Stop Snakes From Slithering In Your Garden With One Common Scent
Snakes are sometimes beneficial for gardens because they like to eat common pests, like mice and grasshoppers. However, that doesn't mean that everyone necessarily wants them to be in their yard. This is because, on top of being frightening, certain snakes can also be venomous or aggressive. So, if you want your yard to be a safe place for kids and pets, you might prefer to limit the number of snakes on your property. Luckily, there is one common scent that has been proven to repel snakes without harming them — cinnamon.
However, before you head to your kitchen to grab a jar of cinnamon powder or sticks, it's important to know that these versions of the spice may not be strong enough to work. Instead, use cinnamon essential oil which is much stronger and has been scientifically proven to repel snakes. In fact, the USDA has approved the use of cinnamon essential oil combined with water in a spray bottle as a good way to repel the slithering garden intruders. The best thing about this method is that cinnamon oil is easily accessible, relatively affordable, and can even be beneficial to your garden due to its antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Using cinnamon oil to ward off snakes
There are a few different methods of using cinnamon essential oil to keep snakes out of your garden and both involve filling a spray bottle with water and a few drops of cinnamon oil. For the first method, simply apply the mixture liberally to areas that snakes like, such as around your garden perimeter and under bushes and woodpiles. This will help deter the snakes from visiting an area while the scent lasts. However, because essential oils start breaking down when exposed to sunlight, you will likely need to reapply the snake repellent every few days for it to be effective.
The second option (and the one found by the USDA to work the best) is to spray the cinnamon essential oil and water mixture on the snakes directly. This method is the most effective because it will cause the snakes to immediately flee in the opposite direction. However, as most people probably don't want to risk getting bitten by actively looking for snakes, this method works best as a self-defense option in case of an unexpected encounter.
It is also important to know that cinnamon essential oil can be toxic to pets and cause irritation in children under 10 years old. So, it's a good idea to use only in areas where children and pets have limited or supervised access.
Other ways to keep snakes away
If you don't particularly like the smell of cinnamon essential oil or have reacted negatively to breathing it in the past, don't worry because there are a few other essential oils that have been proven to repel snakes. These oils include clove, cedar, and lavender.
If you want to get away from the essential oil methods, there are also a few other natural options. According to pest control companies, snakes also dislike the scent of lime mixed with hot peppers, ammonia, vinegar, and garlic oil. So, if essential oils aren't a good option for you, you can always try these other scents first. However, similar to the essential oil method, you will need to reapply these scents to your yard every two to three for them to be effective.
Lastly, another good way to keep snakes out of an area is to simply eliminate their food sources. This is important because even if a scent repels a snake for a few days if you have big fat mice or delicious frogs in your yard, it will likely return. Therefore, you should make your yard as unattractive to snakes as possible by removing birdfeeders, cleaning up woodpiles, removing standing water, storing pet food inside, trimming bushes and trees, or even installing a snake-proof fence around your garden area.