Ophidiophobia is the name for an intense fear of snakes, and I certainly have ophidiophobia! I’m not sure if it stems from my Bible reading, where the devil is often referred to as a snake or a serpent, or if it’s just because they are so creepy. Whatever the reason, I certainly have an intense fear of snakes!
Fear of Snakes
I live out in the country in Western Wisconsin, so it’s impossible for me to never encounter snakes. What does seem odd to me, is that we tend to have them about every four years and around the same time (late May to early June). They obviously must live here all the time, but we only tend to see or encounter them at these times. And, the snakes we have are bull or fox snakes (some people tell me they’re a bull snake and some people tell me they’re a fox snake). Truthfully, I cannot tell the difference, but I do know that they terrify me!
Bull Snake or Fox Snake?
This year is one of our “Snake Years”, and I first encountered a snake in our shed. I was weeding in my garden, and my son was jumping nearby on his trampoline. I heard something crash in our shed, and commented to Danny that we must have a ghost. He opened up the shed door, looked inside and said, “Silly mama, no ghost – it’s not Halloween”. I thought that was a pretty humorous and clever statement. About 10 minutes later, I opened the shed to grab the big shovel and saw a huge snake. I couldn’t have shut the door faster, and screamed and ran with Danny back to the house. Danny has limited peripheral vision due to a degenerative eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa, common among individuals with Cohen Syndrome, which is why he didn’t see the snake.
Essential Oils That Repel Snakes
I immediately went to the Google machine to search how to naturally repel snakes, and discovered most of the remedies involve essential oils. Essential oils are a huge passion of mine, and I was thrilled to discover yet another use for them. It was an added bonus that I had all of the recommended oils on hand, and could instantly mix up a remedy to repel snakes.
The top essential oils for repelling snakes are: Basil, Oregano, Cinnamon, Clove and Peppermint. I concocted a spray to use in our shed and on the rocks around our house, and also an Epsom salt solution with essential oils to sprinkle anywhere I had seen a snake.
Snake Repellent Recipes
- Snake Repellent Spray: I combined 10 drops each of Cinnamon Bark, Clove, Oregano and Peppermint essential oils in a glass spray bottle and added in about 1 teaspoon of liquid glycerin and 1 teaspoon of Witch Hazel to emulisify them (keep the water and oil mixed together) and then filled it to the top with water. We sprayed inside our shed really well, and also on the rocks in our landscaping where snakes tend to like to hang out.
- Snake Repellent Mixture: In a glass mason jar I combined 20 drops Basil and 10 drops each of Cinnamon, Clove and Peppermint essential oils to about 2 cups of Epsom Salts. i put a lid on and shook vigorously to get the Epsom salts and oils mixed for scent. I let them sit in the jar, shaking about every 10 minutes for about an hour to ensure they were thoroughly mixed. We then sprinkled this mixture around the walls inside and outside of our shed, and in front of all of our doors (to make triple sure no snakes would get in our house). Snakes lead with their tongues and don’t like the feel of Epsom Salts or the scent of these essential oils.
I am pleased to report that it has been several days with no snake sightings (and I had seen them a few times/day before this). This makes me think my essential oil DIY’s are repelling the snakes, and I love that it doesn’t harm them. While I dislike snakes, I don’t want to harm any living creature, and I know they have some benefits like keeping away pests (mice, rats, etc.).
DIY’s Save Money
Another win for essential oils, and another way they save me money. The snake repellents I could buy online containing essential oils were pricey, and my concoctions were only a few dollars total. The only downside I can see is that I will have to reapply when it rains.
If you have a natural snake repellent recipe, I would love for you to share it with me in the comments. If you are interested in purchasing the essential oils that repel snakes (and many other pests like ants, mice and spiders), you can do so with this link. You can delete any of the oils if you already have them in your stash, or add in any other doTERRA oil or product you like. The link comes with a 25% wholesale discount at no charge to you, and I am more than happy to teach you some other uses for each of these oils in addition to the fact that they repel snakes.