The sight of a snake in your garden may send a chill up your spine, but most of the reptiles are beneficial, eating slugs, grubs, mice and rats -- depending on size and species. Rattlesnakes, with their distinctive triangular heads and rattles, however, are venomous natives in some areas and best avoided. While the sharp-edged grit of diatomaceous earth seems like a natural to deter the slithering reptile, it is unlikely to be effective.
About Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is the fossilized remains of tiny sea creatures, called diatoms, which had shells made of the natural mineral silica. The sharp silica cuts into the hard casing, or exoskeletons, of insects or through slug slime, causing them to lose moisture and die of dehydration. While one source notes that it can cause "minor irritation" to reptiles, it doesn't seriously harm or deter anything with skin, including reptiles.
There are no repellents or pesticides federally registered as effective for repelling or killing snakes. Traps and anti-snake fencing are effective control methods, but can be time consuming, inhumane and -- in the case of the fencing -- expensive. Keeping grass cut short, eliminating brush piles, filling cracks and holes where snakes could enter your home, and taking other measures that eliminate or don't attract their food supply -- rodents, slugs and frogs -- are more practical ways to control snakes on your property.
- University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program: Rattlesnakes
- National Pesticide Information Center: Diatomaceous Earth
- A Garden for Life; Diana Beresford-Kroeger
- Redding.com: Don't Fear Millipedes But Be Wary of Centipedes
- Rutherford County Extension: Controlling Snake Problems Around Homes
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: Deterring Unwanted Snakes
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