Is there anyway to get rid of snakes?

Question

We live in the woods in pennsylvania, and we've lived here for 20 years. We'd find maybe a snake every 2 or 3 years, and my dad shoots them to keep them away from our dog and of course, us. This year however, he's already shot 6, just this summer. We're very afraid because he finds them all very close to the house. And yesterday one was kind of 'running away from him' and it went up the drain and could get into the house, but my dad shot its tail, and were not sure if it died because it kept going. So i guess my question is, is there any way to keep them away from us? We own like 2 acres of land and 'forest', so it would be tough to spray it all.

Also, they are mostly black snakes, which really scares us.

Answer 1

I understand why you want them away from your house, but I would research to see what kind of snake it is, if it isn't poisonous then keep it around. They keep the rodent population under control.

Answer 2

Put lots of moth balls out around the house and property.  They don't like the smell and they move on.  I heard this on the T.V. show Dirty Jobs on A&E.

Answer 3

Remove all of the brush and places where they can hide.

install those small wind powered wooden toys that you stick into the ground, that cause a vibration that snakes are not comfortable with.

Answer 4

Get you a couple of guineas. They are natural predators to snakes. The will also get rid of the ticks and fleas from around your house. Keep them in a pen for a few weeks so they know where home is for feed and water, then let them out and continue to put out feed and water. They will roost in the trees and will be the best watch dogs you have ever had. Anytime someone comes into your yard they will "bark" and let you know someone is there.

Answer 5

Get a mongoose.

Answer 6

Maybe the way to get rid of them is get rid of their food.

if there's nothing for 'em to eat, they'll go somewhere else.

on the other hand, if they're there, it's likely that they're eating something that you really ought to like even less.

my take is, unless they're poisonous, they're good for you.

btw, black snakes eat rats.

and carry far fewer diseases than the rats that they're eating.