Anole lizards in lanai

[maybe]

How do others deal with those little lizards, anoles?
I have not seen any in the main part of my house, but they keep getting caught in the small pest control glue box in my enclosed lanai.

I was told that the glue traps are not for pest control, but merely to alert you to the presence of a pest, such as a cockroach. The lanai glue trap has only ever caught one roach in the year I have lived here, but the boxes regularly catch anoles. I see no signs of roaches, but maybe the anoles are quickly eating them. I know they are considered good insect eaters, but should we put up with the fact that they also must defecate?

So, I feel badly for the anoles because they must suffer during a slow death on the glue. Maybe I should just not use any glue traps in the lanai, and let the anoles come and go as they please. I know they can squeeze in through small spaces, but I cannot figure out how they get in. Even the drain holes at the bottom of the windows have a mesh barrier.

It is a minor issue to be sure, but I'd appreciate any information on what other house owners do.

[Bonny]

First, I would get rid of that glue box !! That was sad to read that about their slow death. :(
The little lizards are all over my lanai. I for one think they are cute. They are no harm to anything. They have never come into the house, but I keep the door closed unless I'm there.

[Richard1366]

Give them names...and enjoy...

[Hancle704]

Appreciate the fact that while they are in your lanai, you won't find many bugs there.

[MikeV]

We get them in our lanai and we watch them scamper around trying to hide etc. We just open the screen door and eventually they leave. If they don't we toss a dish towel over them and gently gather it up and take it outside where we just let them go.

[Beth P]

Oh dear. Haven't moved in yet but thinking about what fun my cats are going to have with them. :(

[Indydealmaker]

The Villages has very strict rules about picking up lizard poop.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Don't bother with them. They are so small, you'd need about 100 to make a decent meal.

[NYGUY]

Don't do anything. They are not a problem, even if they get into the house!!

[DonH57]

Give them names...and enjoy...

That's what I did. Give them names and seat down flies and l ovebugs. Watch them go for it.:coolsmiley:

[maybe]

Okay then! I guess the consensus is no glue traps in the lanai.
Since lizards should be smarter than cockroaches, I had thought of printing little warning signs on the glue traps, "WARNING! Glue trap. Remember the tar pits!"

I do wonder how many people here never inspect the glue traps that pest control firms place around your house. I suspect some people are catching them without knowledge, at least in their garage, because don't the pest folks always put them in garages, even if not the lanai? They might replace them routinely without ever mentioning to you that ti had some anoles.

[Jdmiata]

I would first get rid of that glue box. Animals don't deserve a slow death like that. Our cats catch them and we toss them out. Not a big deal.

[pbkmaine]

The cats love them. The lizards do not reciprocate. The cats bring them into the house and we rescue and release them. Much to the disgust of the cats.

[mtdjed]

Those yellow boxes can also trap frogs, toads and snakes. I spent half an hour releasing a toad without hurting it. Don't know if would work hard to release a snake.

[kittygilchrist]

I have a whole ecosystem on the lanai. I love it. I would toss the poisons and glues.

[mrscrimefighter]

Don't they come in the house from the Lanai? I haven't seen screens and I would love to open the sliders and let the air in. I too don't want to harm them, but what keeps them outside?

[TNLAKEPANDA]

The keep away spiders and ants... they will not hurt you but they may try to sell you some car insurance!

[Happinow]

I was just discussing thes little critters with my husband. We have several of,them in our lanai. I expect they get in through the drains for the pool. We want to leave our sliders open but can't because I certainly don't want them in the house. We decided to purchase a screen, like one you would buy for a window, at Home Depot and put it in between the slider doors. That way, we can keep the door open without those critters entering the house easily. I know they climb quite well, but we hardly ever see them near the sliders. They mostly stay out by the pool area. This will give us piece of mind when the sliders are open.

[Carla B]

I hang my "good" laundry in the garage, the laundry that doesn't go in the dryer. Today I gathered it up from the clothes rod and there was, lounging on one of my tops, an anole! Fortunately, it didn't poop on my blouse. We like the little lizards but enough is enough.

[sailor47]

Not to worry. Just place a mat at the slider that reads.

KEEP OUT!!!

They won't come in, trust me.

[duhbear]

Oh dear. Haven't moved in yet but thinking about what fun my cats are going to have with them. :(

Oh yes, the cats love to play with them. They run around with the anoles in their mouths and then let them out to run again.

[borjo]

"Maybe".....I do have an answer for you. If you have siding on your house, stuff some small strips of bubble wrap under the bottom of the siding. The anoles get in from going up inside the siding on the outside and across it to only come out inside the lanai. We also used fine steel wool but wouldn't recommend that since it rusts. The bubble wrap works, is cheap and easy to install.

