What are some ways to kill a snake in the yard?

Common methods
There are different ways to kill a Oakland County snake but apparently the best or most commonly used methods are either by shooting or whacking it with a shovel or other gardening tool.

Killing not always the best way
The misconception with snakes is that people treat them like vermin such as:
• Rats
• Mice
• Squirrels

Or even like pests such as:
• Mosquitoes
• Flies
• Spiders

But the reality is, they aren't pests or vermin’s! Snakes unlike rats or mice do not breed rapidly nor can they live just anywhere. Your home? Let me tell you, is not the snake's first choice. Snakes are in fact, an important part of our Michigan environment and ecosystem. Those actual vermin we had mentioned? Guess what? Snakes eat them! You might be ridding yourself one Oakland County "pest" but you are in fact possibly creating more pests that you will have to deal with in the future. More often than not, the snakes that get killed are typically harmless - not venomous! They are most likely the kinds of snakes that keep your mouse problem down to a minimum. But by killing that one snake you have likely made your mouse problem a lot more of a problem!

Alternative methods
If by now, you don't want to kill a snake then read on! Here are a few alternative ways to get rid of your snake from your house, yard, or anywhere else on your property:
• Trapping
• Relocating

Usually these two methods come in hand-in-hand. After you are able to trap the Michigan snake (alive!), then the next step is to release it into the Oakland County wild. But it might not be always that simple. Relocating a snake takes some careful and thoughtful decision making. Taking a snake just anywhere isn't the best option. You may get it off your Michigan property alright but you might be subjecting the snake to a slow death instead. You might as well have whacked it over the head after all. What you need to do is to get it off your property but not so far away that it can't get back to its natural habitat. Something like a thousand feet should do it. Don't worry, the likelihood of that particular snake coming back into your house is unlikely. However, when trying to trap or relocate a Oakland County snake, you must keep in mind that the snake is still potentially a dangerous animal! You must take extra caution when trying to handle it IF you need to! If you don't have to, call the experts or Michigan professionals who are trained at trapping and relocating these animals.

Snakes are not creatures that we need to kill. They are integral part of our world and we need to try and co-exist with them as with other animals. Respect and understanding of these creatures is what we really need to do.

To learn more about our services, visit the Oakland County wildlife removal home page.