Onions can be sliced and dispersed similarly, and both can be mixed into a spray to leave only the scent and not little bits of food scattered throughout your home. There is currently no scientific evidence to support the claim that essential oils can get rid of snakes and geckos. These scents are effective for two reasons: lizards hate the smell of spicy things, and they know that coming in contact with spice can cause skin irritation for them. Also, reduce their areas to breed. This is the most common way to use essential oils and it can be used to help with a wide variety of issues, including stress, anxiety, headaches, and even pain relief. Citronella is an oilderived from the leaves and stems from a cousin of lemongrass (specifically, Cymbopogon). Lavender is proven to relieve stress in people, but did you know it is also a smell that lizards hate? Society garlic is an ideal example. hanging out in your lawn or garden, think twice before driving them away. Some of the most effective oils include eucalyptus, lavender, and mint. If you just barely brush is as you walk by and you will get a blast of citrus/ floral fragrance. What more? Citronella oil is a naturally occurring oil on a perennial plant called citronella grass. Most of these smelly plants are also pretty and useful and could make good snake repelling plants. Use caution when using citronella products around your pet, and make sure they don't have access to any citronella plants in your garden. Think allium, herbs, etc. Another scent lizards despise is that of eucalyptus essential oil. With the added benefit of most people enjoying the smell of peppermint, this is a great way to treat areas and prevent lizards. 7 Ways Wasps Got Into Your House (And How To Get Them Out), 5 Simple Differences Between Male and Female Raccoons, 9 Insects That Eat Roaches (Common Predators). If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. Generally, the negative potential of diseases they carry outweighs the positive. Capsaicin is a strong irritant to geckos among a host of other annoying small animals. Garlic plants are thought to be the best plants that repel snakes. Studies have found Icaridin can work as well as DEET . Like most essential oils, this is a non-toxic natural product that can be used for lizard control. Using vinegar and water-based spray can be combined with other scents on this list to help combat the overwhelming scent of vinegar. Lizards can be a tricky pest to deal with. Most people cannot stand reptiles and having them in your home can be a big no-no. Citronella grass, Cymbopogon nardis is a native grass of Sri Lanka and a major source for the essential oil citronella. Now, lizards are known to frequent walls and other surfaces. Community Q&A Search Add New Question Question How to repel geckos naturally from high ceilings? This can include black pepper, chili powder, cayenne, and even plain ol hot sauce. Geckos can die from ingesting these cleaning products or shavings. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. 9 Repellent Essential Oils To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes, Uses Of Lavender Essential Oil In Pest Control, Tea Tree Oil For Mosquitoes - Pros, Cons, Repellent Recipe &, 3 Yellow Fly Repellent Options For Humans, citronella oil is also an excellent remedy for mosquitoes. The standing water may attract insects, which will in turn draw geckos. It is found in many familiar insect repellent products: candles, lotions, gels, sprays and towelette wipes. Common insect control methods include proper food storage, creating a less hospitable environment, and more, which we have articles about including this one about using houseplants to prevent flies. However, since were discussing lizard control, well mention only those that can get the job done. Citronella has long been considered a natural mosquito repellant, but just because it's natural doesn't mean it is safe. This website primarily references personal learning experiences. There are a number of essential oils that can help to keep snakes and geckos away. And with new content being added every day, there's always something new to discover. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. What you can try is to be patient and wait for geckos to come down and cover it with a towel and release it outside. This method will work for any of the essential oils mentioned previously in this article so you can shake it up if you tire of one scent in particular. By using our site, you agree to our. If it is difficult, it is also important to get used to it! But does citronella actually work? First of all, my safe and all natural Gecko repellant consists of a combination of a few of the most effective Spices, Herbs and other common household items Geckos hate to be around, such as; powdered Garlic, Fine Ground Black Pepper, Coffee Grounds, Onion powder, Used Tea leaves, Peppermint Oil and LemonGrass Oil, even Cayenne powder, to name . As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Homemade Snake Repellent. Citronella candles are suitable for repelling insects and mosquitoes in the home and on porch areas. But you may be wondering,, Read More Can Woodchucks (Groundhogs) Actually Chuck Wood?Continue, As the weather shifts from freezing your toes off cold to roasting your skin hot, insects come out of hibernation to bug us all. Dry out. Scatter them away with a broom, a rolled paper, and an aggressive demeanor; 3. You dont need to know where they live. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Place a few sprigs of rosemary into the bottom of each mason jar. Citronella grass You're probably most familiar with citronella candles to repel mosquitoes, but the smell comes from a plant called Cymbopogon nardus, which gives off a distinct beach grass. Just hearing the word can elicit a range of, Read More 9 Insects That Eat Roaches (Common Predators)Continue, Woodchucks, surprisingly, are the largest animal within the squirrel family and can be found throughout different areas of North America. Add 2 ounces, or slightly less, of citronella oil to the bottle. Many common flowers, including morning glories, calla lilies, Christmas cactus, hyacinths, periwinkle and rhododendrons, are toxic to your little lizard friends. A few of these include aphids, fleas, caterpillars, beetles, flies, moths, lice, mice, etc. Adding 15-20 drops of any essential oils such as peppermint, eucalyptus, lemongrass, or adding chili powder can be a powerful at-home lizard repellent. While making your homemade fly repellent, beware of the petroleum-based citronella oil product to which citronella scent is added and marketed. This characteristic makes it more difficult for insects to locate a target. What are the side effects of using essential oils? 4. Use a DEET-based insect repellent on your clothing, and wear long sleeves and long pants to provide a barrier against bites and irritation. Now, spray onto walls or other areas where lizards often visit. If the idea of letting a cat catch and kill geckos doesnt sit well with you, you may be better off going with a non-lethal option. 9 Simple Reasons Bees Are Flying Around Your Roof, Hot Pepper: Heres How To Use It To Repel Raccoons. Required fields are marked *. This method may not be available to everyone, but if you have the option to cool your house into the low 60s even for a few days, this may work to drive out the lizards making your home their own. There are two types of citronella oil named Java and Ceylon which are derived from Cymbopogon winterianus and Cymbopogon nardus grasses respectively [1] Don't forget to keep your doors and windows shut so they can't get inside! References. Try posting a housecat as a guard to chase off invaders that manage to slip by. They are used in a variety of ways, including for fragrance, cosmetics, and as natural remedies. X If you keep geckos as pets, you can even use chlorhexidine in a spray bottle to clean and disinfect their cage. Anti-fungal. Can I put citronella oil in water when I wash the floor? The salt will help disperse the oils evenly throughout the water. Some essential oils are thought to have snake-repelling properties, and they may be effective at keeping geckos away as well. Be careful not to oversaturate low-lying ground. Research source. Citronella has been registered as a gentle, plant-based bug spray ingredient in the U.S. since 1948. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Lower The Temperature In Your House This technique may be especially effective when the temperatures outside start dropping and lizards search for warm places to hide. X Avoid spraying areas that you and your family frequent too heavily. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Professional pest control services will offer both immediate solutions and long-term prevention that will go a long way. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. Citronella will also repel mosquitos, which are an insect that most people would not miss. Burn citronella oil, incense, or sandalwood to repel swarms of insects in the summertime. TheUniversity of California IPMprogram recommends sealing up any gaps larger than inch might be a necessary step to cut down on the number of lizards in your home. If you're in a hot and steamy climate, you probably will get better insect control from geckos than from insecticides anyway. Now, one of the problems caused by lizards is the salmonella disease which can be spread by direct contact or from their droppings. Pichersky, E., & Raguso, R. (2016). Go dark. Even in nature, you wont find lizards climbing in eucalyptus trees and we can take advantage of these properties as a great lizard repellant. Garlic and onions are two more plants with powerful odors lizards just cant stand. Citronella is toxic to pets. 8 Or, a prepared mixture specially formulated for pest control such asMighty Mints Peppermint Oil Insect & Pest Control Spraycan be used and eliminate the hassle of preparing it yourself. Thankfully, there are many ways to deter lizards from certain areas simply by using certain smells that they hate. A bug zapper or set of sticky traps can also be useful for warding off insects near your porch or patio. Onions and garlic are very useful garden plants for repelling snakes. This guy right next to me? Learn more Citronella oil is an essential oil which is made from a variety of Lemon Grass named Cymbopogon. The citronella geranium has lacy green leaves and purple, pink or white colored blooms. of carrier oil, such as grapeseed oil. If you often leave your door standing open on warm days, install a screen door to serve as a barricade. Peppermint and anything else minty is caused by the chemical menthol- a powerful scent most pests cannot stand. You should notice a marked improvement within a few days. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. ; Products that contain natural repellent ingredients like essential oils are only worth a try if they contain Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, since this is the most effective natural alternative . Rosemary. link to How Do You Get Rid Of Hard Calcium Deposits In The Shower? If you've spotted more than 1 or 2 inside your home, it may be necessary to gecko-proof it from the inside out. Not as well as we'd like. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c2\/Use-Citronella-As-an-Insect-Repellent-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Use-Citronella-As-an-Insect-Repellent-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c2\/Use-Citronella-As-an-Insect-Repellent-Step-1.jpg\/aid7631418-v4-728px-Use-Citronella-As-an-Insect-Repellent-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"