Snakes are moving in the spring. Some people enjoy encounters with snakes while others don't. There are a lot of home remedies to keep snakes at bay, including placing mothballs around your house, and a search on the internet will reveal products specifically formulated to repel snakes. Don't be surprised if they don't work and you still find a snake near your house.

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Do mothballs really keep snakes away?

Terry Vandeventer, herpetologist with the Living Reptile Museum, said that the top snake deterrent in the South is mothsballs.

They don't work. I have tested them.

In one test Vandeventer put something on the ground. He put a mouse on one side and a cottonmouth snake on the other.

Vandeventer said that he crawled over the mothsballs and got the mouse.

What can you do to keep snakes out of your home? Vandeventer said it's not possible to keep all snakes away from your home, but there are steps you can take to make your lawn less attractive to snakes.

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Simple steps help keep snakes out of your yard

Vandeventer said that they want to get rid of snakes since they eat rodents. Get rid of the shelter and the food and they will go to your neighbor's ratty house.

How do you limit the amount of food and shelter for snakes? Some simple steps will make your home unattractive to snakes.

Feed your pets. No, snakes do not like cat or dog food. Limit the food for rodents and feed your pets inside.

Get rid of the debris. There are piles of leaves and other lawn debris that provide protection for snakes and are a great place to set up shop.

Keep your grass uncut. This may seem basic, but tall grass provides protection from snakes. You can more easily spot snakes if you keep your lawn cut. Your neighbors will appreciate it.

Beware of birdhouses. Birds and chirps can be an attractant for snakes. The gray ratsnake is an excellent climber. One of the most common snakes in Mississippi is the gray ratsnake. Sending a dinner invitation to a ratsnake is the equivalent of placing a birdhouse on a fence. birdhouses should be placed on a metal pole of a wooden post that is wrapped with metal sheeting or has a conical barrier in place.

Limit bird feeding. Birds are messy, but bird watching is popular. The food is often knocked to the ground to attract rodents. When food sources are limited and snakes are less active, consider limiting bird-feeding.

You should burn your fire wood. The wood pile can become a problem when the outside temperatures start to warm, because there is nothing like a fire on a cool winter night. If you want to hide snakes, burn your wood in the spring. If you keep wood year-round, place it on a rack at least a foot above the ground.

Pick up fruit that has fallen. Rats and snakes can be attracted to fallen fruit.

Avoid mulch. It is possible to make your lawn look more attractive by covering it with mulch. Some species of snakes eat mulch. It can provide protection for snakes. If you don't want to encounter snakes, you may want to rethink putting out mulch or pine straw.

Get rid of the garden pond. Garden ponds can be aesthetically pleasing, but they can also be a problem. Frogs and other animals are food sources for snakes. If you put fish in it, you add another attractant.

Snakebites are painful and costly, and how to avoid them is a topic related to that.

Most of the snakes in Mississippi are harmless to humans and beneficial. Vandeventer said people shouldn't let their fear of snakes dictate their activities.

Vandeventer said to not let the fear of this take away from doing everyday things and enjoying the outdoors.

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What you have heard about snakes may not be true.

Brian Broom can be reached at broom@gannett.com. You can follow BrianBroom on social media.

The article was originally published on the Mississippi Clarion Ledger.

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