Both venomous and non-venomous snakes are unwelcome in our garden and home. In addition to cleaning up your place to prevent snakes from getting in, you can use a snake repellent to scare the snakes away.
Here are the most effective snake repellents you can buy in 2024:
- Best Overall: Ortho Snake B Gon Snake Repellent Granules
- Best For Immediate Protection: Victor Snake-A-Way Hose-End Spray
- Best For Long-Lasting Protection: Safer Brand Snake Repellent Granular
- Best For Rattlesnakes: Victor VP364B Way Snake Repelling Granules
- Best For Grass Snakes: Exterminators Choice Snake Defense Spray
- Best For Flower Beds: Nature's MACE Snake Repellent Shaker Granular
| 6 Most Effective Snake Repellents | ||
|---|---|---|
Best Overall | Ortho Snake B Gon Snake Repellent Granules | |
Best For Immediate Protection | Victor Snake-A-Way Hose-End Spray | |
Best For Long-Lasting Protection | Safer Brand Snake Repellent Granular | |
Best For Rattlesnakes | Victor VP364B Way Snake Repelling Granules | |
Best For Grass Snakes | Exterminators Choice Snake Defense Spray | |
Best For Flower Beds | Nature's MACE Snake Repellent Shaker Granular | |
Best Overall: Ortho Snake B Gon Snake Repellent Granules
- 'No stink' formula
- Safe for people, pets and plants
- Rain resistance
- Long-lasting effect
- Ready to use
- Does not work in some cases
Ortho Snake B is my top pick for snake repellent. First, it is super safe for people, pets, and plants, even when you or your pets directly touch it (do not swallow please!) This is the first and foremost priority for me.
Moreover, Ortho Snake B does not have bad scents with its no-stink formula, which contains several kinds of natural oils. These oils overwhelm the snake's sense of smell so it won’t be able to smell its prey anymore.
Ortho Snake B is easy to use. Just sprinkle it around where you want to scare snakes away. Its effect is long-lasting (1 month for each application) and rain-resistant. After 1 month, you can re-apply the repellent if it’s necessary. In some cases, it does not work. However, you can’t expect a repellent that is completely safe for human to have super effective performance in every case.
| Ortho Snake B Gon Snake Repellent Granules Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 2 lbs |
Type | Granules |
Active Ingredients/ Action | Cinnamon Oil, Geraniol, Castor Oil, Peppermint Oil, Clove Oil |
Coverage | 1,440 sq. ft. |
Highlight Features | No stink; Safe for people, pets and plants; Rain resistance |
Ortho Snake B is safe for people, pets, plants, and has no bad odor.
Best For Immediate Protection: Victor Snake-A-Way Hose-End Spray
- Safe for plants, people, and pets
- Easy to apply
- Immediate protection
- Keeps its effect even after heavy or persistent rainfalls
- Bad scent
Victor Snake-A-Way Hose-End Spray is my choice when I need immediate protection. Its hose-end bottle makes it easy to apply. Just connect your garden hose to the bottle’s sprayer head and start spraying. Spraying repellent is a better choice for hard to reach places.
Victor Snake-A-Way Hose-End Spray directly targets the snake’s sense of smell, making it uncomfortable and have to leave. The repellent shows its effect immediately and keeps its effect even after heavy or persistent rainfalls.
Moreover, Victor Snake-A-Way Hose-End Spray is safe for plants, people, and pets. However, it has some unpleasant smells.
| Victor Snake-A-Way Hose-End Spray Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 32 oz |
Type | Spray |
Active Ingredients/ Action | Garlic, cedarwood oil, cinnamon oil, sulfate |
Coverage | 500 sq. ft. |
Highlight Features | Safe for plants, people, and pets; Rain resistance |
Victor Snake Spray shows its effect immediately and keeps its effect after heavy rainfalls.
Best For Long-Lasting Protection: Safer Brand Snake Repellent Granular
- Super effective
- Long-lasting protection
- Starts protecting immediately
- Safe for people, pets, and plants
- Very strong smell
Safer Brand Snake Granular is a super-effective snake repellent. However, since snake repellents tend to target the snake’s sense of smell, the more effective the repellent is, the worse its smell is. This is very true to Safer Brand Snake Granular. Its smell is way too strong to use near your resting place.
