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Lizards might not come to mind when homeowners are thinking of common household pests, but they’re certainly creatures that most people don’t want lurking in their home or in the backyard. There are a lot of questions homeowners may have about lizards: How long do lizards live? Do lizards bite? What does lizard poop look like? And while all those questions can provide more context to how the cold-blooded creatures operate, the most important information when it comes to figuring out how to get rid of lizards is what attracts them and what makes them go away.
The good news is that lizards can be banished from your property once you identify and remove what’s attracting them to the yard.
Time required: 1 to 2 hours
Difficulty: Beginner
Estimated cost: $20 to $100
Tools & Materials
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- Insect repellent
- Caulk
- Copper mesh
- Lizard repellent
- Cinnamon, peppermint, and/or clove essential oils
Before You Begin…
You may be tempted to learn how to catch a lizard or use a lizard trap in order to keep these creatures from occupying your home, but these critters are elusive and quick. It will be much more effective to remove what’s attracting lizards to your yard and let them wander off instead of trying to catch them. But before you load up on repellent or set a ton of traps, it’s helpful to know where to look for lizards and how to humanely keep them off your property for good.
Tips for How to Get Rid of Lizards
- Identify and seal any potential entry points.
- Eliminate small bugs, which are a food source for lizards.
- Contact a pest control professional to control bugs, or contact a wildlife removal service to get rid of lizards.
Safety Considerations
- Wear protective gear, such as gloves, goggles and a safety mask, when handling chemical repellents.
- Contact a pest control professional or wildlife removal expert to eliminate a lizard problem safely.
STEP 1: Inspect where lizards are visiting in your yard or getting into your home.
As small, limber creatures, lizards have a way of sneaking into spaces quickly and quietly, with little evidence of their presence left behind. However, there are a few ways you can identify that they are frequenting the inside or outside of your home. Lizard droppings, which look like long black pellets with white balls at the end, are a tell-tale sign. Their feces are typically about ⅛-inch in size with tapered or rounded ends.
Another way to tell where lizards are visiting is if you find a left-behind tail. Because lizards can regenerate their tails, they’ll often drop them when grabbed by humans or predators to allow them to escape.
You can also infer where lizards may be lurking, even when they haven’t left a mark. Lizards feast on flies, mosquitoes, and other insects, so they’re likely to show up in spaces that attract small bugs. Inside the home, dirty dishes, trash, or rotting food will draw insects. Outside, standing water and vegetable gardens provide attractive spots for insects to congregate.
STEP 2: Eliminate lizards’ preferred food sources, like insects.
The best way to permanently get rid of lizards is to wipe out their food source. This includes a variety of small insects, from spiders and crickets to mealworms and mosquitoes. To eliminate insects, you’ll likely need to spray repellent in the areas the bugs are drawn to. It’s a good idea to put on proper protective gear such as gloves, safety goggles, or a safety mask before spraying. Or it may be beneficial to hire a pest control service. If you want to know how to keep lizards away, pest control pros can use their experience and knowledge to effectively treat your home for insects and solve your house lizard problem.
STEP 3: Seal any entry points to the home.
Pipes, vents, windows, and cracks in the foundation all provide entry points to the home for lizards. Lizards are likely to seek shelter during the winter months or inclement weather to keep warm and find food. To keep a lizard from entering the home, it’s best to seal any open areas, no matter how small the entry point may seem. You can use a variety of materials for this, but caulk or copper mesh may be the most effective and easy to use.
STEP 4: Eliminate pools of standing water and repair any leaking pipes and faucets.
Moisture inside or outside of the home often attracts insects, which is why it’s important to look for areas around your home that could cause a bug—and subsequently lizard—infestation. You can start by identifying pools of standing water near windows, air-conditioning units, or low points in the yard. These pools should be completely dried up in order to ensure bugs and lizards are kept at bay. If pools of water are forming in the yard due to poor drainage, consider reaching out to a landscaping expert to correct this issue.
It’s also helpful to check for any leaking pipes and faucets in the kitchen or bathrooms. Even small leaks can bring in flies, beetles, mosquitoes, or other bugs that lizards feed on.
STEP 5: Opt for a DIY or commercial lizard repellent.
To find the best lizard repellent, you may have to try a few solutions or create your own at home. A wide variety of repellents are available at local home improvement stores. Chemical solutions often include components like sulfur or naphthalene, which create strong odors around the home. If you’re sensitive to certain scents or prefer a more natural route, you may want to try a DIY repellent using essential oils such as cinnamon, peppermint, and clove. Other natural repellent mixtures include cayenne pepper and water. You can use a hot sauce that contains cayenne and mix it with some water, or you can add cayenne pepper powder to water.
Once you’ve selected a repellent, you’ll need to determine where you’re going to apply it and how much of it you’ll need. A 32-ounce spray bottle can usually cover about 200 square feet, while a thin line of granules can go a long way around your home’s exterior. When using commercial repellents, always follow the manufacturer’s directions and take note of any warnings, such as if pets should be kept away from the area where you’ve applied repellent.
STEP 6: Contact a wildlife control professional to keep your home and yard free from lizards.
The easiest and most effective way to get rid of lizards is to hire one of the best wildlife removal services. These professionals can help keep lizards away from your home and repair any damage they may have caused. Wildlife removal professionals often have a satisfaction guarantee, so if you’re experiencing a problem that needs to be handled as soon as possible, calling this type of expert can provide an immediate solution.
Removing the soure of a lizard infestation is also key to banishing lizards from your property. Since they feast on bugs, consider one of the best pest control services to control the lizards’ food source around your home or yard.
