Imagine sitting outside on your screened-in porch having your coffee and a lizard runs over your leg. You might freak out and spill your coffee and this could ruin the start of your beautiful morning. Does this make lizards a nuisance? I am guessing that in the homeowner’s eyes that answer is yes. How to get rid of lizards on the porch? Simple, get rid of their food source, water source, and shelter options.
Let’s take a look below at some information about lizards and how we can attempt to prevent them.
What Attracts Them
Just like any living thing, the obvious reasons are what attract lizards to your porch. Food, water, and shelter. Let’s take a look.
- Food – lizards go where the food goes. Since they enjoy a hearty insect meal, you can often find them where the ants, spiders, beetles, flies, and worms go. If you have planted fruit and vegetables, they enjoy those as well. It’s also important to keep your home clean. Like dogs, they love the crumbs and items left on the floor of your home.
- Water – keep all sources of water at a minimum. Keep in mind that lizards love water from your pet bowl, birdbath, and any other source of water. So, your best bet here is to minimize the access.
- Shelter – cool and dark places are often a haven for lizards. If they can get into your home, they will look for the darkest corner to hide in. They also enjoy hiding behind your patio furniture, shed, or raised garden beds.
Where Do They Hide
Lizards love to hide in dark and cool places. If you are looking to determine if you have a lizard problem, then check out these spots first. You will discover if you need to repair the screen on your porch or seal your windows and doors, to keep the lizards out.
- Hiding places – most hiding places for lizards are areas that keep them in the shade and out of sight. Remember that lizards are also a food source for birds and snakes, so if they can stay out of sight that is good for them. Gardens, porch furniture, sheds, and garages are common areas for a lizard to seek shelter.
- Doors and Windows – if the seal of your doors or windows has openings, then lizards can get in. Keep an eye on these areas as you might need to conduct some repairs to keep the lizards out.
- Screens – most porches have screened enclosures. Once the screen is cut or the screened door has an opening, the lizards can gain access to your porch. They like to enter for shelter, food sources, and water.
Do They Benefit Me
You might find that a lizard is a nuisance to you. However, they can be very good contributors to your pest control needs. Lizards are insectivores, which means they enjoy feasting on ants, flies, crickets, spiders, grasshoppers, and springtails to name a few. Aside from lizards eating your fruits and vegetable plants, they are great at natural pest control. The only real nuisance is if they get into your home and stay visible and leave their poop everywhere.
How Can I Prevent This
Preventing lizards from entering your patio is a tough task. However, if you follow the right steps, you could notice a huge reduction in lizard sightings moving forward. So, how can I get rid of lizards on the porch?
- Seal the entry points – lizards are typically small enough to fit through the smallest openings. Make sure you caulk all areas that have cracks and replace any damaged weather stripping on your doors and windows.
- Use Natural Repellants – lizards hate some natural spices and can act as lizard repellent. Spread some homemade pepper spray, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, peacock feathers, lemongrass essential oil, coffee grounds or any natural ingredient that emits a strong smell. Mixing a few tablespoons of spice with warm water and then pouring it around the outline of your patio can deter the lizards from entering. Also, consider spraying this mixture around your doors and windows and the cool corners of your home.
- Eliminate Food – having a quality pest control company conduct its monthly service will keep the lizards away. No insects means no food, which means, no lizards. Every living organism is looking for food. When you can keep the food source away or eliminated, you will keep the lizards away.
How Much Does It Cost
The average monthly cost for pest control ranges from $40 to $60 per month. In some cases, pest control companies will charge an initial fee that can cost up to $250. This all depends on the size of the home and what pest control is needed. Keep in mind that the cost for your pest control service can vary based on location, home size, and insect infestation.
Other Recommended Maintenance
While you are looking at how to get rid of lizards on the porch. You should consider learning about how to get rid of ants overnight. Ants are a major food source for lizards. If you can keep the ants at bay, then you will not have as many lizard concerns. The further away you keep the ants, the further away you can keep the lizards.
Next, look into how to get rid of roaches from your kitchen cabinets. If roaches are getting into your home, then they will attract other pests. Lizards also love to eat roaches and can seek them out through the cracks and crevices of your doors and windows. So, lizards might start on your porch and head straight for the home. Food is the number one attractor of lizards.
Lastly, keeping water away from your home can solve a lot of issues. This is important for reasons of pest control and keeping your foundation structurally sound. Water intrusion can cause a lot of headaches for a homeowner. So, making sure that your landscaping, irrigation system, and yard grading is built to keep the water flow away from your home is key.
When Do I Call A Professional
As a professional pest control company, getting rid of your lizards on the porch starts with getting rid of their food source. Although it is virtually impossible to exterminate all insects from your home or yard, you can at least create a barrier. Hiring a professional pest control company is a great idea here. Not only can they reduce any insect invasion into your home or porch area. They can also substantially reduce the attraction of larger pests to your home.
In this case, making sure that your pest control services are up to date and working effectively is key. Don’t be afraid to inspect your shrubs and vegetation around the home as well as your home’s defense. Not sure if pest control is worth it? Keep a record of all the insects that you come into contact with within and around your home. This might change your mind.
Conclusion
Lizards are a very important nuisance to the food chain. Killing a lizard is probably not the best idea. Oftentimes, a lizard will enter a home or patio and forget how it got in. Once the food source is gone, the lizard will slowly die. So, it isn’t really necessary for you to kill a lizard. Plus, they are a natural home pest control service.
Keep in mind all of the insects that they like to eat, as listed in the blog information above. If you find that the lizard population is just too unbearable for you. Call on All South Pest Control to determine your basic pest service needs in McDonough, GA, and the surrounding areas.
Recent Comments