Having headaches thinking about your gecko problems at home? Geckos’ infestation is not fun. These creatures can bring serious problems. However, by taking preventative measures you can encourage them to move on to another place.
We’ll provide you with the best gecko control products and services to crack your geckos’ problem. We’ll discuss the right products – repellents, traps – and supplies to treat your home pests. Whether the geckos are outdoors – traveling around your house – or you have them indoor we’ll help you to make your property gecko-free.
Basic Information
House geckos are small, pesky reptiles which prefer to feed upon insects and spiders around houses. They most often station themselves along window sills and walls where there is sufficient light to attract insects. Though these reptiles are generally harmless, they can become as much of a nuisance as the insects and bugs they eat if their numbers become too great.
Anatomy: Geckos are nocturnal. Some geckos have special padded fingers and feet that allow them to run easily up vertical surfaces including ceilings and windows. The dark spots help geckos hide in the leaves. However the gecko can lighten its coloration as necessary to blend into other locations. At night the gecko can be quite pale.
Diet: Geckos are carnivores. These creatures eat mostly insects (like springtails, crickets, and cockroaches) and mealworms.
Predators: A snake is the main predator of a gecko. When a pesky gecko is caught by its tail, it releases the tail. This allows the gecko to escape capture. The pest will later grow another tail. Such regeneration takes about 3 weeks.
Geckos in Texas: There are 2 species of house geckos in Texas:
- The common house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) – a native of Southeast Asia;
- The Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) – which has spread to many parts of the world.
Both species have lidless, bulging eyes with elliptical pupils and sticky toe pads. Mediterranean house gecko is usually light colored with mottled dark patches. When it comes to common house geckos, their color ranges from pinkish to greyish and can be marbled with darker patches of color.
You can see geckos near porch lights at night where they usually wait for insects to eat.
They often take shelter around houses in crack and crevices.
Problems: Although geckos are active primarily at night, their presence is revealed by extensive fecal droppings. Geckos are often found inside the house in areas where food is stored or prepared. These little creatures can carry salmonella. In addition, gecko droppings can stain carpets, fabrics and curtains.
Efficient gecko repellent solutions
Even though many kids consider geckos a fun pet to have, most people don’t like having them at home. The first step to remove geckos is to trap out them inside the home. After that you can start using repellents to drive these creatures away from their favorite feeding and hiding locations.
Here is what to buy:
Pest Rid
It is a liquid that uses Federally Exempt actives making it safe for use around the garden and home. It comes in 2 forms and should be used in “phases”. The solution works by producing a disagreeable-to-geckos odor and taste.
To repel geckos inside the house: Spray any vertical surface with Pest Rid Spray.
To repel geckos on your porch, around the home: Sprinkle the Pest Rid granules around the exterior perimeter of your property – on the ground like in grass, in flower beds etc. – and then spray over the top.
Lizard Control Kit
Consists of 2 bottles specially-formulated Eco-lizard repellent that effectively drives geckos away from their favorite hiding and feeding areas.
Where to buy: www.pestcontrolinabox.my
How it works: the product benefits geckos away from ceilings, lights, walls etc.
Safety: the repellent is non-toxic – doesn’t contain pesticides.
Effectiveness: effective for at least 3 months.
Best-selling gecko traps
If you have geckos inside your home, using traps is the first thing you are to do. To reduce geckos’ population use traps for at least one or two months.
Set up 11 Gecko traps with attractive-to-geckos scented lures. Once these little creatures enter the traps, they’ll get stuck. Over a month you’ll be able to trap out almost all the geckos inside the house.
We suggest buying the following:
Cockroach and Gecko Glue Trap
Effective solution to stick geckos. It is a non-toxic, safe and reliable way to trap geckos inside the house. The product includes the bait made of the gecko’s favorite food and flavor. After enough geckoes will be captured, the product can be discarded directly.
Where to buy: www.alibaba.com
Where to place: put the trap in places where geckos are frequently seen.
Gecko Lizard Trap Enclosed
It is a pre-baited-with-synthetic-insect-pheromones trap used to trap a gecko.