In return, you’ll have a repellent that scares all types of snakes immediately, and has a long-lasting protection effect. The repellent is made of a combination of unique oils and sulfur. It is safe for human, pets, and plants. If you want a serious repellent to deal with the snakes around your home, Safer Brand Snake Granular is the choice.
| Safer Brand Snake Repellent Granular Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 4 lbs |
Type | Granules |
Active Ingredients/ Action | Cedarwood oil, Cinnamon oil, Clove oil, Sulfur |
Coverage | |
Highlight Features | Long-lasting protection; Safe for people, pets, and plants |
Safer Brand Snake Granular is a serious repellent to deal with the snakes around your home.
Best For Rattlesnakes: Victor VP364B Way Snake Repelling Granules
- Lasts 2 to 3 months
- Environmental Protection Agency (Epa) registered
- 91% repellent rate of rattlesnakes
- Remains effective after heavy or persistent rainfall
- Not so safe for your pets
Victor VP364B is proven to be super-effective to deal with rattlesnakes. It works for both venomous and non-venomous, such as garter snakes and rattlesnakes respectively. The successful rate of repelling is 91%. Moreover, the protective effect lasts 2 to 2 months. The smell remains even after heavy and persistent rains.
Although Victor VP364B is Epa registered for being environmentally safe, it does contain naphthalene, which is a harmful substance. So do not use this repellent around the playground of your pets.
| Victor VP364B Way Snake Repelling Granules Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 4 lbs |
Type | Granules |
Active Ingredients/ Action | naphthalene (7%) & sulfur (28%) |
Coverage | 0.5 Acre |
Highlight Features | Lasts 2 to 3 months; Epa registered; 91% repellent rate of rattlesnakes |
Victor VP364B is proven to be super-effective to deal with rattlesnakes.
Best For Grass Snakes: Exterminators Choice Snake Defense Spray
- Pleasant smell to human
- Easy to spray
- Long-lasting effect
- 100% safe for people, pets, and plants
- Not strong enough for venomous snakes
Exterminators Snake Spray is my choice for grass snakes. The spray does not have a horrible smell like other spraying repellents. Moreover, it is made of cinnamon oil, clove oil, and peppermint oil, so it is completely safe for human, pets, and plants.
Exterminators Snake Spray is also pretty easy to use. You don’t need to connect it to a garden hose. It is designed as a one-hand pressure sprayer - just bring it around and spray wherever you want, from your garden to your kitchen. However, due to its 100% natural ingredients, the repellent is not strong enough for venomous snakes like copperheads, rattlesnakes.
| Exterminators Choice Snake Defense Spray Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 32 oz |
Type | Spray |
Active Ingredients/ Action | Cinnamon oil, Clove oil & Peppermint oil |
Coverage | |
Highlight Features | One-hand pressure sprayer; Long-lasting protection; Safe for people, pets, and plants |
Exterminators Snake Spray is designed as a one-hand pressure sprayer.
Best For Flower Beds: Nature's MACE Snake Repellent Shaker Granular
- Acts as an irritant deterring pest
- Pevents snakes from returning
- Safe for human, pets, and plants
- Effective and long-lasting effect
- Does not work in some cases
Nature's MACE Snake Repellent is formulated especially for crops and flowers. It contains natural oils that are safe for human, pets, and plants. You can apply the granules directly to the flower beds as a standard irritant deterring pest. The repellent not only deters snakes but also prevents them from returning.
Nature's MACE Snake Repellent has a long-lasting protection effect. It remains its effect even after heavy rains.
| Nature's MACE Snake Repellent Shaker Granular Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 5 lbs |
Type | Granules |
Active Ingredients/ Action | Cedar oil, Citronella oil, Thyme oil, Rosemary oil, Sulfur and Peanut hulls |
Coverage | |
Highlight Features | Long-lasting protection; Safe for people, pets, and plants; |
Nature's Snake Repellent not only deters snakes but also prevents them from returning.
How To Choose The Most Effective Snake Repellent?
