How do I get ride of snakes in my yard?
I was asked this question once before, when an elderly lady called into the Massachusetts Horticulture Hortline. I asked her if she had a lot of chipmunks. “Yes, I love them, they are so cute.” “Get rid of the chipmunks and the snakes will leave.” “But I want the chipmunks.” “The chipmunks are a food source for the snakes.” “I don’t want the snakes.” “Well get rid of the chipmunks.” You get the idea, we kept going round and round; it would have made a good comedy skit. Learn to identify your garden friends; not all animals and bugs are bad. Snakes are on the “Good Guys” side of the list, helping to control the rodent population that includes chipmunks, around your yard. They might give you a start when you disturb them, but will move out of the way. Another way to look at all of this is that an abundance of wildlife is directly related to a healthy garden. Reducing chemical use and adopting good garden sanitation techniques encourages the good guys; birds, toads, dragon flies, lady bug
