The dominance of snakes in their summer cottage - not the most common problem, but if it arose, these reptiles can be a real disaster. After all, bask in the grass, knowing that somewhere nearby a poisonous and dangerous reptile can lurk - a pleasure, let's face it, so-so! How and with the help of what means can snakes get rid of and what to do in order not to suffer from their bite?
Where do snakes come from in the garden plots
The main problem of the appearance of reptiles in the habitats of people - the people themselves. Mastering new territories, building up wild areas of nature yesterday, cutting down forests for these purposes, we step on the natural habitat of animals, including snakes, and leave them no choice but to find a new place for themselves. Often they find it on the lawn under the shade of garden trees.
You will be useful to learn how to deal with rodents who settled on your site.Sometimes, oddly enough, we personally import snakes to our own plot along with building material.
Such an opportunity is rather exotic, but it should not be discounted either, especially since, having been forcibly entered into new conditions, snakes can behave particularly aggressively.
Important! The most favorite place of reptiles in our country house may be garbage or compost pits, because decaying organic matter releases heat and moisture. Moreover, inside such heaps it is quite quiet and calm, which is especially important for creeping during laying eggs and breeding offspring. But also careful it is necessary to be in a dark and cool barn, where snakes can arrange a nest with comfort.In the roots of a garden tree or enough adult, loose and shady shrub snake can also settle down. We have to admit that the kind of reptile on its own plot can cause horror in most of the owners and especially the housewives, but in fact, it is not at all necessary to fear for their health.
The most widespread in our latitudes are snakes, snakes, coppers, are not poisonous at all.
But there is an exception: the viper. The bite of this snake can actually be fatal, and although it is believed that the snake itself does not attack a person in order not to take risks, such neighbors are definitely worth being cast out decisively and mercilessly.
How to drive a serpent from the dacha
In order to understand how to drive the snakes from the site, you need to know what the snakes do not like or are afraid of in order to create the most uncomfortable conditions for them. Killing snakes is not the most effective way to fight with them, it is much better to help the animals make their own decision to leave you forever.
Regular cleaning
If the snake accidentally crawled on your site, most likely, it will not linger here for a long time, if it does not find a suitable place for arranging the nest.
What are the places, we have already mentioned above, but if you eliminate the compost hole - it is hardly a successful way for a farmer to get rid of reptiles, then it is advisable to get rid of deposits of building materials (especially wood) in time. Of course, anything could be useful in the dacha farm, but if the problem of snakes arose - all the garbage off!
As for the compost pit, at least it is desirable to place it in a place where you and your children walk the least, and also make sure that there is no high vegetation around such a pit where you can not notice the hidden viper.
Carefully inspect the roots of old trees and shrubs for possible voids where reptiles can make a den.
Old trees with bare roots and stumps need to be cleaned on time. - it will save you not only from snakes, but also from various insect pests.
Important! The first way to get rid of snakes from the plot is to deprive them of shelter, the second is to deprive them of food (snakes feed on toads and small rodents).
After you have taken out the garbage, do not forget to carefully level the area where it was located. If you have equipped a green lawn on the site - do not forget to regularly mow the grass. A reptile nest in it is hardly suitable, but it can easily get out in the sun. It is in tall grass with the maximum probability that you can not notice such a guest and get a fatal bite.
The sound of a lawnmower running is the best snake repeller.These reptiles hate noise and will try to get away from its source as soon as possible.
Animal hunters
It is logical to ask who else, except the mongooses from Rudyard Kipling’s fairy tale "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi", eats snakes and, accordingly, which animals can be attracted to their side in the fight against these undesirable neighbors. First of all, you should think about the usual hedgehogs. In the duel "hedgehog against the snake" you can safely bet on the prickly animal. The hedgehog successfully hunts for other small animals, undesirable in the area - mice, rats, moles, mole rats, toads, lizards, etc.
Did you know? Witty Hungarians came up with an original way to stimulate hedgehogs to fight against an opponent who is not inferior in power: pour a little alcohol-free flavored drink (wine or beer) in a small saucer and put it on the way of a small predator. It is believed that drunk hedgehog - terrible weapon.Seriously speaking, drinking hedgehogs with alcohol is inhumane, because such a stimulant is very harmful for their bodies. Much better to attract hedgehogs with milk or meat scraps.