Where to buy: www.hygienik.com
Benefits: a glue board can trap up to six full grown lizards and will last for one month before it starts to cure.
It’s very important to trap out the current gecko population before using liquid repellent or granules.
Gecko Lizard Flat Trap
It’s a pre-baited flat trap. Once the house gecko attaches itself to the glue board it will die.
Where to buy: www.hygienik.com
Benefits: a glue board can trap up to six full grown lizards and will last for a month.
Want to control lizards effectively and humanely? Get relief with our helpful tips and solutions. Read this to make your lizard removal successful.
Professional gecko pest control companies
Geckos can be more than a nuisance. They can be a threat to your property and potentially your health. Addressing professional pest control companies is the optimal way of gecko extermination. Their services are safe and affordable.
Choose one of the following:
-
Gecko Pest Control in Chico, California
Where to find: geckopestservices.com
For more information call: (530) 342-3050
How they work:
- Professionals will discover the problem by interviewing you.
- Inspection – experts will find out what pest challenges are present.
- Treatment – gecko control treatment will be performed around the exterior of the house.
- Initial service will provide a barrier against re-infestation.
Geckos have excellent sense of hearing. - Gecko Pest Management Valley Wide in San Benito, Texas
Where to find: www.geckopestmanagemet.com
For more information call: (956) 241-9819
This service provides year-round pest management services for both homes and businesses. You can sign up for a free inspection. Experts will contact you to setup an appointment. - Gecko Pest Management in Tucson
For more information call: (520) 579-1701
The company has an experienced team of certified pest control experts to give you professional advice on home pest control. Experts will use safe and effective solutions to resolve your gecko problem in no time.
Getting rid of geckos may seem like a puzzling task. Remember, geckos can flatten their bodies into extremely tight spaces and will make their way inside the house any way they can.
Look for any cracks or small holes in the walls of the house and fill them with caulking. Replace any screens that have holes. Use traps and repellent solutions for a better result or call a professional pest control company.
Sounds cruel to have them starve to death on the glue trap.
Isn’t it worse for a person, possibly a child, to contract salmonella poisoning from their numerous fecal droppings?
But that’s not true – it’s a myth propelled by the Extermination industry. But it is a great way to get people to spend their cash.
Clean your house and you won’t have problems with salmonella.
Great point, especially if you have children in the house!
I know! I would rather have the occasional lizard turd then roach poo, roach disease, ect. around my home!
Finally found the answer—
You will need:-
1. Garden sprayer pump bottle with adjustable nozzle to squirt a high pressure jet
2. Brakekleen liquid- pure hydrocarbon for cleaning brake components
3. Headlamp- provides hands free operation
4. Darkness, a window with a light on inside and just like the gecko the element of stealth, surprise and an unsuspecting prey
Step 1- armed with Brakekleen- yes spelt right- in your pump bottle adjust nozzle to squirt jet which when fully pressurized will reach about 5-6 metres
Step 2- wait till dark especially after rain when insects are most prevalent and get ready for some gecko action- turn on all the lights inside for more!
Step 3 When sneaky gecko is stalking his prey on the window- you are stalking it! Just like the insect the gecko will never know what hit it. Spray gecko with jet and watch him slip off the wall or window and splat on the ground in front of you- Brakekleen is very slippery when wet- the element of surprise!
Step 4 keep spraying as the gecko cannot get traction on anything to get away and the hydrocarbons will shortly immobilise his dirty little body- if you should feel sorry for it smack it with the botle while its in its death throws
Step 5 place geckos body next to known ant trail or nest and as Brakekleen compltely evaporates with no residue the ants will love it- I watched 2 get carved up today by ants while they were still in their death throws while cleaning out my shed!
For John and co who love geckos on their property- geckos are cruel to insects by eating them! I would muck rather se ants on my property have a great feed because they are scavengers and thoroghly clean the joint unlike geckos! Ants dont deposit Salmonella Turds!!!
Dave you’re correct, best thing on the market. I use the aerosol can from the parts store.
My problem is in my garage and outside. I started shooting ten a night with my BB gun. Now only finding and shooting one or two a day. Population is dwindling fast… They are disgusting, filthy creatures who leave turds stuck all over my walls!
