snakes
 

Goodafternoon all
what a beautiful day it is here in northern IL,
I know that there is someone here on the board that knows of something that will work!!
My son (who lives in the city) seems to have a family of gardiner snakes that are living under his garage floor (it is cement) we were there for a short time today an seen 4 of them, my son says that when they mow (they have a small yard)they usally run over 2 or 3, so does anybody know of a way to get rid of them,he tried moth balls last year but no good, Thank you

Have him call his local pest control company. I know that here we can get a repellent that you can put down on the perimeter of your yard and snakes will not cross. I have never tried it because our yard is very large area - we mow apx 8 acreas. Anyway, maybe there is something that the pest control company can suggest. At least gardener snakes are not poisonous - but to me the only good snake is a dead snake!

my cat takes care o that but I will check with my snake guy this week. we have 2 large snakes but they would eat the cat!

Sorry that these little reptiles have taken up house keeping under the garage. Personally they don't bother me and they do eat lots of rodents and bugs. It is sad they get mowed over. Sometimes it just can't be helped. After you get rid of them. Be sure to fill the hole in so nothing else takes up residence.
peace

Put an open box of Mothballs in the garage. It's the same thing that the pest control company is going to use.

We use moth balls also. We put them around the perimeter of the house and yard to keep them away. Seems to work.

Pour some down the hole. That should make them leave especially before they have a lot more in babies.

I have heard that a snake won't crawl over a big coarse rope, but I have never had reason to try it, so am not sure if it works.

thank you all that have answered so far, as I said before he has tried moth balls they did not work. I will be watching to see what ideas you all have come up with Thanks again
Diane

You could try sulphur on the perimeter of your yard. Make sure you leave an opening so the snakes in your yard can get out, then after a few days close the opening with more sulphur.

I saw on discovery chanel that when you have a lot of garder snakes it because that is where they mate and have their babies. Check with a local pest controler to see if anything can be done.

Sounds like if he did this, He will keep them in his yard and garage...

I understand that a snake is a shocker, because they move so fast, etc.... Bu gardiner snakes don't stick around - UNLESS - they have a great home (ie:FOOD). If your son gets rid of them - what will he be over run with????? I'm not a fan of snakes, but these guys wont hurt you - I have them and they shock me from time to time too, but they keep bugs and rodents, etc.... way down. Good luck

There is a product you can buy at Lowes or Home Depot. I want to think it is Snake-Be-Gone but I could be wrong.

I vote for pest control...if he lives in Chicago, he could be dealing with something a lot worse than garden snakes. They may be eating the rodents. If he decides to do it himself, couldn't he just fill in the whole they are using with cement so that they can't get in and out?

Before you get rid of the snakes be sure you deal with the rats and black widows (snake food). Snakes won't cross cresote. A good barn cat , usually available from a pet shelter, can kill them. A rat terrier will do the job also - both animals will keep the rats aways but won't help with the spiders. Why do you object to the snakes?

Yes. Sulphur works, we have copperheads here, we purchased sulphur at the local hardware in a small town and spread it around the house and then around the flower beds and outer yard. We have 6 acres and oak trees, 50 pecan trees, fruit trees etc. But mainly around our house.. Last year we acquired 4 cats and this will be their lst year to see what they will do. I am told they will kill a varment and bring it to let you see??? we shall see??? We ususally kill appx 2 or 3 per year, but I am told they only have littleones every 3 yrs. --not sure on that either. When we were kids we used to sulphur the entire yards and fields but now you can't get that much do to ------bombers. So we make due with the 1 lbs we manage to get. I like living in the country, its quiet.

This sounds crazy, but it works. Get a couple plastic owls for the yard or a tinish kind to hang from a tree. My son had snakes like that and I took him a plastic owl with a bobbly head and a metal artistic one to hang. In a matter of days the snakes were gone. Lowe's has them. They put them on stakes on our golf courses and the snakes are happy to stay in and around the ponds. Black ones here in FL keep any poisonous ones away. I have an owl sitting on my grill in our courtyard and an owl on a rock in the front. Good luck!

on the hottest day of the year get insulation foam , in a can, and seal all holes and cracks. this is really good if you have snakes under your house siding.

Would you be sealing the snakes in or out? I'd prefer to not smell rotting snake corpses all summer long....

Hi. We had a snake problem several years ago. We tried all the same remedies. The man at the CO-OP said to try Snake Away. Its a powder you sprinkle around the yard(edges) . We also have three cats. No snakes now. You must put it out each spring. Good luck.

Is there alot of vegetation around the house and yard?? If so that is what attracts them..ie for the little critters that they eat...I have read that the repellants are only good in large quantities and then become more of a toxin to the yard...I would call a pest control company...I wish him luck..

Why are garter snakes a problem? They hurt nobody, don't damage property and kill rodents. We live in an area where there are a lot of harmless snakes and a few that are dangerous, but only if you corner them, step on them or try to pick them up. Garter snakes are our friends and deserve respect.

sulfur. I went out to put some along fence one time...got a real creepy feeling and heard a voice say: "Turn around!"
That was my guardian angel talking, bc I was only feet away from an already coiled w. moccasin.
Tossed a handful of the sulfur and he took off.
Must have been a stubborn cuss, bc I told my "annie oakley- dd" and she went out and found him and blew him away.
Too many to feel sorry for any that come into my yard!!!! :shock:
Ye shall be introduced to Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson, if not the Winchester gang! :D

Try feeding them. They arent hurting anyone, can't get their mouths open far enough to bite your finger. They eat pests, and keep the world going around.

Pick the little guys up and take them somewhere more garter snake friendly (brushy/fallen bark/old logs) away from habitation. They don't hurt you but YOU will frighten them and they emit a very smelly musk.

BTW be sure to identify any snake you propose to handle.

Here in Oz, people with dogs have started using snake repellers. They send out a ultra sonic noise won't kill em but will deter them. I don't think if they are already under your garage floor this would work. It will only stop the ones coming in
Good luck

I would give anything to have a family of garter snakes living under anything in my yard. They eat mice. I terrified of mice.

I have rattlesnakes that come into my garage, believe me after you run into these guy's anything that crawls gets it's head chopped off.

they did a interview on local tv station last year and there was a house that has what looked like millions of garter snakes under it and lying in the yard everywhere. when the man tried to mow the grass, there were snakes everywhere. he carried them off by the bucketfuls and didn't make a dent in getting rid of them. they had taken over his house and yard. he couldn't find a solution to it at that time.

Pick them up???? NOT!!! If I get that close to any snake I had better have a shovel in my hand.

I know how valuable snakes are to gardens as they eat rodents and bad bugs! We had gobs of them(gardeners) when we first moved here and I stood in the middle of the garden and told myself to stay in control, these things were harmless and helpful!! BUT..... I simply can't stand it when they move and I had to get rid of them! Basically, they live near lots of vegetation and weedy areas. We cleaned our property up near the house and garden and they left. We have Jack Russells and they don't care much for snakes although they will kill them for a little fun. Snakes don't move fast enough for them and they must taste bad!

out.....lol they get real hot unbder the siding and also they go out to eat during the day.