These animals just love cheese, but this fatty product is harmful to a small body. Spiky guests can also enjoy some berries from your garden.
In addition to hedgehogs, cats and dogs can resist reptiles, but unlike field predators that kill reptiles for their own food, it all depends on your pet's desire and mood. There are specially bred breeds of dogs (for example, the Australian Terrier) that professionally hunt reptiles.
Pets can do you good service as natural repellents: sensing the smell of wool, fearful snakes can voluntarily get away from the potential danger.
To help them make the right decision, you can decompose the things in which the cat's or dog's wool has gathered, which are dangerous from the point of view of a possible nest.
Important! As a rule, snakes do not behave aggressively, but there is an exception: protection of offspring. Therefore, in the spring and then at the end of the summer, when the snakes molt and lay eggs, special care must be taken.
Scare devices
Reptiles, like moles, do not tolerate noise and vibrations. Based on this property, scientists have created special devices. Several times a minute, they produce sound vibrations in the range to which snakes react and force them to go in search of a more peaceful refuge.
Learn about how to deal with moles in your area.The acquisition of such a device is a good way to solve the problem, because it is safe for humans and domestic animals, and, moreover, does not cause any harm to the soil.
Modern devices include the use of solar energy for recharging, therefore, having successfully installed the device once, you can forget about the problem. It is necessary to find the right place for the installation of the repeller: it should be in the maximum proximity to a potentially dangerous area (for example, a compost pit) and not contain around itself interferences that will reflect or absorb sound waves.
Important! The viper is relatively resistant to ultrasonic stimuli and noise, but it perceives vibration very poorly. Therefore, in our latitudes, preference should be given to vibration, rather than ultrasonic scarers.Repellers can be ultrasonic, vibration or sound. The latter are less preferable, as they will irritate not only snakes, but also bipedal visitors of the site.
On the other hand, a natural obstacle to the snake's nest is noisy work carried out in the country. In addition to the aforementioned lawn mowers, this may be the work of a circular saw, other devices or just a friendly, cheerful company. You can create a noise and personally prepared rattles, turntables and other devices, however, as was said, vipers can quite comfortably tolerate such stimuli.
Sometimes they offer to lay out the area with pieces of cloth soaked in diesel fuel. It may be that the reptiles do not like the stench of the country, but whether you want to breathe it yourself is a big question.
Poisons and chemicals
There are several answers to the question why don't kill snakes. This method is ineffective: if the reptiles attracted something in your country house (for example, there is a great place for a nest), it means that they will come again. In addition, to destroy animals that, unlike insect pests, do not cause any damage, and attack only as a defense - inhumane. And yet it is believed that, when dying, the snake emits a special smell, on which its relatives slide.
Did you know? For many nations of the world, killing a snake is strictly forbidden. These animals are considered a symbol of goodness and happiness in the house, even a kind of "keeper", killing that, you kill and protect them; believe that the souls of the deceased ancestors move in them.
You can also try using poisons. But be prepared for the low efficiency of this method: snakes are hunters, they will not eat poisoned bait, and if the venom emitted into the atmosphere scares the predator away, it can be dangerous for you, your children and pets. As already mentioned, diesel is used as a poison against snakes. Also applied herbicides, nitrate, naphthalene, ammofoska. Poisons developed against cold-blooded animals are also available and can be used.
Folk methods
It is much more humane to use folk methods against snakes. It is believed that these reptiles can not tolerate harsh odors, including natural and completely harmless to humans.
You can plant garlic on the perimeter of the plot or scatter dry mustard (this may save you from a reptile visit, but it is unlikely to drive it away from the plot after it has settled on it). Reptiles also react badly to fire and the smell of burning. Some gardeners recommend setting fire to a tire at a site, but this method can disperse not only snakes, but also all neighbors, therefore it is better to simply make a fire from dry grass and leaves, observing all fire safety measures.
As already mentioned, vipers do not like the smell of natural wool. If you do not have cats or dogs, you can spread out around the perimeter of the bundle of yarn, using yarn or old woolen things.