[Bonny]

I have a very small opening under the birdcage siding for the rain water to drain out and also under the screen door. They can fit very nice through there. They also come through the drain grates around the pool and the vinyl siding. They don't hurt anything. I have a screen along with my doorwall (slider) or whatever people call it. That keeps them out of the house. They're cute little critters.

[Barefoot]

I have not seen any in the main part of my house, but they keep getting caught in the small pest control glue box in my enclosed lanai.
So, I feel badly for the anoles because they must suffer during a slow death on the glue.


We just open the screen door and eventually they leave. If they don't we toss a dish towel over them and gently gather it up and take it outside where we just let them go.

Don't do anything. They are not a problem, even if they get into the house!!

I've never heard of anyone using a glue box. My pest control company certainly doesn't use them. The concept seems inhumane.
As NY Guy said, anoles are not a problem. We think they are cute and just part of the Florida lifestyle.
However if they do bother you, why not gently toss a dish towel over them as Mike suggested. And just release them outside.

[Sandtrap328]

Barefoot is absolutely right! Get rid of those awful glue traps. The anoles are going to scamper onto your lanai and probably leave through the tiny cracks they entered from.

They are harmless critters. They are not nasty like roaches. Leave them alone!

[mrscrimefighter]

I have a very small opening under the birdcage siding for the rain water to drain out and also under the screen door. They can fit very nice through there. They also come through the drain grates around the pool and the vinyl siding. They don't hurt anything. I have a screen along with my doorwall (slider) or whatever people call it. That keeps them out of the house. They're cute little critters.

Are there screens for sliders? I even had Thumped [garage door screen man) man come out but he said there isn't an option.

[Bonny]

Are there screens for sliders? I even had Thumped [garage door screen man) man come out but he said there isn't an option.
Yes, all 3 of my sliders have screens.

[mixsonci]

Oh dear. Haven't moved in yet but thinking about what fun my cats are going to have with them. :(

I've had them in other places I've lived with my cats. The cats go crazy watching them and trying to catch them even jumping from top of bookcase to the top of the curtain but failing and falling down the wall, so funny. However, they don't have much luck catching them because the Geckos (as I know them as) usually stay up near the ceiling. My cat did catch a baby one once, that was very funny, but too long to tell here.

[cquick]

I was just discussing thes little critters with my husband. We have several of,them in our lanai. I expect they get in through the drains for the pool. We want to leave our sliders open but can't because I certainly don't want them in the house. We decided to purchase a screen, like one you would buy for a window, at Home Depot and put it in between the slider doors. That way, we can keep the door open without those critters entering the house easily. I know they climb quite well, but we hardly ever see them near the sliders. They mostly stay out by the pool area. This will give us piece of mind when the sliders are open.

In the winter, I leave my sliding glass doors open to the house from the pool area. I don't think many geckos get in the house. In all the years I have lived in Florida, we have only seen a handful in the house.

And BTW, cats DO love to chase them! :icon_wink:

[maybe]

Barefoot is absolutely right! Get rid of those awful glue traps. The anoles are going to scamper onto your lanai and probably leave through the tiny cracks they entered from.

They are harmless critters. They are not nasty like roaches. Leave them alone!
To be clear, the glue traps were to catch roaches, maybe ants, etc., not anoles.

I agree with the poster who suggested they might enter through under the siding. I may try that. In any event, no more glue traps in the lanai.

[rubicon]

First as to those glue boxes. They are carefully placed on the floor at either ends of your overhead doors for a reason....they catch critters. fortunately for us those glue boxes only caught one snake. Secondly anoles will enter your home. third anoles on an lanai leave droppings and i do not want to live with droppings and so i do not want to live with anoles. Fourth anoles can crawl into the tinest spaces. i know they plugged my water hose spray handle and they plugged my drip pipe from the AC.

anoles and i can not co exist

[Amfunny]

We had one stuck in a glue trap in the garage. I just could not leave it there to die. I had my husband pour vegetable oil on the trap where he was stuck and then a few minutes later gently loosen his legs from the trap with a shish kabob skewer. Success! He quickly scampered away. The are all over my lanai. They get in from under the siding.

[Bonny]

We had one stuck in a glue trap in the garage. I just could not leave it there to die. I had my husband pour vegetable oil on the trap where he was stuck and then a few minutes later gently loosen his legs from the trap with a shish kabob skewer. Success! He quickly scampered away. The are all over my lanai. They get in from under the siding.
Aw, so cool !!
Also if you have a pool, I have watch them come through the overflow grates around the pool. The don't need much space to get in.