But please, I would prefer you not bring a sample of this type to me. Have a question about snakes? Or need to identify a snake? Give your local Extension office a call to connect you with a local or state herpetologist. Birdseed attracts rodent pests, which in turn draw in snakes. Birds can easily find their own food in during spring and summer. Remove birdseed feeders during the spring and summer.Caulk or seal joints and seams around outdoor steps or patios.Remember snakes cannot chew any kind of caulking will work. Caulk and seal openings greater than ¼-inch in foundation and siding.Fencing or screening with holes less than ¼-inch keep snakes out.According to University of Nebraska Extension lava rock should be 2- to 3-feet wide and 5- to 6-inches deep. Place lava rock adjacent to structures to prevent snakes from basking near that building. The only item shown to deter snakes is sharp lava rock. Repellents such as mothballs or sprays do not work.Remove or relocate other debris such as piles of rocks, bricks, brush, or wood.Staying on top of mowing will leave snakes more open to predation which they will tend to avoid. Long grassy weeds provide good cover for many animals including snakes. Replace loose stone walls with tight-fitting concrete block or timbers. Snakes like to crawl in or behind stones that help keep their cold-blooded bodies warm. Landscaping modifications to discourage snakes Landowners can make adjustments to their property that make it less appealing to reptiles. The reason snakes are present is because the habitat is conducive to their needs. Non-venomous snake's head transition smoothly to their body. These are easy to distinguish with their distinct viper head shape, which can be likened to arrowhead-shaped. In total we have four species of venomous snakes: Copperhead, Cottonmouth, Massasauga, and Timber rattlesnake. Venomous snakes are rare in Illinois and they vary depending on your location in the state. Should you be bitten by a non-venomous snake it feels akin to being slapped as their teeth are not long enough to cause any harm. Snakes do not cause damage to plants and they cannot chew or makes holes, but instead take advantage of existing openings in structures. The typical diet for our Midwestern snakes is insects, worms, and other rodents. I left him to his meal.ĭespite my own misplaced ophiophobia, snakes are incredibly beneficial and misunderstood. I berated the garter snake for eating a beneficial toad, but he was too busy using the side of the window well to shove the toad in his mouth to notice my insults. At the same time I was hooking up the hose, I came face-to-face with a garter snake in our window well with a toad halfway in its mouth. A sharp stream of water persuaded it to stop climbing up to our hummingbird feeder. Being someone who has made a living working outside much of my life, snakes are not a rare thing in my day-to-day activities, but I still prefer to avoid them.ĭuring this first week of June, I received my fill of snakes. Just one day this past weekend found me relocating a 5-foot black snake only to have it return an hour later. Seeing a snake stops me in my tracks, leaves my heart pounding and scarcely breathing while my eyes are fixed on the reptile.