Did you know? In order to attack, the viper only needs 0.7 seconds: during this time the snake lunges, bites and returns to its original position. But for a successful cast, the reptile needs to be supported; therefore, the statement that, being in the water, you do not risk being attacked, is not unfounded.And two more tips for last. Snakes are very attracted to areas located in the valley. Therefore, if you are lucky enough to have a cottage on the very shore of the bay - be especially careful. And having found a snake skin on the ground, immediately take it as far as possible, because it carries the smell of the hostess and is a lure for her fellow men. Moreover, some argue that the snake deliberately sheds its skin in a place it likes, which it certainly plans to return to.
Precautionary measures
Having found a reptile on your territory, do not try to identify it. Despite the fact that only every tenth snake in the world is poisonous according to statistics, a mistake can be too expensive. Even after killing a snake, do not touch it with your hands, so that, having absorbed the smell of a reptile, you do not have to become a living bait for its "kin".
The same applies to snake skin found - take it in gloves and pack it in a non-breathable bag before you take it out.
See also: methods and means of dealing with a mole rat.Until the snakes have left your site, walk on it in high shoes (preferably in rubber boots) and carefully look at your feet. The likelihood that the snake will attack you is almost zero.
It is a different matter if you disturbed her nest, or at least approached it in a “dangerous” period, or stepped on a reptile that was quietly dozing in the sun.
Important! Snakes do not see well, but they hear well and perceive fast movements. Therefore, noticing reptile in the immediate vicinity, freeze and watch him. If the reptile does not notice you and does not crawl away, very carefully, slowly and as silently as possible, try to move a safe distance. It is unlikely that you will be pursued.
Finding a reptile on the site, do not poke it with a stick, but use the sound effect. If there is no nest nearby, the snake will crawl away quickly, and if there is - the stick will only provoke it to attack.
First Aid for a Snake Bite
The viper’s bite is dangerous for humans, and the seriousness of the poisoning and the likelihood of death depends on what measures are taken in the first minutes after the poison enters the body.
Did you know? The mouth of a crawling reptile is very small, but when a snake attacks, it can easily open its mouth so that its upper and lower jaws in relation to each other form a straight line.
So, when you bite a snake:
- Remove the source of danger: drive the snake away or get away yourself (if you can take a picture of it, make it necessary - so it will be easier for the doctor to give you the right help).
- Take it easy (or try to calm the bitten).
- Bend the bitten arm or leg. and do not move it (it is important that the bitten place was fixed below the heart).
- Press the wound edges with your fingers and suck the poison along with blood, by first taking some water into the mouth to reduce the concentration of the toxin in the mouth (snake venom is not dangerous if swallowed, but may be harmful if there are sores in the mouth). Do not forget to spit! Repeat the procedure for at least a quarter of an hour: it is believed that this method allows you to extract up to 50% of the poison from the wound without keeping it further into the blood.
Important! You can not drag the wound above the bite! The best way to prevent the poison from spreading is not to move the stung limb.
- Quickly disinfect the wound (just not with alcohol), tie it up with a clean sterile dressing - and immediately to the hospital! It is desirable that the patient in this case was in a horizontal position, the head and the bitten place - below the torso.
- If the path is long, or it’s impossible to see a doctor at all, drink as much fluid as possible, so that the remaining poison as soon as possible out of the body naturally. Coffee, alcohol and other stimulating drinks are contraindicated.
- When unconsciousness or cardiac arrest, artificial respiration and an indirect heart massage are used.
- Also on the way to the doctor it will be useful take an antihistamine - for example, suprastin, diphenhydramine, or tavegil to neutralize a possible allergic reaction to a bite. Immediately give two pills, even if the victim is a child. If necessary, you can also give a febrifuge.
That is why in all cases Your main task - as soon as possible to be in a medical institution.
If you cannot reach the hospital in the coming hours after the bite, you should not despair either - follow all the above recommendations clearly, move less, drink more, and in this case, a strong body successfully defeats the poison without serum. Viper bite is dangerous, but not lethal, if you behave correctly. If you are bitten by a non-venomous snake, you still need to sanitize the wound, and since you can hardly be sure that you suffered from the harmless snake attack, the preventive first-aid mentioned above should still be given to the injured.
Learn all about dealing with shrews.Snakes are not the best human neighbors, but in an ecosystem these animals play an important and necessary role. Therefore, if such guests have visited your site, try to get rid of them humanely, creating the conditions that are least attractive for these creeping predators. Exterminating them is ineffective and wrong!