help getting rid of water snakes

[boilermaker27]

I live in a private subdivision of over 725 homes and three lakes. The dam at our main lake was eroding and the DNR told us to plant these large reed like plants along the dam to prevent erosion. Problem is that our beach is right next to the dam and there are an unknown number of water snakes in the reeds right next to the beach. The snakes swim right through the swim area, two days ago there were about 40 people in the water and one of the snakes swam right through the swim area, and in about 15 seconds everyone was scrambling for the beach. I am not afraid of snakes and understand snakes, but most people are deathly afraid of snakes. Is there any repellent or anything that we can use to drive the snakes out of this portion of reeds? I have heard mothballs may work but some say they do, and some say they don't.

[TRD]

Sounds more like you need to do some education with the people about the harmless snakes living in the lakes and how they help you not being overrun by rodents and other stuff you don't want in your house, instead of finding ways to remove the snakes.

[Jim Smith]

Since you will never get rid of the watersnakes and there are no snake repellents that actually work, the only thing I can think of is some sort of a net system. You could attach 4 feet of netting to the bottom of 12 inch OD PVC pipes and make a barrier. This would give you about 10 inches of rounded PVC pipe above the waterline and four feet of fine netting hanging below the water. While a determined snake could get over the 12 inch PVC pipe, most of them would simply swim along the barrier to their destination. Just one possibility...

[pet_snake_78]

I would agree, while initially there is some expense if you create a barrier, chances are the snakes will take the path of least resistance at least most of the time. Put the barrier off to the side tho as the snakes might bask on it lol

[dannybgoode]

Think of the rodent problem you'd have without the snakes and be happy!

[mistersprinkles]

Tell the people in your community to stop being such p*ssies. Problem solved. The snakes have every right to be there. Poisoning the water with mothballs is a terrible idea.

[MDT]

Tell the people in your community to stop being such p*ssies. Problem solved.

This is probably the best response to anything I've seen on sNAKESs!
Very close to becoming my sig line.

[Doug 351]

Story of my life.....everything gets ruined by dam beaches!

[sattva]

If you want to get rid of the snakes, you'll have to get rid of their food source... Of course that could start another invasion... Better to educate them, and then live with them.... The snakes that is... The people we can do without... Hahaha...

[Doug 351]

Ummmm....I hate to be the guy that has to state the obvious here, but it seems to be evading a few.

Watersnakes are not know for their mass rodent eradication efficiency. They eat fish and or frogs. ( And I'd rather have either than a snake that kills them.)

Nothing against the snakes, it's just ridiculous anyway, because if you take away the fish and frogs, you have mosquitoes, and I'd rather have rodents, they don't bite you and give you diseases while you're weeding your garden.

[mistersprinkles]

Doug makes good points. The bottom line is this- the snakes aren't going to hurt anybody. The most they might do is bump into a swimmer in the water. They aren't going to bite unless somebody attacks them, and they are probably controlling the pest animal population in the area. I see no negative impact from the snakes to your fellow villagers and taking them out of the ecosystem could lead to a rodent outbreak. Leave nature alone.

[Scubadiver59]

If you have an excess of snakes, that can only mean one thing...there's an excess of pests (rodents, lizards, etc.) for them to feed on.

Take the snakes away and guess what happens? Population explosion, that's what...the it's the kind you don't want!

Live and left live!!!

[eminart]

Educate the few people who are willing to learn, and enjoy a swimming area with fewer people.