Sometimes, the holes in your yard might be a snake holes. If a snake is inside, it can be dangerous, or even deadly, to deal with. In this article, you will learn how to check if a hole is a snake hole; and what to do in case it is a snake hole.
Table of Contents
Why do snakes live in holes?
Snakes cannot make holes, although they are adept at navigating through loose material. Some species, however, are strong enough to break through the mulch and dig their holes. When it comes to selecting a home, they might be rather particular. Most snakes will take any shelter available, but some have specific preferences.
Most holes are chilly and gloomy, and snakes like it.
- Moreover, holes provide greater security to them. Because their backs are directly in contact with the holes’ ceiling, they feel a little more secure and cozy.
- Snakes love sandy places, which may be found in deserts worldwide, including in Asia, Africa, and Australia. It is easier for them to get through sand due to the loose nature of the soil.
However, not all holes in your yard are snake holes. For you to know if it is a snake hole, measure it. Smaller crevices are home to rodents, insects, and other animals.
What does a snake hole look like?
If you find a hole in your lawn or garden, the chances are it’s a nesting ground for snakes. Just ensure that when dealing with the snake in the hole, do not disturb or kill it. Here’s how you will know if it is a snake hole:
The majority of snake burrows/holes are circular. Any elliptical or non-circular formation is usually the hiding place of another animal or not a snake.
There may be debris or leaves at the bottom of some snake tunnels. An obvious sign of a snake hole is if the debris looks disturbed.
How to check if that hole is a snake hole
Snake holes in your backyard may make you wonder if there are still snakes living in them. However, you may not know how long they’ve been there. So you have to check to see if a snake hole is empty. Here are some ways to do this:
- Look for snakeskin that has just been shed. This is a good sign because the snake is living in this hole.
- Look for snake feces. Snake feces look like tubes with dark colors and white, chalky urine streaks on parts of them. There may also be bones and fur in the feces, but it is not inevitable.
- Find out if there are spiderwebs or other things around the hole.
Common snakes in the backyard
The types of snakes in your yard depends on where you live in the country. Some of the common types are:
Garter snakes
Garter snakes are usually found in meadows, hillsides, woodlands, and marshes. They are about 18 to 21 inches long and come in many colors and patterns, from striped yellow, brown, and black to checkered.
Garter snakes may also benefit a homeowner’s garden because they act as “natural pest control” by eating those pesky bugs. Garter snakes are not dangerous to humans, but some may have a mild neurotoxic venom.
Northern water snakes
Northern Water Snakes aren’t poisonous, but they aren’t afraid to bite if they feel threatened. You could get hurt if you don’t know the difference between the non-venomous Northern water snake and the poisonous Water Moccasin.
Their looks are similar, but the Northern water snake is much smaller and slimmer. Moreover, they can be between 24 and 42 inches long. Usually, they have brown and black spots on their bodies and are found near water.
Most of the time, Northern water snakes will move away from water to look for places to hibernate. This makes your garden or backyard an excellent place for them to stay.
Other types of snakes and where they are found:
Common Kingsnake
In Arizona, these are black and white snakes found all over. These snakes aren’t dangerous but can grow up to 6 feet long.
Redbelly Snake
These grow to be 8 to 10 inches long and are the smallest snakes in Minnesota. It is brown or gray with a red belly.
Rat snake
The rat snake has a shiny black scale and a light-colored belly on their backs. The giant snake in Ohio is 6-foot-long and harmless. However, they can be startling because they like to climb trees, making them look scary.
Why do snakes like to live in my area?
If you live in a region with a lot of snakes, chances are your location is conducive for snakes to live. This is because snakes like wet, dark areas to lay their eggs. To avoid attracting snakes in your yard, you can:
- Keep your yard free of weeds and thick grass as snakes like to live on this. Maintain the grass as short as possible.
- Make sure your home is impenetrable by checking for any cracks or holes in the walls. Next, fill in any cracks and gaps around your home.
- Please remove all of their potential food sources. If there are fewer items for snakes to eat in your area, you may see a decrease in the number of snakes in your area.
Steps to keep snakes away from your area
If you have a snake problem, you should call a professional as this is the most effective way. However, you can also use cheap, safe, and effective home remedies to keep snakes away.
Most home remedies use things you already have in your house or can quickly get. Also, home remedies are cheaper than professional products or services, which is why they are more popular. There aren’t many poisons for snakes available on the market, so you can save a lot by trying to keep snakes away.
Cut off the snake’s food supply.
Remove the snake’s food source, and they will look for food elsewhere. Snakes like to live in places where rodents are because this is their primary source of food. They also like to eat frogs, birds, moles, insects, fish, and other things that live on the ground. If there are many of these animals near you, think about getting rid of them.
Get rid of the hiding places of snake food.
To get rid of snakes, you must get rid of their food sources. Tall grassy areas with piles of dirt, leaves, or sticks are places full of bugs and small rodents. Burn firewood, level out piles of dirt and remove leaves from your yard. Another way to get rid of rodents is to use traps or smoke them out of the yard. Make sure you don’t use smoke bombs in places with many trees, wooden porch furniture, and other things that could catch fire.
Make changes to your landscape.
Some of the things snakes like are debris, holes, and growth. So you can add pine cones, holly leaves, gravel, and things that snakes can’t get through. You can also plant lemongrass, marigolds, and wormwood to keep snakes away. Also, try making changes to your garden to keep snakes away. For example, grass could be cut short, and snake-proof fencing flush with the ground should be installed.
Make use of animals that prey on snakes.
Snakes prey on hens, pigs, foxes, raccoons, turkeys, and cats. If you see these around your house, it’s a good thing. They can keep snakes away. In the absence of foxes, you can make use of foxes to keep snakes away from your home.
Use smoke to drive away snakes.
Snakes have a perfect sense of smell and don’t like the smell of smoke. They are susceptible and can’t stand certain smells or fumes. Dig a fire pit. Use leaves and moss to cover the ember. Let it burn for a few days.
Utilize natural snake repellents
Cinnamon oil, vinegar, lime, Naphthalene, sulfur, garlic, and onion oils work well as snake repellents.
Clove and cinnamon oil
Clove and cinnamon oil can be used to keep snakes away if they are mixed in a spray bottle. This mixture can also be used indoors in a diffuser to make the air smell good. However, this is a riskier option because you must spray the repellent on the snake to get rid of it.
Sulfur and naphthalene
When you buy snake repellent, you’ll see naphthalene as one of the main ingredients. It is also found in mothballs. You can save money if you buy mothballs and put them where you find snakes. The powder form of sulfur is another good thing to sprinkle around your house.
Garlic, onions, and rock salt
When garlic and onions are mixed with rock salt and spread around your yard, they can keep snakes away.
White vinegar
White vinegar poured over any body of water is a natural way to keep snakes away.
Lime and peppermint
Mix lime with peppermint and spray it around the outside of your home. This is irritating for the snake, and it drives them away.
What to do if you see a snake hole
Here are some things you can do to find a snake hole in your yard.
Make sure the snake is not inside the hole.
Check to make sure there isn’t a snake in the hole. If you find one, cover the hole and leave. Disturbing or killing the snake that lives there isn’t a good idea. Take a long stick and poke it slowly into the hole to make sure there’s nothing that looks inside the hole.
The hole is probably clean if nothing jumps at you or moves inside it. You can fill it with dirt or gravel to keep animals from using it. You can fill it with dirt or gravel to keep animals from using it.
Please do not disturb the snake in its hole.
You should think about the shape and size of the snakeskin and the kind of snake that might be around your yard. Most likely, the snakes found in the yard will not be dangerous. The non-venomous snakes help get rid of bugs like crickets, some types of worms, and cockroaches. They will also eat rats and moles.
It is often better to let the snake keep doing what it needs to do. In the US, the garter and the common water snakes are the two most popular non-venomous snakes that aren’t dangerous to people. Water snakes are around 18 to 20 inches long. On the other hand, Garter snakes are about 24 to 42 inches in length. Garter snakes can have different colors and patterns, but water snakes are usually brown or black and have spots like this.
However, people and pets can try to get the snake to move away. These include setting traps, using snake repellents, and filling or covering snake holes.
Use dye to track it.
Use a cloth with bright dye on it and place it in the entrances of the hole. If the dye moves or there are drag marks on the ground, something crawled out from the hole. And if the dye left long, streaky drag marks, it could have been a snake.
Check for other holes that look like the one you found
Make sure there are no other holes in your garden because the previous snakes might have left this one behind.
- Please take note of where these holes lead and cover them too.
- For dead-end holes. Just leave them be, as long as there aren’t any snakes that could live inside it.
Check your local rules and regulations about snakes
It’s common to fight back against a snake because you’re afraid of it, but you might want to think about regulations first. Some states have laws that say you can’t shoot or hit snakes. It’s also important to check to see if fumigation is legal in your area.
Use snake sprays and repellents.
There are many ways to get rid of snakes, one of which is to use snake spray. There are places where snakes can be sprayed with repellent. You can also spray it around the yard’s edges to keep them out. Many times, they have a smell of cinnamon, cloves, or ammonia when they are burned. People and pets should look for safe repellents for both of them. Make sure it’s legal where you live.
