Deterring Snakes from Your Patio: Remove Food, Shelter, and Water

Why Snakes Are on Your Patio

Snakes appear where they find food (rodents, insects), shelter (rock piles, dense vegetation), and water. Your patio offers a sunny basking spot, and the adjacent drainage ditch provides the rest.

Effective, Legal Deterrence

• Eliminate habitat: Remove log/rock piles, keep grass mowed.
• Control prey: Manage cricket and mouse populations.
• Repellents: Sulfur-based products exist but labels admit inconsistent results against common species.
• If one enters: Open doors and stomp; it will leave quickly.

Legal Note

All non-venomous snakes in Georgia are protected by law. Killing them is illegal.

Identification Resource

The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory offers excellent snake identification guides.

brown garden snake