No matter how beneficial lizards are for the ecosystem, the sight of lizards in your house ought to make your skin crawl. Are you constantly terrified of these unwanted pests dwelling around the dark corners of your home? Don’t worry; help is here!
Surely, lizards help to keep the insect population at bay. They may even be protecting you from Lyme disease, but none of these are good enough reasons to allow these pests to make unwelcome appearances as they please.
You need a solution to the lizard problem on your property, and you need it fast. In this article, you can learn how to remove lizards from your home and surroundings humanely.
Effective Remedies to Keep Lizards Away
Eliminate Sources of Food and Water
Just like other pests, lizards set up shop wherever they get a good supply of food. They love to feast on insects. They mainly eat flies, beetles, ants, spiders, and worms. So if you have an abundance of other common house pests, you are likely to have a lizard problem too.
Lizards can also survive on vegetables, fruits, and food crumbs that drop on kitchen surfaces and the floor. Lizards are also drawn to homes with easy access to water. Water in birdbaths, leaking pipes, or pet bowls is enough to quench the thirst of the lizard population on your property. This means you need to pay attention to the upkeep and cleanliness of bathrooms, kitchens, and outdoor areas such as compost piles and gardens.
Try to clean up food scraps immediately, keep garbage covered and disposed of daily, and keep bathrooms and kitchen sinks clean at all times. If you can eliminate all unwanted food and water sources, your house will no longer be an attractive hiding and breeding ground for these pests.
Identify Entry Points and Seal Them
Lizards love to live in homes because homes offer plenty of cool and dark places. They will hide behind beds, cupboards, sheds, outdoor benches, etc. To fully eradicate the lizard problem in your house, you must consider how these pests enter your home.
If you keep your doors and windows open all the time, you are probably making it easy for lizards to enter and exit as they please. This will be especially problematic if you live in an area prone to lizard infestations.
You need to make it difficult for these scaly pests to get inside your house. First, identify how they are accessing your property. Keep in mind that lizards are tiny reptiles with flexible bodies. They can squeeze through very small cracks without any difficulty.
Once you identify all the possible entry points, seal them. Then, you can use caulk to fill any cracks and holes, install weather-stripping around windows and doors, and patch vents and other big access points with a wire mesh.
Use Homemade and Natural Deterrents
Lizards are generally harmless, so you may not want to set lizard traps. These traps can injure or kill them. If you do not wish to hurt lizards but still want to ward them away from your home, then using a natural deterrent is the way to go.
Want a natural yet humane way to get rid of lizards? It can be as simple as mixing a few ingredients. Lizards do not like the smell of cayenne, pepper, and hot sauces like tabasco. Add a few tablespoons of any of these peppers with a pint of warm water to make a repellent.
Shake well and spray the mixture in the corners and crevices of your home. Also, spray the homemade pepper spray mixture outside, especially along access points such as windows and doors and anywhere you have noticed lizard activity. The strong smell can effectively deter lizards, and you will get quick relief from lizard problems.
While these methods are effective, sometimes, these DIY solutions might not be the best to tackle the pest problem in your house. If all fails, you would have to take professional help to identify and then take the right approach to manage any pest infestation.
Keep Landscaping Tidy and Plant Lizard-repelling Plants
How you manage your garden and yard will significantly impact the lizard population in your house. If you have lizards in the surrounding areas, they will enter your home whenever they get the opportunity. So how can you get rid of lizards in your yard and garden? The answer is straightforward: keep the outdoors tidy.
If the landscaping outside your house or in your garden is not tidy, you are providing lizards with lots of hiding spots. If you keep it clean and uncluttered, you will be able to eliminate shelter options. Sweep decks and porches regularly. Also, trim hedges and trees every few weeks. Note that there should be no standing water around, as this will discourage lizards from nesting in your yard.
What else can you do? Well, you can plant some outdoor plants that will repel lizards. Yes, there are some plants lizards just do not like – namely Peppermint, Eucalyptus and Pencil trees. They despise the scent of these plants. So, by simply adding these outdoor plants to your landscaping and garden, you can send lizards packing.
Hire a Pest Control Service
If you have tried everything and just cannot get rid of lizards from your home, then it may be that the lizard population on your property has expanded too much. But, don’t worry, that can be taken care of too! You can hire professional pest exterminators to come and tackle the lizard problem in your home.
When all DIY approaches fail, it is time to seek professional help. First, choose a reliable pest management company that can assess the situation, identify the extent of the lizard problem, and form a comprehensive and humane approach to get rid of lizards – effectively and quickly.
Regular pest control will also keep lizards and other pests from returning. After all, the professionals have years of experience. In addition to better understanding the causes and extent of an infestation, pest control companies are better equipped with modern repellents and technologically advanced equipment.
Final Thoughts
No one enjoys playing hide-and-seek with lizards in their house. If you are tired of frequently spotting lizards around your house, you may have a lizard problem. Thankfully, there are solutions to get rid of these pests.
The most important step toward removing lizards from your property is eliminating all food and water sources. Keep the house clean, and do not ignore your garden, yard, and landscaping. You can also plant some lizard-repellent outdoor plants. A homemade pepper spray can help keep these pests away too.
If all efforts fail, you must accept that the matter is out of your control. You need to call a professional pest exterminator. Regular pest control can help you have a lizard-free home without even moving a finger.
