How to Keep Geckos Out of Your Lanai

Geckos follow the insects, and the insects follow your lights. Change the lighting, seal the screen gaps, and the population drops without any spray.

By Salma November 2, 2026 3 min read Save to Pinterest

A house gecko on a lit timber beam at night, closing on a large moth — Photo: Josch13, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay

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Geckos are on your lanai because the insects are, and the insects are there because of the lights. Change the lighting and seal the gaps, and the population falls on its own.

The short answer

House geckos congregate on lit screen enclosures because the lights concentrate the moths, mosquitoes and small flies they hunt, and the screen gives grip and shelter. The most effective single change is lighting: warm amber or low-wattage LEDs, motion sensors, and fixtures moved away from the screen. Then seal the entry gaps — door sweeps, panel corners, tears, hose penetrations and the sliding door track — since geckos pass through openings much smaller than they look. Smell-based repellents do little, and mothballs must never be used.

The lights are the cause. Insects first, geckos second
Warm amber or low-wattage LEDs draw far fewer insects
Seal gaps, not mesh — door sweeps, corners, tears, tracks
Smell repellents do little. Never mothballs
No glue traps — indiscriminate and banned in places

Step 1: change the lighting

This is the lever. Everything else is tidying up.

change	effect
Warm amber or yellow LEDs instead of blue-white	large reduction in insects drawn
Lower wattage	fewer insects, proportionally
Motion sensors instead of dusk-to-dawn	removes the all-night buffet
Move fixtures away from the screen	breaks the concentration at the mesh
Downward-shielded fixtures	less light spilling out to attract from a distance
Close curtains on rooms that light the lanai through glass	removes a second source

Insects navigate by light, and short-wavelength blue-white light pulls them from much further than warm light does. A porch that switches from cool white floods to shielded amber fixtures is a noticeably less busy porch within a fortnight — and the geckos follow the food.

Step 2: seal the ways in

Geckos do not come through the mesh. They come through gaps, and the gaps are smaller than you expect.

Door sweeps — fit or replace on every lanai and slider door
Sliding door track — the gap at each end of the track is the single commonest route
Panel corners where screen meets frame, especially where the spline has shrunk
Tears and holes — patch or re-screen
Hose bibs, conduit and utility penetrations — seal with caulk or foam
Where the screen meets the pool deck or paving — often a continuous gap
Pet doors

Work at night with a torch from the outside and someone inside — the light showing through finds gaps far faster than looking does.

Check the kick plate

The aluminium kick panel at the bottom of most lanai doors is a reliable entry point once the seal behind it perishes. It is also the easiest one to fix with a strip of foam tape.

Step 3: remove the rest of the attraction

Sweep away spider webs and egg sacs regularly — they both feed geckos and signal good hunting
Clear leaf litter and clutter in corners, which gives daytime shelter
Move potted plants off the screen line and raise them on feet
Deal with standing water in saucers and trays — mosquitoes are a food source
Keep food and pet bowls indoors
Clean droppings promptly. Geckos return to established latrine spots, and the scent marks them

Step 4: if you still want deterrents

Worth a try, modest effect:

Diluted peppermint or eucalyptus oil wiped on frames and sills, refreshed every few days
A fan running on the lanai — moving air disrupts both insects and the geckos’ hunting

Not worth it:

Mothballs and naphthalene. A registered pesticide, hazardous to children and pets in a semi-enclosed space, and illegal used this way in many places
Ultrasonic devices. No reliable evidence
Glue traps. Indiscriminate, inhumane, banned in a growing number of places
Garlic and pepper sprays. Wash off, do very little

What you lose by winning

Worth saying plainly: house geckos eat mosquitoes, roaches, ants, moths and small spiders. A lanai with a few geckos on it has fewer insects on it than one without.

The real complaint is almost always the droppings — small dark pellets with a white tip, left in the same places repeatedly. If that is the actual problem, a focused version of this works: change the lighting nearest the latrine spots, clean them thoroughly to remove the scent, and seal the gaps in that corner. You will not need to clear the whole enclosure.

Common questions

Why are there so many geckos on my lanai?

Because the lights bring insects and the geckos follow them. A lit porch or screen enclosure after dark is the richest hunting ground for several hundred feet, and house geckos have adapted almost entirely to that niche. The screen itself helps them too — it gives grip, shelter from birds, and warm surfaces to rest on. Change the lighting and the population drops, because the food goes with it.

How do geckos get into a screened lanai?

Through gaps rather than through the mesh. The usual routes are the door sweep, the corners where screen panels meet the frame, small tears, utility and hose penetrations, and the gap under the sliding door track. Adult house geckos squeeze through openings far smaller than they look capable of, so sealing means finding quarter-inch gaps rather than obvious holes.

Do geckos damage anything?

Not structurally, and they eat mosquitoes, roaches, ants and moths, which is a genuine benefit. The complaint is almost always the droppings — small dark pellets with a white tip that stain screens, furniture and pool decks and need regular cleaning. They can also get into pool skimmers and drown, and the occasional one finds its way indoors.

What smells keep geckos away?

Nothing reliably, and that is worth knowing before spending money. Garlic, pepper, mothballs and various essential oils are all widely recommended; the oils have a mild short-lived effect close up and the rest do very little. Mothballs in particular should never be used — they are a registered pesticide, hazardous in a semi-enclosed space, and illegal used that way in many places. Removing the insects works where smells do not.

Will changing my outdoor lights really help?

It is the single most effective change available. Switching to warm-toned or amber LEDs, lowering the wattage, fitting motion sensors and moving lights away from the screen all reduce the insects that gather, and fewer insects means fewer geckos within a couple of weeks. Blue-white light attracts the most insects; warm amber attracts far fewer.

Should I use glue traps for geckos?

No. Glue traps are indiscriminate — they catch lizards, small birds, beneficial insects and sometimes young geckos that die slowly — and they are banned in a growing number of jurisdictions. They also do not solve the problem, because the lights keep drawing replacements. Exclusion plus lighting changes is both more humane and more effective.

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