Being safe for human, pets, and plants is the most important priority when choosing a snake repellent, especially when you want to apply it near your living place. There is a standard for safety and environment-friendliness, which is the EPA standard. I recommend choosing a repellent with this standard. Normally, a repellent that is safe for you is made of mostly natural ingredients, such as cinnamon oil and clove oil. These ingredients directly target the snake’s sense of smell, making them unable to smell prey and causing them uncomfortable, as a result, the snakes have to leave.
The second priority when choosing a snake repellent is its effectiveness. It should remain its protection effect at least for one month, and after rain, and should protect you from snakes immediately after being applied.
The third priority is its smell. Since repellents target the snake's sense of smell, they tend to have a strong smell. This strong smell may pretty uncomfortable. If you are sensitive to smell, you should pay more attention to the repellent's smell before purchasing it.
Easiness to apply should be also considered when choosing a snake repellent. There are two types of snake repellent, which are sprayer type and granule type. Repellent granules are more suitable for large open areas. Sprayers are easier to apply on hard to reach places, such as under the wood logs, inside garages or trash bins.
Which Brands Make The Most Effective Snake Repellent?
Ortho
Ortho is a brand that belongs to the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. Scotts Miracle-Gro Company is the industry-leading family of brands provides effective solutions for gardeners. It is the most favored brand when it comes to fertilizers, weed killers, and pest-deterring products. The snake repellents under the brand Ortho is no exception. Ortho repellents are well-known for their environment-safety, effectiveness, and pleasant smell. Ortho is the to-go brand when you need a world-wide trusted snake repellent.
Nature's MACE
Natural's MACE is well-known for making effective all-natural solutions, from bug and insect control products to cat, dog, snake, rabbit, rodent, squirrel repellents. All are environment-friendly that contain no harmful substance and have a long-lasting effect. Nature's Snake Repellent not only deters snakes but also prevents them from returning. When buying a Natural’s MACE product, you are backed with a 100% satisfying guarantee - if you don’t like the product for any reason, Natural’s MACE will refund the retail price or replace the product with one of equal value. With more than 30 years of experience, Natural's MACE is a brand you can trust.
Exterminator’s Choice
Exterminator’s Choice is a brand that belongs to Pinelake Industries. The brand focuses on making repellents of all kinds, from small animal repellents, mice repellents, lizard repellents, snake repellents to fly defense repellents, bed bug repellents to snail repellents. Exterminator’s Choice repellents are well-known for their effectiveness and safety.
FAQs
What is snake repellent?
Snake repellent is used to get the snakes to stay away from your garden or house. It contains ingredients that directly target the snake’s sense of smell, causing them unable to smell prey as well as pretty uncomfortable. This repels the snakes away. Snake repellents tend to remain its effect for about 1 month, after that, you may want to re-apply the repellent.
Do moth balls repel snakes?
Mothballs have a strong smell but not the type of smell that repels snakes. In fact, mothballs have little effect on snakes. To repel snakes, cinnamon oil and clove oil would be better choices. Or you can also check out my recommended 6 snake repellents above - they all contain natural ingredients and are safe for people, pets, and plants.
Are snake repellents expensive?
Snake repellents are not so expensive. You can get a repellent for more than 1,000 sq. ft. with just about 20 bucks.
Do snake repellents work?
Snake repellents work in some cases and do not work in some cases. However, for me, it worths a try. Some things that you can do, in addition to applying a snake repellent, to deter snakes: Control rodents - snake's prey, Eliminate cool and moist places, Remove wood logs - where snakes live, clean pet's poop, and make snake fencing.
What are the risks of snake repellent?
Snake repellents may contain harmful substances to human, pets, and plants, such as naphthalene and sulfur. Besides, the smell of snake repellents may pretty unpleasant to people and pets. There is a standard for safety and environment-friendliness, which is the EPA standard. I recommend choosing a repellent with this standard, which is made of mostly natural ingredients, such as cinnamon oil and clove oil.
Conclusion
Snake repellent is not the only way to keep snakes away from your garden and home. You can clean your place up, remove any possible living place for snakes, and control rodents (snake's prey). Snakes are dangerous animals, so keep an eye on them.
