My sister lives in a mobile home in town and has 3 small children.She has noticed several snakes in her front and back yard next to her house so far the snakes average length is only 12-18 inches but we are unsure as to what type they are and do not want to chance the children getting bitten.What can we do to keep them away from her home and yard?Any help- would be greatly appreciated.thank-you.

Good morning, Snakes typically try to avoid contact with humans. They are not likely to bite unless they are threatened. The best way to keep snakes away from homes or yards is habitat modification. Keep the grass cut short , store wood piles off of the ground, and remove any debris piles that can provide the snakes with cover. If you are interested in trying to identify the snakes, the Illinois Natural History Survey has a great website about reptiles. It can be found at: http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/cbd/collections/amprep/ilspecies.html