While snakes are an integral part of the ecosystem, they can sometimes be unwanted guests in our gardens and yards. Thankfully, eucalyptus essential oil doubles as both a therapeutic, relaxing aroma and an all-natural snake repellent! That’s right, the eucalyptus oil you have lying around the house can actually help deter unwanted serpentine visitors from your yard. The reason this works is because snakes have a superior sense of smell. Their smell sensor organ, the Jacobson Organ, is located in the roof of their mouth, and when they flick their tongue about, it gathers chemicals from the air. Since eucalyptus essential oil is a volatile organic compound, when sprayed around your yard, it becomes overwhelming for the snake’s keen sense of smell and sends them slithering in the opposite direction.
While most snakes that come into residential areas tend to be nonvenomous, when snakes are around, there is always the risk of accidentally stepping on them or shocking them and triggering their defenses. This is a risk most of us are not willing to take, understandably so. Spraying eucalyptus oil around the yard and garden may repel snakes from your yard or garden and add a lovely, healing aromatherapy element to your yard. If eucalyptus oil isn’t your thing and you want to double up your defenses, there are many other ways to prevent snakes from slithering around your yard.
How eucalyptus oil deters snakes from your garden
Since snakes rely on their sense of smell for hunting, strong scents throw them off and send them running in the opposite direction. The strong scent of eucalyptus oil is both disorienting and repulsive to them. According to one scientific study, the main compound in eucalyptus oil responsible for the strong scent, eugenol, was a potent irritant and thus effective at repelling snakes. Eucalyptus essential oil is beneficial for deterring snakes because it’s an all-natural alternative to poisons that cause serious damage to the food chain. When you poison a snake, you’re also poisoning an owl, a hawk, or another predatory animal that considers the snake food. The way we interact with the natural world has grave consequences.
Furthermore, eucalyptus provides a lovely smelling and effective alternative to toxic pesticides that cause devastating damage to our ecosystems. You want to create a potent dilution, which can look like about 40 to 50 drops in a 2 oz bottle. Then, take a spray bottle and spray the perimeter of your garden or yard. It’s important to note that eucalyptus oil is not cheap, so be sure you’re exact with how and where you use it — scope out the places in your yard where a snake is likely to enter and spray those areas. Planting eucalyptus in your yard is another option; however, eucalyptus is toxic to pets, so it’s important to think twice before planting eucalyptus in your yard if you have pets.
