# Snake Killah **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 12, 2005, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-killah/312184 "2005-07-12T14:57:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-killah/312184/1 "2005-07-12T14:57:20Z")
I know a guy with a hole next to his mom’s house that has a garter snake nest inside of it. He wants to kill the nest off using chemicals, because his mom is phobic about snakes. What would work, be safe, and be legal? Please, no suggestions involving gasoline, used motor oil, or anything else illegal that will get my thread locked. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-killah/312184/2 "2005-07-12T15:04:40Z")
Dry ice. Buy a two or three pound chunk, put it over the hole, and cover it with a bucket. As the dry ice sublimates, the resulting carbon dioxide, being heavier than air, will sink to the bottom of the snake hole, suffocating the inhabitants. Safe and non-toxic. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-killah/312184/3 "2005-07-12T15:15:29Z")
**Fear Itself,** Thank you. He liked that and has easy access to dried ice. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-killah/312184/4 "2005-07-12T17:59:44Z")
Seems a shame since Garter Snakes are actually beneficial to the ecology and aren’t a threat to humans. Wouldn’t it be better to rjust emove them and relocate them into a more rural area somewhere? I know it’s more work than simply killing them but it’s not their fault they were born snakes… snakes are our friends (mostly). ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-killah/312184/5 "2005-07-12T18:05:15Z")
I’m with **dolphinboy**. It’s a friggin’ garter snake! No poison, it can’t be more than a couple of feet long. Dig it up and take it to the park. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-killah/312184/6 "2005-07-12T18:21:26Z")
Not sure where I’d start looking for such, but there must be reptile fanciers willing to come out and collect them. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-killah/312184/7 "2005-07-12T18:24:29Z")
I wouldn’t kill them. Garter snakes are harmless and actually help reduce pests in the area. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snake-killah/312184/8 "2005-07-12T20:15:39Z")
I know that garter snakes are basically your friends. Oddly, so does my friend. His choice regarding the disposition of the animals seems to be related to the family dynamics between my friend, his mother, and her phobia regarding snakes.