On Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:37:55 EDT, "ReelMcKoi" wrote:

Taste it or smell it, they'd simply go around something
like Naphtha flakes as I saw them do with my own two
eyes. They don't turn around and go back the way they came.
And why would they? I never understood how anyone
would think they'd do that.

My guess, people who have had the opposite experience, such as this lady
has. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

"~ jan" wrote

| On Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:37:55 EDT, "ReelMcKoi" wrote:
|
| Taste it or smell it, they'd simply go around something
| like Naphtha flakes as I saw them do with my own two
| eyes. They don't turn around and go back the way they came.
| And why would they? I never understood how anyone
| would think they'd do that.
|
| My guess, people who have had the opposite experience, such as this lady
| has. ~ jan

Pardon my ignorance but why would I want to keep snakes away from my pond?

That is, if I had a pond... Mine is still in the planning stage... but I'm
really close to starting it. In the meantime I've been providing a small
pool just for tree frogs to breed... and they've taken advantage of it. The
pool is currently teeming with tads and I feed them daily - they get as many
slugs and snails and moths and other bugs as I can find, along with lots and
lots of leafy green stuff, with a liberal sprinkling of dry catfood (they go
nuts for this).

Last year after all the tadpoles had left the pool, and I was using the last
of the rainwater in it for the garden, one day I found five or six garden
snakes swimming in about 4-5" of clear water. They seemed quite anxious to
get out, so I caught them all and released them into the garden. These
snakes are so good at mole control that I want to encourage and protect
them. I'm sad to say that I occasionally kill one inadvertently while
mowing.

"Pat" wrote:

-snip-
Pardon my ignorance but why would I want to keep snakes away from my pond?

That is, if I had a pond... Mine is still in the planning stage... but I'm
really close to starting it. In the meantime I've been providing a small
pool just for tree frogs to breed...

That might be the primary reason. A snake or 2 is unavoidable, but
2 snakes can lead to 100s in a few months. That might threaten
your tree frog population.

Jim

On Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:34:07 EDT, "Pat"
wrote:

Pardon my ignorance but why would I want to keep snakes away from my pond?

Some do eat fish, frogs & tadpoles, some are poisonous to people.

In the case of the lady my husband knows, she's terrified of all snakes,
doesn't have a pond, but doesn't want any snake in her yard. I believe she
is in a newer subdivision bordering the desert, so she's probably seen
mostly bull snakes and maybe rattlers, before she went with her
mothballs-in-a-can snake prevention. If it works for her... better than
killing them, imo. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

"Pat" wrote in message
et...

"~ jan" wrote

| On Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:37:55 EDT, "ReelMcKoi" wrote:
|
| Taste it or smell it, they'd simply go around something
| like Naphtha flakes as I saw them do with my own two
| eyes. They don't turn around and go back the way they came.
| And why would they? I never understood how anyone
| would think they'd do that.
|
| My guess, people who have had the opposite experience, such as this l
ady
| has. ~ jan

Pardon my ignorance but why would I want to keep snakes away from my po
nd?
=================
Brevity snip.

Snakes will eat fish, frogs, baby ducks etc. Some water snakes are
poisonous.
--
RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö