Greetings all :) I am now back from Africa and wanted to give you all some useful information on simple ways to make your garden Snake Safe, as well as recap the first-aid for snake bite.. When building anything around the home, for example retaining walls, rockeries or any dry stone walling, be aware that in doing so you can create numerous places for snakes & even mice to call home, or in the case of snakes, a place to eat. So when doing any of this type of work, be sure to pack all the areas with soil, dolomite. Or for larger problem areas, quarry rubble. This is because, unless the soil is very sandy, snakes will not dig their own burrows, they much prefer to use existing tunnels created by water, mice or your garden beautification. Where possible refrain from planting low ground cover plants, such as ivy & any plants that will grow over retaining walls, rockeries etc. & ultimately reach the ground. For existing plants you really only have two choices, the first being to just remove them, or, for a less dramatic solution, you can do some heavy trimming. Trim the lower branches as high as you fell comfortable but at least high enough so that you can readily see underneath for any lurking snakes. Remember, if the plant cover is still too heavy it will continue to offer cover for the snake, even in what may appear to us as a very minor spot. The choice is – trim or take out. In today’s environmentally friendly back yard the compost bin or heap has become our friend, but unfortunately they can very easily become our enemy unless a couple of simple changes are made. The reasons for this that they attract mice & rats scavenging for food & also they tend not to be pleasant to either the eye or nose & so get tucked out of the way in a quiet area of the garden. Unfortunately, to a snake this is all very appealing as this mixture offers warmth, food and a nice dark, quiet, safe location to hang around in or, for a female to nest & lay eggs. So, to prevent this, it is very advisable to regularly get the garden fork into the heap & turn it over, whereas for the bin you should attach close meshed netting (max lcm) to the bottom thereby preventing easy access for the mouse & snake but maintaining worm movement. Like us, when it gets either too hot or too cold, snakes will move indoors, so many call outs involve the removal of snakes from locations as diverse as factories, houses, schools, garden shed & garages to name a few. You can be assured that if a mouse can fit under a door or through a hole, its most natural enemy the snake will not be far behind, even to the extreme to gaining access to the property via air vents on exterior walls near the ground. Also, remember, black & brown snakes can and will climb to gain entry. So, if there are any plants or trellises near or against an exterior wall, look at their positioning. Fitting a draught excluder or rubber strip to the base of any external door is a very good prevention &, where air vents in the wall are a problem, you can simply attach fly wire etc. to cover them. Snakes will refrain from living in the area under your house or shed if the site is clear. So, try to limit storage there. Where possible, do not store junk, old furniture, timber, rubble even old tools etc. there as these are all inviting places of accommodation. TEN WAYS TO MAKE YOUR GARDEN SNAKE SAFE: Keep your garden clean. Throw away all rubbish eg: old tin, timber etc. Maintain your lawn, keep it short. Fill any holes in your retaining walls, dry stone walling & rockeries. Place a draught excluder strip on the bottom of any outside door & Attach fly wire to all ground level air vents. Trim back any plants & creepers, especially those hanging over or against walls. Keep your aviaries clean to reduce the number of mice. Turn over and dig through your compost patch regularly to avoid Snakes laying their eggs underneath. Keep your garages & sheds clean. Do not collect rubbish Keep all BBQ and entertainment area clear. Remember, if you see a snake assume it is venomous & DO NOT TOUCH IT!! Call a Snake Catcher, as soon as possible. Keep an eye on the snake from a safe distance so that when the catcher gets there you can point out where the snake is.. I have been asked many time about the usefulness of Snake repellents and oil made sprays to repel Snakes… Rather than go into the pros and cons of these systems I feel it may be best to share a method I have used for many years and so far has been 100% successful at keeping a specific area Snake free.. By running a hot-wire connected to an electric fence unit 1 mm above the ground around the whole perimeter of an area you wish to keep snakes out of eg: A Dog Kennel complex.. Is a very successful way of keeping snakes out of that area.. You will need to spray any grass or weeds underneath the hot-wire so that it is not earthing out and diminishing its affect… As the Snakes are earthed as soon as they touch the wire be that go over it, or try to go under they will receive a small electric shock, and will retreat back in the direction from which they came… These units are not overly expensive and can be obtained from most hardware stores or farm suppliers, even online, you are looking at around $150 for a quality unit, and then just the cost of the braid, the price of this varies depending on how much you actually need to do the area.. Apart from the above the only other things that are needed are stakes and plastic stand-offs to run the wire through, even this can be done cheaply by using hardwood tomato stakes, and a roll of insulation tape to cover the wood where you are connecting the wire too.. I hope this is of some assistance to you all in making an area Snake proof.. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask… Peace, love, and respect… David :) My contact details ... Ph 85243921.... Mobile: 0418849776 https://youtube/watch?v=38scF4r-xVo
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 01:27:38 +0000
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