As a herpetologist as well as a museum person, I agree with Harrison’s suggestion that the lizards in the building are most likely the non-native Mediterranean Gecko (*Hemidactylus turcius*), an introduced species that is particularly fond of living in buildings and has spread over much of the United States in the last few decades. The other possibility is that it could be your native Western Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus), but I would not expect them to inhabit the interior of a building. You can find good images of both of these species at https://reptilesofaz.org/lizards-2/
As others have said, the lizards themselves are not pests―they are in the building to eat arthropods that may well be pests, so if you institute a good Integrated Pest Management program in your building the lizards should eventually go away. The advice on door sweeps is good, but bear in mind that lizards (like mice) can wiggle through a crack that is only as wide as the depth of the head, which is not very wide at all (as narrow as 1/8 of an inch), so they could be entering through loosely hung windows, pipe chases, cracks in the walls or foundation, through ventilation vents or the attic, etc. Although geckos do eat collection pests (and in some tropical areas where I have worked, their presence in collections is encouraged for this reason) there are three problems with geckos—fecal matter, shed skins, and the occasional dead lizard, all of which may attract collection pests. You can catch geckos (and other lizards) with large sticky traps or glue boards (the kind sold to catch mice). I do NOT recommend using sticky traps or glue boards to catch rodents because it is very difficult to get a rodent off of a sticky surface without hurting the animal or being bitten yourself, and rodents will often drag the board around with them when stuck and injure themselves. Lizards and snakes are much easier to remove from the glue and rarely drag the board around. You will need to check the sticky traps a couple of times a day because you don’t want to leave an animal stuck on one very long. The lizards (or anything else you don’t want adhering to a sticky trap) can be removed by working diluted vegetable oil or mineral oil between the lizard and the trap with your fingers. I have released lots of lizards and snakes from traps this way. It’s a bit messy, but it works. Sticky traps are sometimes used in the field when collecting small lizards, particularly hard-to-catch arboreal lizards, and the animals released from the trap using this technique. --John John E. Simmons Writer and Museum Consultant Museologica *and* Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima On Wed, Jul 30, 2025 at 10:50 PM karina.wilhelm <[email protected]> wrote: > We have just one set of doors that go directly outside. No one has been > propping them open (it's too hot to do that right now!!). I tried to get > the door sweeps checked in May and facilities never did anything so I just > placed a repeat request. Hopefully that will help. > Thanks > Karina > > On Wednesday, July 30, 2025 at 9:34:42 AM UTC-7 [email protected] wrote: > >> Are people proping doors open? Also check door sweeps they may need >> replacing. >> >> Get Outlook for iOS <https://aka.ms/o0ukef> >> ------------------------------ >> *From:* [email protected] <[email protected]> on behalf of >> Harrison Mitchell <[email protected]> >> *Sent:* Wednesday, July 30, 2025 12:11:41 PM >> *To:* [email protected] <[email protected]> >> *Subject:* RE: [PestList] lizards >> >> You don't often get email from [email protected]. Learn why this >> is important <https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification> >> >> [CAUTION: This message originated from outside the Foundation. Do not >> click links, open attachments or take action unless you know the contents >> are safe] >> >> Hi Karina, >> >> >> >> It sounds like you might have Mediterranean geckos. We see them >> occasionally in our museum. Are you seeing other pests in your sticky >> traps? Geckos are usually a sign that you have a food source that is >> sustaining them (moths, roaches, crickets, etc.). >> >> >> >> Best, >> >> >> >> *HARRISON MITCHELL* >> >> Registrar >> >> >> >> Historic Arkansas Museum >> >> 200 East Third St. >> >> Little Rock, AR 72201 >> >> [email protected] >> >> p: 501.324.9385 <(501)%20324-9385> >> >> >> >> HistoricArkansas.org <http://www.historicarkansas.org/> >> >> >> >> >> *From:* [email protected] <[email protected]> *On Behalf >> Of *karina.wilhelm >> *Sent:* Wednesday, July 30, 2025 11:05 AM >> *To:* MuseumPests <[email protected]> >> *Subject:* [PestList] lizards >> >> >> >> You don't often get email from [email protected]. Learn why this is >> important <https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification> >> >> Hello all, >> >> I'm the archivist for a small archive in Tempe Arizona. We are getting >> little lizards (geckos?) in our space. I've found three dead ones in the >> sticky traps in the last week or so and I just saw a live one. Any >> suggestions on how to get rid of them? >> >> Thanks! >> >> Karina Wilhelm >> >> ASU Center for Archaeology and Society Repository >> >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MuseumPests" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/a404db8e-506a-4051-9895-c5c4dff3dcb6n%40googlegroups.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/a404db8e-506a-4051-9895-c5c4dff3dcb6n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MuseumPests" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To view this discussion visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/BLAPR09MB6403A19DA3DE156874AE7D559E24A%40BLAPR09MB6403.namprd09.prod.outlook.com >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/BLAPR09MB6403A19DA3DE156874AE7D559E24A%40BLAPR09MB6403.namprd09.prod.outlook.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MuseumPests" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/ce0d937d-16da-4f05-a95a-3d16d7d8415bn%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/ce0d937d-16da-4f05-a95a-3d16d7d8415bn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MuseumPests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/CAF7GCDYTtehsB%2BKS9SmHt4U7QKsavO-TdvFu7Mh9etB43UmA9Q%40mail.gmail.com.
