Snakes in a Mississippi courthouse are a reminder that it's spring and it's time to think about how to keep the reptiles out of your house. The snakes in question were small (from one inch to just over two inches), but still, it's enough to give us the heebie-jeebies.
As much as we don't want to think about snakes, we need to take some precautions now that the weather has heated up and the critters are coming out of hibernation.
Before you run screaming for the hills at the thought of snakes in your home (we are totally retching at the thought), consider this: they only live in hospitable conditions, like cool, dark places with rodents and insects. If that sounds like your home, you've got other problems on your hands.
Advertisement
Here, five ways to ensure a serpent-free existence:
1. Inspect your home, paying special attention to the gaps under doors. Use weather stripping to seal up any visible holes. This will also prevent cool air from escaping, which feels kinda like this:
2. Check your yard. Like humans, snakes are looking for food and shelter. Long grass and thick landscaping serve as great shelter for insects and rodents, otherwise known as "breakfast, lunch and dinner" to serpents.
Advertisement
3. Insure there are no cracks in the foundation to your house. If there are, seal them immediately, because if it ain't snakes, it'll be some other critter that you don't want in your home.
4. Watch your wood piles. These are great spots for snakes and spiders to hide.
5. Know your neighborhood. Areas like Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana are prone to snakes. And of course, if you live in parts of Florida, you know what you're in for.
Advertisement
There are also snake repellants on the market, as well as old-fashioned remedies like moth balls and lemon grass, though the word is that they are unreliable.
If there is a snake, hire a professional to remove it. The bottom line is that unless the snake is paying rent, we don't want it in our abode.
Other ways to get your clean on this spring:
The Best Cleaning & Organizing Tips
Have something to say? Check out HuffPost Home on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram.
**
Do you have a home story idea or tip? Email us at homesubmissions@huffingtonpost.com. (PR pitches sent to this address will be ignored.)
Advertisement
Support HuffPost
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
