Geckos are familiar to most of us living in South East Queensland. We see them scuttling across our walls and ceilings at night in pursuit of prey. These reptiles are remarkably diverse and broadly distributed worldwide through tropical and warm temperate regions.

The gecko we commonly see in our homes is the Asian Gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus. Also called the Common House Gecko or Pacific House Gecko.

They are the reptile we tend to see the most. Humans typically form a ’love-or-hate relationship with our gravity-defeating friends. Some consider them a helpful pest controller that eats spiders, moths and cockroaches for free. Others get annoyed with their chucking noise, droppings, shorting their air-conditioner unit and the unsettling appearance on the ceiling of a lizard directly above them.

How to control Asian geckos

For professional pest control companies in Australia, there are few options to control geckos. There is no registered poison designed specifically for geckos.

To confuse the matter, there are many urban myths and homemade cocktails to eradicate them supposedly. Eradication by directly applying these potions will not be the best long-term approach.

By various methods listed below, you can reduce the number of geckos. But you must understand that you will never completely eradicate them. Over time, they will re-colonize from surrounding homes and find recently unoccupied harbourages around your home. It’s an ongoing battle.

Our recommendations:

First step

1. Get your home pest control at least every 12 months. Reducing the availability of likely prey will lessen the gecko population.
2. Seal up cracks and holes where you see geckos. a They, too, can be prey and usually hunt near a spot where they can scuttle into to escape. If they feel too vulnerable, they won’t hang around.
3. Ensure there are insect screens on the windows you open at night. As we mentioned, moths are the most desired prey for Asian geckos.
4. Turn off the outdoor lights and pull the curtains. They will move on if there are no lights to attract their prey at night.

Second step - not for the fainthearted

1. Glue boards and sticky cards, available through hardware stores or Coles & Woolworths, will catch and eventually kill geckos. Glue boards should be placed near lights, windows, or outdoor surfaces where geckos prefer to congregate. Warning, glue traps are not for the soft-hearted and do not kill the gecko quickly or allow for a humane release.

Glue board

1. Glue boards with UV attractant light. The UV light will attract moths and other flying insects to the glue board. The captured moths will attract the geckos. We recommend placing a certain distance away from your home, so the moths and geckos aren’t drawn near your place.

Genus Spectra UV Glue board

Some More Interesting info about the Asian Gecko

Being nocturnal, the Asian gecko loves to prey on moths, but being opportunist in its diet, it will dine on any insect that is slow enough to be captured. They tend to pounce rather than chase their prey. This is why you will see most geckos and their droppings near lights.

Asian geckos, like a lizard, don’t urinate. They only have a single opening for the faeces and urine called the cloaca. You can quickly identify gecko poo by a small white portion on their dropping, in which urine is expelled as uric acid.

Geckos don’t have eyelids. To keep their eyes moist, they lick them continuously with their tongue.

Geckos will drop their tails when a predator grabs hold. But they do have the ability to grow it back, but never the same colour or markings. Obviously, an escape ploy that comes at a cost.

Asian geckos are noisy. Asian geckos are much louder and more talkative than native geckos. Their “chuk-chuk-chuk” is aptly described as ‘scolding’ and usually their attempt to protect their territory. Native geckos tend to chatter softly.

Geckos have an amazing ability to walk vertically up walls and then across the ceiling! You should listen to Sir David Attenborough’s explanation in his BBC video.

Check this link for some information: Asian Geckos page

If you need some advice or would like to organise a pest control treatment as we recommend, please get in touch with us now on 1300 417 007