Set a trap and be careful near traps
You can set a trap. It isn’t killing them but will trap them so they can be freed later. Avoid working near snake holes and traps because when they’re freed, the snakes may become angry and try to bite. Make sure to wear gloves to protect yourself from getting hurt. Then, last 10 miles away from where the snake was caught, let it go. This way, it won’t come back to the yard and bite someone else again.
Seek help from pest control professionals
If you are afraid of snakes or don’t know how to deal with snake holes, you should ask a pest control professional for help. Any snake can harm people or pets if they feel threatened or irritated.
They can get rid of snakes from your home safely by hiring a pest control company or calling a local wildlife service. They will be able to look at the risks and determine the best way to get rid of snakes from your yard. They can also tell people what kind of snakes live in their yard and how to keep them from coming back.
What to do in case a snake is exiting the hole
He.re are ways you can do if, in the worst-case scenario, you see a snake exiting one of the holes in your yard.
Use bleach and water.
Spraying the snake with a mix of bleach and water should be considered a last resort. When doing this step, avoid doing it to poisonous snakes since this might make your situation worse. The snake won’t be killed immediately, but it will be disarmed and scared away.
Douse the hole with a lot of oil.
This will suffocate the snake. However, this may not be 100 percent successful since snakes can hold their breath for up to 40 minutes.
It’s generally advisable to consult specialists who deal with such difficulties if none of these solutions works or if you don’t want to undertake them. Moreover, let the snake continue on its path first before doing anything.
Don’ts when you see a snake hole
Snakes aren’t dangerous by nature, but that doesn’t mean they won’t attack you if they sense danger. So whenever you’re interacting with them, avoid doing the following:
- Please do not attempt to handle it barehanded; instead, use protective gear.
- When it comes to snakes, municipal and state laws each have their own set of rules. Some jurisdictions prohibit or even consider it illegal to use fumigant and shoot snakes.
How to prevent snake holes from appearing
If you do not want snake holes to reappear in your yard, here are steps you can take:
First, put some grass in the hole, or plant something over it.
This might not be the best and most aesthetic way, but it is better than letting snakes get into your house through these holes.
Use net/wire or other materials to cover the snake hole.
Before doing this step, remember to check the area for snakes first and be careful when putting the coverings over the snake hole. Next, cover the holes in the ground with wire, netting, or burlap. This will stop the snakes from returning to their homes, which are the holes.
What to do in case of a snake bite
In case of a snake bite, here are some steps you can do:
- First, call 911 so professionals can administer antivenom.
- Second, tell the victim to remain motionless. The poison will spread more slowly if you keep the individual quiet.
- Third, take note of the snake’s color and form.
- If a person’s bite level is below their heart, allow them to rest or sit. The individual should be positioned, so the bite is level with the heart.
- The bite should be covered with a clean and dry dressing.
Frequently asked questions
What do snake holes look like?
Like mole holes in lawns, snake holes may also be found in the grass. Moreover, snake burrows are round and come in a variety of sizes.
Where can I usually find snake holes?
The only way to know whether a snake is hiding in your yard is to see it yourself. Unfortunately, it’s a little more challenging to figure out which pests reside in your yard’s holes if you can’t see them in person.
Snake holes may also be found in trees and massive concrete fractures and are not often located around the gaps in the foundation of a house.
Do snakes dig their holes in the ground?
Snakes do not dig their holes in the ground because they prefer to occupy holes made by other creatures, such as chipmunks, prairie dogs, mice, and rats. Snakes such as black racers, gopher snakes, milk snakes, and others may prey on these creatures and even steal their homes.
Semi-aquatic snakes, such as water snakes and crayfish snakes, may live in the holes created by frogs and crayfish. Meanwhile, eastern indigo snakes do so in the holes dug by gopher tortoises.
Are snakes more numerous at certain times of the year?
Temperatures between 80- and 90-degrees Fahrenheit during the spring and summer are the times when snakes are most prevalent. They are most active in the early or late hours of the day. During the summer and early fall, snakes usually begin to reactivate their activities before going into brumation or hibernation. They can’t be outside throughout the day in the summer because it’s too hot.
Brumation, which is more prevalent in Southern states where snakes reduce their body temperatures and metabolism, is when they become less active. During the winter months, brumation snakes will emerge from their burrows to sunbathe in the sun.
Conclusion
Snakes aren’t necessarily deadly. They may also help fight against pests like rats and mice by killing them. However, nobody wants to see snakes lurking and entering your house. The steps above are what you can do in case of snake hole sightings.
