Kevin the Eco Man here. Today I’m going to show you what to do if you find snakes in your yard.

Having snakes in your backyard is an amazingly big deal because your children, yourself, and your pets are all susceptible to bites — some venomous — so you always want to be mindful. And we’re going to give you an eco-friendly solution that’s going to keep snakes off your property.

Let’s get started.

In the southeastern United States, these are the snakes that you’ll most likely run into in your yard. Most often it may be a black snake, because they’re going to be looking for food sources. Sometimes you can run up on a copperhead, but that really depends on the environment around your home. Maybe a king snake here or there, but those are the main ones.

Snakes are common during the warm season, and you’ve got to deal with them. So providing proper treatment means being prepared to keep them at a distance.

In a lot of rural areas, especially where I grew up, you’ll have this right outside your backyard — it butts right up to the woods. That creates an environment where snakes can easily mosey on up from the woods to your home. That leaves an open area where they can make their way right up to the house.

So, you want to start your application process around here and create your first barrier of defense.

To treat our snake problem, we’re going to be using Snake Away. This is a terrific granular deterrent — it’s pretty much sulfur. Snake Away is eco-friendly because it doesn’t actually kill the snake. It repels them from coming up past the tree lines into your yard.

Snakes have an incredible sense of smell. When they’re flicking their tongues out, they’re actually tasting the air. And if something’s floating around in that air that they don’t like, this stops them from wanting to keep moving forward. It tends to ward them off in another direction.

To apply my Snake Away, I’m going to be using a trusty hand spreader. Here are some good features: it has a dial setting that you can adjust to open up the mouth. We’re on setting one now — that’s typically the setting I recommend so you can maximize the amount of Snake Away without overapplying.

If you have it turned all the way up, the mouth is wide open, and you don’t want to dump it all in one spot. Spread it out a little bit — it goes further. You could throw it out by hand with gloves on, but I say it’s better to get an even spread. The spreader helps regulate it. If you’re throwing by hand, it’s just kind of going all over the place.

We’re also going to put on gloves. Not because it’s toxic — just because it stinks.

When filling up your spreader, make sure you pour evenly up to the line. Depends on how large your yard is, but if you’ve got a pretty good-sized forested area back there, go ahead and fill it up.

Walk cleanly across your tree line. No need to be in a hurry — don’t dump it quickly. Spread it out. I like to lay two lines of defense down. That means you’re most likely not going to see any snakes on your property. A lot of people make the mistake of applying it in just one single band around the house. I always say it’s better to put two lines: one where they start and one closer to where you don’t want them.

Snakes are cold-blooded creatures, and a concrete slab provides great energy from the sun to warm them up. So we’re going to put some product around this barrier to help.

Also, remember — your drain is another conducive area for them. It’s shaded, warm, and moist — perfect for snakes. Make sure you assess it regularly and treat around it too. Put it on your regular maintenance plan with the rest of your pest control.

We’ve completed the treatment. Our customer should get immediate results, because sulfur starts to kick in almost instantly if snakes are already in the area.

Now, here’s the kicker: it will have to be reapplied on a recurring basis. What we recommend is nothing less than monthly. On a monthly basis, retreat those same areas.

I hope you found this video helpful. If you did, please like and subscribe. Need help? Book today by clicking the link in the description.