The people that like the geckos do not have turds sticking to their walls and crawling outside the walls of my house.
If i do not get rud if them they will be inside.
I killed one in the shower the other day.
I am getting these things before they take over our house.
I live in Hawaii and the geckos and droppings are nasty.. don’t want to kill them just want to keep them out of the house …. any suggestions please
dude Try placing egg shells where you always see them
Gecko’s were running over the top of egg shells, which I placed outside and they seemed to laugh at them.
U could as well get the gecko traps, once they get caught u can discard them without killing them. At least u let nature decide their fate.
Why! :’0
I live in Texas where I see Geckos running around the outside of my house and yard all the time but I have never seen one inside my house ever. I have several indoor cats and though they have never actually killed any Geckos to my knowlege as I have never found a Gecko carcass (my cats will kill bugs but won’t eat them so I highly doubt they would eat a Gecko); the Gecko must sense the presence of the cats in the home & have not ventured inside! The cats are wonderful Gecko barriers inside my home.
I live in northern Australia and we have the non-native Asian gecko that is wreaking havoc with our native critters etc. How do I kill them/get some of your stuff? I don’t care what the leftie tree-huggers have to say, they’re an import and I just want to kill them – They’re just pests.
I’ve sprayed them with both essential oils and insect spray. The oils take longer to kill them but the insect spray is quicker. The only problem is if they get away and die inside – smell is dreadful!
WTF… Geckos are way better than other infestations. You a4 just lame sissies. Live Arizona and Chicago with those scary b0gers creeping inside your house. Icky. Rotten. Geckos are tame..
I agree
why won’t the regular Pest Control Companies use these methods of either
controlling or getting rid of Geckos. It would be worth it to aging homeowners who do not have the capability of handling this kind of
operation?
I am just unfortunately starting to deal with this nightmare. I don’t want to kill them either but I certainly don’t want them in my house. I hope all of this friendly crap that I am trying to get rid of them works. I honestly never would have thought about bug spray until I read the above comments lol.
These things are everywhere, I think am going crazy cos I get really irritated when I see their turds, I just want them out fast.
Bug spray works well if gecko is sprayed with enough spray. The gecko will then be slow or still at which time you can grab him with a paper towel, deposit him in the toilet bowl, and flush. Works for me!
Got one in the garage, attached to the house, so no, I do now want it in my house. I sprayed wasp/hornet spray, soaked it plenty, covered it a couple of times and it still ran away. One was on the porch running over egg shells and I sprayed Raid on it, half a can, ran off. I guess a .38 might stop them.
They actually went into a hoy hoy roach trap, maybe because there was a roach inside. Used oil to get them out, but make sure it doesnt get in their noses. There is something online of a girl using coconut oil to free one. Can free them someplace safe later
Can I place my gecko glue trap on the wall because I mostly see them on the wall, I don’t think they ever come down
I appreciate geckos because they eat cockroaches which I despise. I have lived in my home for decades and the number of times I’ve found any inside is minimal, less than 10, certainly no more than. I catch them with my hands and put them outside. I have never contracted salmonella or been sick from any germ requiring professional medical attention. I want to know how best to harmlessly evict the lizards before applying pesticide outside my home. They keep the insect problem from being worse but over the years I have seen about 10 cockroaches per year, and even though most have been dead or dying I prefer seeing none.
Maybe a solution for some, because it was for me….I’ll condense it down to short facts, so here we go.. Moved into new home recently. Noticed and had to clean up alot of gecko shit daily. Assessment made after dark proves gecko infest, averaging a dozen per every (100 sq ft) external wall area. Phenol doesn’t deliver punch desired. Research and thought invested. Realized and now announcing I believe their generosity toward these pests stems from some other mental condition. 2 – Poison experiments completed during night. First use Dichloromethane separated from gel paint remover spray remote. To much collateral damage found on home structure. Second gasoline / high octane (LL100) Avgas pump spray. *Excellent Results! Pros = Single body shot kills, Cleanup easy due to quick evaporation. Cons = Fire hazard, Pump sprayer internal damages in short time.
Anybody upset with the killing or removal of geckos is not dealing with an actual “infestation”. We have dozen or more INSIDE the house. They poop on EVERYTHING to the point that I can’t keep up with the cleanup, or even reach many of the places they are pooping. The high ceiling beams, the ceiling fans, the hanging lights, the couch, walls, floors and most insulting…. MY BED have multiple droppings all day EVERYDAY…
We’ve tried sealing up the house, but are still unable to figure out where they are coming in from. Our eaves outside are absolutely COVERED in shit. I used to love geckos until I had to live inside with them. I understand they are beneficial to keep down the insect population, but I know how to deal with the insects… these f’ing geckos are a whole ‘nother story… I don’t want to spray insecticide inside the house (please don’t anybody do that! It’s poison you know…) I am at my whit’s end…
I totally get you. We have had a similar experience. And I hate them! I don’t know how many we have, but there is poop on the ground that has to be cleaned up every morning, outside our front door, back door and porch. The shit everywhere is quite unnerving. The floors of two spare rooms in the house were so covered that you could barely walk without stepping on some. I would like to be able to walk barefoot in my own bedroom, and to sleep comfortably in my own bed without having to worry if one of them is going to shit on us in the night AGAIN! And they have cost us money by shorting out the air conditioning units and the gate mechanism.
Get a cat…. I live in AZ, have a ton of them outside with only a few found inside – always next to the doornthey probably came in from. Most of the time I dont evn notice – its usually 1 of my 3 cats playing with something that I know by now, is either a scorpion or a tiny (usually pink baby) gecko. While I’m usually able to put a cup over them & slide a pc of cardboard underneath to catch/ put outside, I have wide masking or duct tape strips around to grab quick enough to ‘stick’ & kill the nasty bark scorpions easy enough – though am completely disgusted every time. Rather have geckos than scorpions any day… Salmonella is commonly associated with most reptiles like pet turtles too – so not really too freaked out about that… it’s not an automatic thing for every single one of them every time either. But everyones entitled to their own feelings/ opinions
The little ones are inside my house, the adult geckos you can see outside at night when you turn on a porch light or 2. But all of them stay in our attic during the day. Our house is being over run with all sizes of geckos. They get in my bed at night and I don’t have any lights on at night in my bedroom. So what’s up with that. We can hear them crawling on our bed. Ugh. I cannot take it anymore. Kill, kill, kill. No, I used to try to get them out of the house without harming them, but now, I want to get rid of them permanently. Until you have to fight with them every night to get them out of your bed, don’t judge me.
Use a vacuum cleaner to rid of house lizards. Best way.
Location: Bali, in the mountains and in a rice paddy valley there in. House, 8 years old, all cement, told no need for screens and such (Wrong!). Substantial canopies now in place. Attempts to catch the big ones, which are about 20 cm long, inside the house has normally left a huge mess on the walls. Has anyone tried using CO2 (like from a fire extinguisher) to stun them? long enough to catch and place in a transport container. Tried various insect sprays, wife did that, will stop at that. Skip the benefits of them and yes I care. My targets are normally 3-4 meters above me. Saw the brake cleaner idea. No BS on the professionals, none available of my liking.
We have found that normal insect spray that you might use inside the house for flies or mosquitos kills the smaller ones. And if you can spray them directly, it stuns the medium size ones enough for my husband to pick them up with paper and flush them. But it doesn’t seem to affect the really big ones. And we have extremely high ceilings so cannot always get to them.
A fly swatter will stun the smaller ones long enough to do what you want with them. Glue traps work if you have enough of them scattered around. Keep the glue traps out of the path of your robotic vac. I saw a small bottle of bait for insects at HD that I am going to try.
I absolutely hate them as well! I live in the Caribbean and they are everywhere. My strategy to get them out of my washroom was to spray the walls and ceilings with a mixture of diesel and black disinfectant (make sure to use masks and give time for scent to decrease; I’d say 48-72hrs). To kill them, chlorine bleach whenever I see them outside. I spray them, just make sure they stay in the bleach for some minutes…then they die. Not the best, but I’ve seen my infestation dwindle to maybe a 3 or 4 geckos in about 6-8 months from a massive colony (I’d say dozens). Also, whenever I see babies I smash them, sorry but the infestation was too much for my family. I mean, shit everywhere…and don’t tell me to clean my house, because my house is cleaned weekly and there are few bugs and almost zero spiders. So I have no idea what they were eating, but I got rid of their colony. Now I spray the walls once monthly, don’t see them anywhere near the house. When I see them on the exterior walls or the neighbors walls I KILL THEM!
