Snakes are often unwelcome guests.
Snake repellents include commercial repellents and home remedies such as moth balls, cedar oil, lime, coal tar, sisal rope or cayenne pepper spray. No reliable scientific data exist proving that snake repellents or home remedies work, according to report by the Colorado State University Extension. Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences claims that physically removing a snake works better than snake repellents. Does this Spark an idea?
Problem
Repellents work by having an odor so obnoxious that the snake moves away from it. However, repellents disperse quickly in open spaces such as rooms, basements and backyards and soon lose their odor. Unless the snake is caught in a small, confined place such as a tool shed, it will not smell the repellent, states the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Clinical Study
Commercial snake repellents might work in a laboratory setting, but not in buildings or yards. For example, a commercial repellent mixed with sulfur and naphthalene -- the main ingredient in moth balls -- was effective in a lab study. Rattlesnakes were placed in two small tunnels -- one with the repellent and one without. The rattlesnakes avoided the tunnel with the repellent. Unfortunately, this mixture does not smell very strongly in a large room.
Warning
Using snake repellents can be dangerous to just about everyone other than snakes. Some ingredients in commercial snake repellents, such as naphthalene, may be poisonous to children and pets. Very strong smells from home remedies such as moth balls, sulfur, cedar oil, artificial skunk scent, coal tar and liquid smoke not only smell badly to people, but can make them ill. Strong scents can even trigger migraines in some people, according to "Migraine: Manifestations, Pathogenesis and Management."
Alternatives
Because snake repellents generally do not work, it is better to physically remove a snake from a home and then seal up all cracks or entrances that the snake crawled through. Never approach an unrecognizable snake because it could be venomous. Call a professional animal handler to remove the snake. For non-venomous snakes, sweep them into a bucket and take outside. Snakes follow their prey, rodents and insects, into buildings and yards. Cleaning up trash, brush piles and mowing the lawn prevents rodents, insects and snakes from moving into a home or garden.
Tags: snake repellents, home remedies, moth balls, that snake, buildings yards, from home