Say the word "lizard" and you’ll be met with reactions ranging from disgust to fascination. Those who love these intriguing reptiles will be happy to know that the jungles of Malaysia are home to many different species.
They boast fantastic colours and patterns that match their surroundings, helping them camouflage and stay hidden from predators and prey alike.
Common lizards found in Malaysia (both in our jungles and neighbourhoods) include geckos, monitor lizards, skinks, agama lizards, gliding lizards, and butterfly lizards.
Now, when it comes to the ordinary little house lizard, you might be asking: Are these house lizards dangerous?
The good news is that these common house pests are probably one of the least harmful compared to cockroaches, centipedes, or rats. However, they do carry bacteria like salmonella that can cause food poisoning.
Geckos in houses tend to eat small flying insects, ants, worms, and even roaches. They work smart, feeding on insects that are attracted to bright lights by hanging around the bulbs, thus spending minimal energy to hunt.
At night, we can usually hear the calls of a lizard in the house with their distinct and familiar ‘clicking’ sounds. During the day, lizards tend to stay hidden behind picture frames or clocks hanging on the walls.
How To Tell If You Have A Lizard Infestation?
Do you find yourself asking “Does my house have any lizards ah?” Well, here are a few signs that your home has now become a desirable place for these creatures to hang out:
- Insects – If your home and the surrounding area naturally has lots of insects, you can be sure that lizards are not too far behind. Who wouldn’t want an all-day free buffet right?
- Droppings –Telltale signs of white and black poo on the floor, walls, window sills, or tabletops are usually a dead giveaway that you have lizards lingering.
- Detached tail –One of the unusual wonders about lizards is that they can detach their tail when under attack. As the tail seemingly wiggles on with a mind of its own, the lizard is able to make a daring escape from predators and live to see another day.
- Dirty house – A kitchen sink full of dirty dishes, rubbish left to sit for days in the bin, and leftovers or food scraps strewn across the home attract insects. In turn, these insects attract lizards, along with other pests like cockroaches and rats. Yuck!
- Spotting baby lizards – Lizards in houses breed by laying eggs in tiny cracks and crevices that are dark and moist. This includes cracks in walls, under piles of clutter, inside kitchen cabinets, and in wardrobes between clothes. If a lizard deems a space in your home to be safe, it can lay eggs in clutches of up to twenty at a time. This is how their population can boom in your home.
3 Ways To Get Rid Of Lizards From Your Home
1) Repellent for lizards
If the lizard infestation is wayyy out of control, you can purchase chemical sprays from any convenience store.
Should you prefer a more eco-friendly solution, get a device that emits high-frequency sounds that can irritate the lizards into leaving for good! Be careful if you have pets though, as these solutions will harm them.
2) Vinegar
Mix some vinegar, water, and dish soap in a spray bottle and spray the mixture around areas you regularly spot lizard droppings, or near their hideouts.
3) Coffee and tobacco
This mixture is potent and can kill lizards. Mix coffee grounds with tobacco and sprinkle it around places where lizards tend to hang out like cupboards.
You can also dab some glue on a toothpick and coat it in the coffee and tobacco mixture before placing it in strategic areas of the home.
3 Ways To Keep Lizards Away From Your Home
Now that you’ve spent money on lizard repellent and taken the time to control that pesky lizard infestation, here are a few ways you can keep them out for good!
- Keep your home clean. Food, water, and shelter help lizards breed and thrive in your home. Make sure you never leave leftovers lying around, always clean your pots and pans after cooking, wipe down the dining table and countertop after each use, and throw rubbish away regularly. These are surefire ways to deter lizards and most other pests.
- Before trying to eliminate lizards, identify and address other pest issues you might have, like ants or insects invading your home. Eliminating their food source is a good way to get rid of those pests and also drive lizards out of your home.
- Maintain your home by sealing off any cracks or crevices using silicone, cement, or fillers. Seal the top and bottom of doors with rubber strips to help keep pests out. An insect screen is also a great way to keep pests out while allowing the breeze to cool your home. Leaky pipes or stagnant water around the house also offer lizards a hydrating reason to stay.
Having lizards in your home is not always a bad thing. Most of the time, they go out of their way to avoid us and help keep us comfortable, by controlling the insect population in our homes.
Instead of fighting to get rid of every last lizard in your home, maybe consider having one or two around as low-maintenance pets to keep the insect population in check!
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