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Repelling Snakes with Moth Balls

6/25/2012

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Picture
I know it doesn't make a lot of sense that I am a gardener and I'm afraid of snakes. I know that they prey on garden pests and are actually good for my garden. I know there are no poisonous snakes in Maine. I even know these harmless little creatures deserve the good life as much as I do - but they can enjoy it somewhere else!


I'm actually getting over my fear of snakes. I walked past a little green grass snake the other day and didn't do more than a hop and skip. I even smiled as it wiggled out of sight into the grass. And I ignored the garter snake that scurried out of my backyard a few weeks ago, thinking he was on his way to greener pastures. BUT . . . last night, I couldn't ignore the big old garter snake slithering through my raised bed.


Luckily I knew right where my box of moth balls were. 


I know the experts tell us that moth balls are not designed for repelling snakes and that they pose a risk to pets and small children who may accidentally ingest them. Guess what folks? Snake-A-Way, an approved snake repellent often recommended by these same experts, carries the same warning but costs considerably more than a box of moth balls. 


I also know that the active ingredients in Snake-A-Way are naphalene and sulfur. If you've ever used Snake-A-Way (which works, by the way), you probably noticed that it smells just like ground up moth balls. There is a good reason for that. The active ingredient in moth balls is also naphalene.


You can draw your own conclusions.


I've used moth balls to repel snakes for the past few years, and unless they coincidentally slithered off at the same time - it works.


                                       How to Use Moth Balls for Snake Repellent


  • Drop moth balls between rocks where snakes like to hide.
  • Place moth balls around the perimeter of you garden beds.
  • Toss moth balls under decks or other dark, moist areas where snakes are seen.



Use caution around children and small pets when using either moth balls or Snake -A-Way as they both pose a hazard if ingested. 


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  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • About Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • How to Grow a Pomato Plant
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
        • Turnips vs Rutabagas
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
  • Garden Pests
    • How to Control Japanese Beetles
    • How to Control Blister Beetles
    • How to Get Rid of Colorado Potato Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables