Snakes are highly active between April and October, and it not a surprise to find one in your garage during this time. As the snakes look for a cool place to shelter themselves from harsh elements, they may end up sneaking into your garage. Snake presence in a garage is threatening since most are dangerous and may hurt you, your family, or your pets. You, therefore, need to put measures to prevent them from coming in.
Are you constantly fighting snakes from your garage and desperate to find a permanent solution? This article will give you tips on how to keep snakes out of your garage.
Tips to keep snakes out of your garage
Seal up holes
Snakes use any hole available to get into the garage, so if your garage door has worn out at the lower part, leaving a space, the snake can use it to get in. Snakes are good climbers, and they climb through the wall looking for any big crack, unsecured windows, vents, or loose roof tiles. To safeguard your garage from snakes, ensure there are no holes, vents, or cracks. Also, always leave the garage door closed and secure all the windows.
Eliminate unwanted pests
Snakes feed on pests such as mice and other rodents, and hence if these are in your garage, they will always come to feed on them. Therefore, if you find any pests or signs that there are pests, ensure you eliminate them. These are the signs of rodents that you can quickly identify, such as scratching sounds on the wall, their droppings, small holes, and chewed items.
Change up your landscaping
Snakes usually hide behind tall grass and trees, and when the conditions are favorable, they find shelter somewhere else, like in the garage. So if you have tall and unkempt grass near your home, the snakes can easily access your garage when temperatures are too high or too low. Therefore, you should cut your grass short and remove any tall vegetation near your garage, especially at the entrance point.
If your yard is prone to snakes, you can change its landscaping by removing debris and holes. You can also install a snake-proof fence made of plastic sheeting or steel mesh 3 feet high and four feet deep. Also, consider planting snake repellant plants such as lemongrass, wormwood, and marigolds.
Clean up debris
Snakes don’t like staying in an open area, and hence they usually build their nests behind the debris. If you do any work in your garage, you should remove any debris, as this will help keep these slithering reptiles away.
Use natural repellants
• Naphthalene
This is a common ingredient used in commercial snake repellant products such as mothball. Naphthalene has a very irritating smell that makes them leave without being them. Therefore, you should place naphthalene at every snake’s entry point, such as holes, vents, cracks, and any other place where you often find them. Be cautious as naphthalene products such as mothballs are harmful to pets and children when consumed.
• Sulfur
Sulfur operates like naphthalene as it has a strong smell that repels snakes. It would be best if you also put the sulfur powder in every entry point. The smell of sulfur is too strong, so use a mask when spreading the powder.
• Ammonia
The smell of ammonia is very irritating, and so snakes dislike it. You can use it as a repellant by spraying it around the affected areas. The other option is to dip a rag in ammonia solution then place it in the affected area when it is inside an unsealed bag.
• Lime
Make a mixture of lime and hot pepper and pour it around the garage. The smell produced by this mixture is unpleasant to snakes, and also, this mixture produces fumes that are itchy to the snakes’ skin.
• Onions and garlic
Both onion and garlic contain sulfonic acid, which is good at repelling snakes. Chop them well and mix with rock salt, then sprinkle in all the affected areas.
• Vinegar
As most snakes move towards the garage searching for water, they get attracted by any water around, especially if you have a swimming pool within your compound. Vinegar is very effective in eliminating snakes near water sources, and this is achieved by pouring white vinegar powder near these water sources.
You can use the above tips when you identify any of the following signs.
Signs of a snake living in your garage
• Skin
Snakes shed skin every month, although the old ones may take a while before shedding. If you see snakeskin in your garage, it is clear evidence that it has habited snakes.
• Scat
The snake dropping is very similar to that of birds as it is black and white and wet. However, this is hard to find if there is no food source in the garage as the snakes excrete as often as they eat.
• Trails
As the snake slithers on your floor around the garage, they leave trail marks, and hence if you come across these, you should watch out.
• Seeing a snake
It goes without saying that when you see a snake in your garage, it means that you have a problem that needs to be dealt with immediately. There may be more than one, especially during the breeding season, as snakes seek shelter.
Conclusion
When you identify a snake or snake signs inside your garage, you can use any of the above options to prevent further infestation. Killing should never be a priority. You are encouraged to use the other methods, especially the natural repellants or modifying the garage space to make them uncomfortable living there. If snakes become a nuisance even after trying these strategies, you can always reach out to snake control and removal specialists.