Hello there
Keen to try the bleach spray. Did you find that the bleach spray damage surfaces?
Thanks
Unfortunately, yes. On the concrete walls is fine for me as I can just re-touch the paint. But on the wooden floors/tiles, there are problems. It damages the surface. If you can, I would say chase them out the house then do the bleach spray.
Thanks geckos for keeping cockroaches, mosquitoes and ants from invading the house.
Ants, cockroaches and mosquitos are all FAR easier to control than LARGE populations of house geckos. I’m glad youre not experiencing gecko takeover… I am truly a lover of all creatures, but when they number in the 100’s… and they’re taking over your home/bed/couch/every surface imaginable without a way to control them, ya start to feel a little differently about their beneficial qualities. These aren’t even the “cute” ones. They are nude in color and are kind of creepy. In moderation, nothing seems too terrible…
Anonymous’ above commentary could have been written by me. I live in Hawaii and have been struggling with a major infestation of geckos both inside/outside of my home for the past 9 years. Anyone that gets upset about killing/managing geckos has never had to deal with an actual infestation INSIDE of their home! We’ve tried to seal up everything possible, but they have made their nests/homes INSIDE my home within the interior eaves and other places we can’t reach or close off with sheetrock. I am tired of cleaning poop from our walls, floors, curtains, couch, every horizontal surface imaginable, and most upsetting – our freaking bed… day after day. I’m tired avoiding turds while “letting it dry” before cleaning it up, so as to avoid smearing wet poop into my couch…!! I actually keep junk mail papers lined on the areas most prone to getting pooped on. Just like the commenter above, our eaves outside are also just covered in shit. I don’t understand why our house has been targeted by these geckos as our neighbors do not seem to have an issue with poop-encrusted eaves. When I’ve expressed concern about the geckos to our neighbors I’ve been met with horror that I would even dare complain about them. They obviously aren’t dealing with this issue. I’ve considered what could be different about our house versus our neighbors, but don’t feel that we have any more of an issue with insects as I bait inside regularly, and given that we live in a condo complex we are sprayed on the same schedule as everybody else. We are clean folks living without any kids or pets. I’ve noticed the population has become much worse over the past 6 months to a year. I hope someone comes up with a non-toxic solution. I don’t want to spray insecticide inside the house. Thanks for letting me vent here. Aloha.
So I have had two pest control companies come over to spray my home with insecticide. It has not made any difference. I hear the horrid klack klack klack sound they make in almost every room. The floor behind the couches has to be cleaned regularly, the porch also has to be cleaned daily. Insecticide only works on the really small ones, the medium sized geckos aren’t affected. I figured out that they are actually coming through the cracks in the windows where they meet the sill, which is practically impossible for me to fix. Online, I simply have not found any reliable methods for controlling these pests.
Many years ago I found Geckos at work and brought a few home thinking they would be cool and I would have a unique lizard on my property however after about 15 years of coolness have turned into hostile takeover. They are now in my walls, in my attic and my shop and have miles of tunnels and ton of turds. They get in everything to nest and lay eggs. I have waged war on these pest. I use brake cleaner from the auto parts store, spray them and in seconds, dead right there.
You people are fighting a losing battle , you can not eliminate geckos from the Earth. They will return to populate the place you have eliminated them from. They were here before you and will be here when you are gone.
I dont mind geckos, they are cute with there big eyes. But they dont belong in my house. They poo on my fly screens leaving a almost impossible task to clean. It seems to be like glue. Ended up using turps to try to dissolve the stuff. I have also been trying to breed soldier fly, dont know it readers know but the larvae will eat up almost anything. Please google about the soldier fly. Well those pesky geckos have been eating my soldier fly larvae , and untill I find a way to eradicate them I had to stop this project.