Tiny Geckos: Natural Warm Climate Insect Control
Tara A. Spears
In the dark of tropical night, skinny ghost-like lizards with shiny bulging eyes skitter across the ceiling at home or on the wall of a beach resort or dart across a tree branch stalking moths, beetles, spiders and other small prey. These stealthy predators are geckos, the second largest group of lizards in the world. The majority of the 900- plus species of geckos live throughout Mexico and in tropical areas around the world. A species that we frequently see in Jaltemba Bay is the common house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus).
The house gecko’s most prominent feature is their near see-through skin. Skin color varies and can span the spectrum from grayish colors to pinkish colors. Sometimes it can even feature dark patches. The only consistent part of the skin is the underside that is usually a creamy-white color.
Another interesting feature is their eyes. They have no eyelids (leading them to have to clean their eyes with their tongue) and have a vertical pupil. The combination gives them some kind of a creepy look.
Geckos are good roommates in tropical houses because it stalks termites, ants and other annoying insects. They are the smallest reptiles in the world. An average adult is only four inches (10 cm) long and weighs only 1/4 ounce (0.12 g). All of the gecko species are small to medium size lizards.
Geckos are famous for their death-defying ability to stroll across walls, ceilings and even slick glass. What enables this light colored lizard to adhere to surfaces are clinging toe pads. The gecko’s feet are composed of expanded felt-like pads under the toes which provide this amazing ability. Each toe pad has a million clinging hairs that are strong enough to support the lizard, even upside down on a smooth ceiling.
Another interesting fact about these harmless-to-human tiny creatures is that geckos are nocturnal, mostly feeding after dark. When geckos sense something wrong, they quickly get back to their nest which can be behind your furniture, under cabinets, inside a crevice. I have several that live during the day in my hollow curtain rod on my patio.
The male gecko produces a sound in order to attract the females for mating. Note that the house geckos attain sexual maturity in one year. The male gecko does not have a dewlap; there is another small reptile in our area that does expand his bright colored throat sac and it’s active during daylight, the anotole. The common house gecko generally lives up to five years. Their mating period extends from March and continues up to July. The female will lay one or two eggs between months of April to August. If you look carefully you can see that females have a translucent stomach area so one can see the eggs within. The hatchlings are so tiny – about one inch/3 cm- that they can wiggle between screen and window frame to enter your house.
While I appreciate the free, organic, non-poison insect control that geckos provide but there is a downside to these exotic critters: poop. Gecko droppings are usually the first sign that you have company. Typically these turds are elongated, brownish, and often have a white tip. Besides being a bit unsightly, the droppings are a problem when they fall onto carpet or fabrics because the droppings can stain. Their urine can stain the walls, too.
If you’re not comfortable with the beady-eyed reptile that always seems to be looking at you from its perch on the wall, getting rid of it is actually easy. While there are no certified pesticides strictly for geckos, pesticides do help in that they do reduce the food supply, ants, roaches, spiders, thereby forcing the geckos to move out. Prevention is always easier than the cure.
As you enjoy the excellent tropical evenings, let the house gecko entertain you!