you see one (even in your garage) - leave it alone - or open the garage door - and it will likely be gone in 15 minutes. A few snakes are not harmless. Perhaps the worst IMO is the pygmy rattler - because it is small and dangerous and hard to see (it will generally be in areas where it blends in - like piles of leaves). It won't attack you - but if you happen to step on it - you could be in trouble.

Don't have a clue what your property is like. But if it's anything like ours - a lot is very native - with a thick layer of pine needles - leaves - etc. - well just don't have your kids playing around in the stuff. Also - when we get heavy rains - and some flooding - we can find snakes - including moccasins - wrapped up in shrubs and small trees to get out of the water. Unless you have trained your kids to prune your property - reckon you don't have to worry about that!

FWIW - if you're worried about your kid and nature - well bad spider bites are more common here than snake bites. Scorpion bites too (even when doing something like changing a sheet). And ant/fire ant bites are the most common (most bees/wasps are pretty docile - but there are exceptions - especially in terms of the ones that build underground nests). And I'd rather leave the fire ants alone than use the chemicals necessary to make them move (they don't die - they just move "down the block"). Your kid probably has a better chance of being hurt in an auto accident than being bitten by a snake. If you don't want your kid to come in contact with nature - live in a high rise. It's as simple as that (I've been bitten by so many things so many times that I now get anaphylactic reactions to some bites - lots of big red welts). Worth it to me - because I love being outdoors. Robyn

[JimRom]

I'm firmly against outside cats. The cat is an animal that hunts just to hunt, and they will destroy bird nests, etc. In our case, we have a small dog that does wonders at spotting snakes and alerting me when they are there. She also herds the kids away from anything she thinks is "dangerous" for them.

As was previously posted, most snakes in this area are harmless, and as long as you supervise the kids and teach them to respect nature they shouldn't be a problem. However, if you want to keep snakes away, the best method is to keep a clean yard. No brush or wood piles, no overgrowth, etc.

[Maisy Jacob]

No need to get into a cat debate for me--we are deathly allergic to them!
Though by wood piles do you guys mean mulch in the flower beds? We have some but not much--left from last year.

The one I saw recently just slithered straight over the grass and the holes I have seen have been right in the open area dirt.

Anyway, . . .would still be interested to know if anyone has tried the products and feels that they do or do not work.

Thanks.

[one2think]

I have a family member who swears by Snake-Away. I agree with the other poster, I *think* it has the same thing as moth balls. Either option reeks. Good luck with your choice.

[FLPL75]

This is a pretty common myth that mothballs works on keeping snakes away. Snakes do not have a very well developed sense of smell , so mothballs will not work.

Another thing to remember is the vapor from Mothballs is poisonous to humans, children, pets, and beneficial animals.
Leaving them in a garden unprotected makes it very easy for unintended victims such as children and pets to gain access to them.

Somethings you can do are
Keep wood piles, rocks, etc away from the house/shed/etc.
Don't make a home for rodents, grasshoppers and frogs because their predators will follow and you don't want to kill the animals who are working the hardest to compete with venomous snakes... non venomous ones!