Why do geckos come to your home?
The gecko you see in Egyptian homes is a small lizard that hunts at night. It eats insects: mosquitoes, midges, small moths and anything else flying around a light. Its feet are built in a way that lets it walk on walls, ceilings and even glass.
So if you see a gecko on the balcony wall every night, there is enough food around the light and a hiding place nearby for the day. That might be the roller shutter box, a crack around the AC pipe or the space behind a wardrobe pushed against the wall. As long as both of those remain, you can remove one gecko and another will take its place.
Geckos also lay eggs indoors. If you find small white eggs about the size of a chickpea in a crack, behind a frame or inside a shutter box, they are most likely gecko eggs, and removing them means fewer geckos later on.
Are they dangerous?
To be straight about it, geckos are not dangerous. They aren’t poisonous and they don’t attack anyone. If one bites, it is because somebody grabbed it, and the bite is mild. In Arabic the gecko shares its name with a skin condition, baras, and many people grew up believing one causes the other. It is an old story with nothing behind it.
That doesn’t change the fact that many people are genuinely frightened of them. Some mothers can’t let their child sleep in a room where they saw a gecko, and some people spend the night awake watching the ceiling. That is reason enough to want them gone. Their droppings on the floor or near food aren’t pleasant either and should be cleaned up with gloves.
If a gecko has just come into the room, don’t chase it with a slipper. Turn off the light inside, open the window or the balcony door and leave a light on outside. Most of the time it leaves on its own. If it hides behind a wardrobe, nudge it gently with a broom until it comes out.
As for the mothballs some people put in corners to drive geckos away, there is no evidence they do anything, and the fumes in a closed room aren’t safe for children.
How we deal with geckos
There is no magic spray for geckos, and that is the first thing we tell anyone who calls us about them.
The first step is cutting off the food. We treat insects inside the home and around the lights on balconies, windows and in the garden. When there are fewer insects, the gecko goes looking for food elsewhere.
Next we close the way in. Geckos fit through gaps smaller than you would imagine. We check around AC and drain pipes, under doors, along the edges of aluminium windows and around extractor fan openings, and decide what needs silicone, mesh or a door sweep. The gap we find open most often is the hole around the AC pipe in the wall, because whoever installed the unit rarely sealed it properly.
Finally we apply a safe repellent around the entry points, using Ministry of Health approved products. It makes geckos less likely to return to those spots, but without the two steps above it won’t make much difference, and we say so from the start. German Egypt Control is licensed by the Ministry of Health and Population, licence no. 32.
Villas and ground-floor flats
Homes with gardens, such as villas in Sheikh Zayed, the Fifth Settlement and 6th of October, and ground-floor flats, see more geckos. The outside walls have cracks, the plants gather insects and the outdoor lights stay on all night. Here we treat the outside perimeter and the facade as well, not just the inside.
When to call us
Call us if a gecko has become a nightly visitor, if you are finding them inside the rooms and not just on the balcony, or if you are seeing droppings in the kitchen. Geckos living indoors regularly usually means there are insects indoors that need treating too.
Send a photo of the spot where they appear on WhatsApp and the technician will tell you where to start. If the neighbours are seeing geckos too, let us know, because the gaps are sometimes in the light well or the shared facade. Anywhere in Egypt, a technician can reach you the same day.
After the treatment: what to do
- Switch outdoor balcony and window bulbs to yellow, or turn them off when you don't need them. White light gathers more insects.
- Don't leave a window open at night with the light on inside unless it has a screen.
- Clear away boxes and clutter behind wardrobes and on the balcony. These are comfortable hiding places for geckos.
- If you find gecko droppings, clean them up with a damp tissue while wearing gloves, then wash your hands well.
The price is set after the inspection
The price of gecko control depends on the size of the home, the number of balconies and windows, how many gaps need sealing, and whether other insects that attract geckos, such as cockroaches or mosquitoes, also need treating. We confirm the exact price before we start, and the inspection comes with no obligation.
After treatment you receive a guarantee certificate stating the period and the service, and if the problem returns within that period we come back at no extra cost.
