How To Keep Snakes Away From Your Property
Summer is just around the corner, and as we know, South Australian summers can be especially hot and dry. The perfect time, with the perfect conditions, for snakes to make a home in your backyard.
Most snakes, both venomous and non-venomous, typically prefer to avoid humans. They find shelter in piles of timber, tall grass, or overgrown garden beds. But by clearing away garden waste or chucking old sheets of corrugated iron, timber scraps, and logs into a skip bin, you’re making your yard less appealing for snakes and keeping your family and pets safer.
Here are some effective ways to keep snakes away from your property before the mercury really starts to rise this summer.
Overview
Preventative Measures To Keep Snakes Away
Professional Deterrent Solutions
Effective Long-Term Snake Prevention Strategies
Keep Your Yards Clear And Clutter-Free With Just Skips
Preventative Measures To Keep Snakes Away
The common phrase “prevention is better than a cure” certainly applies to keeping snakes out of your property. Most of us would rather avoid running into a snake in the yard, which is why spring cleaning your garden is the smart move. It helps clear hiding spots and keeps your space safe and tidy.
From clearing the yard to sealing up easy access points around the property, these preventative measures will go a long way towards keeping your front and back yard snake-free.
Yard Maintenance And Landscaping Tips
A backyard that’s well-landscaped, open, and free of clutter gives snakes fewer places to hide, forcing them to look elsewhere for coverage. Two key approaches to consider are keeping your grass short and clearing away debris and clutter.
Keeping Grass Short
Snakes generally like to conceal themselves in tall grass. Keeping your front and back lawns short opens up your yard and reduces the places where snakes can hide.
Throughout the summer, it’s important to mow your lawn regularly. Use a whipper-snipper along your fences, retaining walls, and the edges of your garden beds. And after heavy rainfall, make sure you plan a quick top-up mow.
Most importantly, don’t store or pile up your lawn clippings in the yard. Dispose of them in a skip bin for green waste, along with any other clippings or materials you might accumulate while you work in the garden.
Shorter grass in the back or front yard helps you spot snakes sooner and keeps your pets and family safe from surprise encounters.
Removing Debris And Clutter
If you’re doing a bathroom remodel or some other form of building and construction, you’ll likely accumulate a large pile of debris and clutter. Snakes love to hide under scraps of timber, roofing or metal sheets, bricks and concrete, and old plant pots.
For everyone’s safety, it’s important to clear this debris from your yard and your home. A mixed waste skip bin will accommodate most of these materials, but if in doubt, enquire with your local council.
If you have firewood stored at ground level, keep it away from the house and try to move it off the ground if you can.
Securing Entry Points To Your Home
While snakes will seek shelter, moisture, and food from outdoor sources, they may try and make their way into your home as well. Here are some effective ways to seal up common entry points to prevent snakes from getting inside:
- Fit door sweeps, repair flyscreens, and mesh weep holes.
- Apply silicone around pipes and cables, and add bristle strips to garage doors (if your garage is attached to the house).
- Cover air vents with a fine mesh and block gaps beneath stairs and decking.
A well-sealed home keeps snakes and other wildlife where they belong. Next time you renovate your kitchen or other key rooms in the house, make sure you add these snake prevention measures to your to-do list. For more tips, especially on what to do if you see a snake, the South Australian Government offers some helpful information.
Professional Deterrent Solutions
Aside from tidying your overgrown garden or sealing up your home as part of DIY renovations, there are also professional solutions that concentrate on prevention, education, and long-term maintenance across your property and yard.
Hiring Pest Control Services
A pest control professional will be able to conduct a comprehensive audit of your property, both inside and out, to spot what might attract snakes and where they might get in.
Should you find a snake on your property, you’ll be able to call out a snake catcher to take it away. However, the best way to keep your family, pets, and yourself safe is to stop snakes from finding shelter on your property in the first place – prevention is key.
Should you hire pest control services, ask for a written plan that prioritises landscaping, sealing, and routine checks. This is particularly important if your property shares a border with bushland or creeks, or you have a swimming pool that can draw wildlife.
Effective Long-Term Snake Prevention Strategies
To keep snakes off your property for good, stick to regular routines. Keep your yard tidy and dispose of plant waste properly, seal up any gaps that let snakes indoors, and schedule inspections. These simple steps will make a big difference. Check out the tips below to get started.
Regular Monitoring And Inspections Of Your Yard
Do a thorough walk of your property monthly throughout the summer season, and especially after storms. Be on the lookout for fresh gaps in fences, burrows in the garden, and clutter around sheds and garden edges.
Conduct a clean-out of your garden shed before the summer weather arrives to get rid of any debris that snakes might hide in.
Re-trim your garden borders, empty any standing water, and move stored items off the ground. For larger clean-ups, hire a skip bin to remove waste in one go. You’ll keep the yard clear and your maintenance duties simple.
These habits keep snakes moving along and make your backyard a more pleasant spot all year round.
Keep Your Yards Clear And Clutter-Free With Just Skips
From tiny, harmless blind snakes to the ones you definitely want to avoid, like brown snakes, many species can find their way into your garden. By keeping your yard tidy, sealing entry points, keeping food and water sources out of reach, and conducting regular inspections, you can keep snakes away and maintain a safe environment for your family and pets.
Just Skips can help you clear away everything from green garden waste to construction debris with a range of skip bins in three useful sizes. Order a skip bin in Adelaide today and keep your property snake-free this summer.
FAQ
What is the best thing to keep snakes away from your property?
To keep snakes away from your property, it’s best to take a preventative approach. Eradicate potential hiding places by keeping your lawn short and your garden tidy, trimming vegetation and clearing away debris and clutter that they can shelter. Minimise their likely sources of food and water by sealing rubbish bins, managing rodents and other pests, and clearing away any standing water.
What time of the year are snakes most active?
In South Australia, snakes are typically most active in the warmer months of the year, from spring through to early autumn. They tend to be more active early in the morning, late in the evening or during the night when temperatures aren’t too high.
If I find a dead snake, can I put it in a skip bin?
No, you cannot put dead snakes or any animal in a skip bin, as this is considered putrescible waste. Find out what you can and cannot put in skip bins here.
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