Subject: snakes! summary of advice for avoiding

From: [email-masked] (Sandra Heiler)
Date: Fri, 10 Jun 1994 13:41:29 -0400

Here's a summary of the responses to my request for advice for discouraging
snakes in my garden.  Many came by e-mail so my fellow ophidophobes did not
get the benefit of all this net wisdom.  First, the good news: lots of
people offered advice and even the suggestions along the lines of "just
*get over* your phobia; snakes are the gardener's friend" were extremely
gentle (this really is a nice news group)--no flames received.  Now, the
bad news:  there may not be any reliable way to keep them out.  The best
one can hope for may be just to reduce the number and unexpectedness of
gardener/snake encounters.

Before summarizing all the helpful (or at least entertaining) responses,
let me first tell all of you who think I am singularly blessed and asked
that I send all my snakes to you, you'll have to come and get 'em.  I don't
deliver!
 
Theoreticians, practitioners, and pros (real herpetologists) sent along a
lot of reasonable advice.  Among the things that seemed to have worked for
several people were having a dog (especially a terrier) and/or cats
(possibly a mixed blessing because several people reported cats bringing
snakes--some report dead ones, others live ones-- home to their masters). 
Owls seem particularly useful, but I haven't seen any this year.  Lots of
people, including the pros, recommended getting rid of the food sources
(especially rodents) and covers (long grass, wood piles, some mulches,
etc.) that attract snakes, but of course this is nearly impossible to
implement.  It certainly makes sense to reduce them and to avoid walking in
the cover or lifting up things like logs where they might hide.  Almost
everyone recommended pounding around.  Although snakes reportedly can't
hear, they're sensitive to ground vibrations that let them know you're
coming and (we hope) clear out before you get there.

The *best* solution got mixed reviews.  There's something called Snake Away
that contains naphthalene? (mothball stuff) and sulfur that's supposed to
repel snakes.  Several posters mentioned that sulfur is believed to repel
them and one person recommended "stink-bombing" the stone walls with
mothballs.  While the pros indicated that snakes have a highly developed
sense of smell, they believe that the efficacy of these solutions is a
myth.  They didn't mention the product.  At least one responder had good
results with Snake Away and the Agway guy (who sells it) claims it works
terrifically.  The folks at the  Pesticide Div. of the MA Dept. of Food and
Agriculture don't know whether it works, but claim it's safe.  It's not
water soluble (so it doesn't leach into the soil or need to be replaced
after each rain) and is not in a form where pets or children (or garden
animals) can eat it (nor are they likely to because, apparently, it
stinks).  Anyway, I'm certainly planning to plunk down my $14.95 for 4.5
lbs and give it a try (especially around the stone foundation of my
house--a real worry--and the stone walls near my garden.

The most entertaining (and supportive) responses came from fellow
ophidophobes (that's what we are and our number is legion) who showed that
the phobia is invariably accompanied by a terrific sense of humor.  They
almost *all* responded by e-mail, probably not wanting to flaunt non-pc
attitudes on the net.  They had plenty of hair-raising tales to tell.  I
chose not to share any of them here because we phobics have enough
nightmares!  It's nice to know I'm in good company--they're a helpful,
understanding group. 

Anyway, thanks to everyone who gave advice, shared terrors, or avoided
flaming.  I'll let you know whether Snake Away works.
--Sandy