Finding geckos on a security camera is a real problem that many homeowners suffer from.
In the short run, it’s a good sign as geckos will eat insects and bees that come near your camera and stop them from building nests.
In the long run, getting a lot of geckos on your security camera will block the view and make it difficult to capture clear footage.
Aside from eating some bugs, geckos also prefer to crawl on warm surfaces, so they may be crawling on your security camera lens as the camera produces heat when it’s working.
If this is happening on your surveillance cameras, there are some things you can do to keep the reptiles off your security camera.
In this blog post, we will mention simple methods to keep geckos off security camera to protect them.
Plus, we’ll show you some tips and tricks that you can apply to stop geckos and other insects from damaging your camera. Keep reading!
Why Lizards & Geckos are attracted to security cameras?
There are many reasons why lizards and geckos might be attracted to security cameras.
- When security cameras are turned on at night, the IR LEDs on the camera emit a powerful light, this light attracts the small bees, and insects making them a potential food source for geckos.
- The IR LEDs do not emit lights only, they also emit heat which makes geckos love to exist near security cameras due to the warm environment.
- The most security cameras outside locations are trees and old buildings, these places are perfect spots for lizards and geckos to build nests.
Top 7 Methods to Keep Geckos off Security Camera
We are going to explain some methods that can help protect security cameras from geckos. Implementing these methods can save your camera and money as well.
Method 1: Use a Strong Lubricant
The first method to keep geckos away from security cameras is to use a strong lubricant.
There are many types of lubricants available in the market, you can use any type of strong lubricants like WD-40, vaseline, silicon, or Teflon.
Once you purchase it, pick a small piece of clothes and cover the camera sensor holes, and also the lens to stop lubricant from entering inside them.
After that, spray the lubricant on the camera lens and around it carefully, then start to remove the clothes away from the camera body.
Now you’re finished, a few minutes later, the smell of the lubricant will spread and cause the geckos to stay away from coming near the camera.
Method 2: Turn off camera LEDs
If you don’t want to waste money on testing lubricants, you can use this simple trick for keeping geckos off security cameras.
This method is depending on turning off LED and IR lights as it’s considered one of the main reasons that make geckos come near the surveillance cameras.
The good news is turning off any source of light on the camera will result in stopping bugs or bees to be attracted to the camera. More than that, geckos and spiders won’t have any motivation to follow them in search of food.
The bad news is turning off your security camera IR lights will affect the night vision and the ability of the camera to capture detailed images at night.
However, you can usually choose to turn off/on the LED and IR lights on security cameras in more than one way.
For example, you can stop the IR LEDs from your mobile when there is a large number of bugs around the camera, and once they are moved, you can turn the IR on again.
An alternative way to turn off the IR LEDs is by hiding the Infrared lights of the camera.
Method 3: Keep food of Geckos away from security cameras
The food of geckos is insects, the more time you keep bugs, and bees away from security cameras, the fewer geckos, spiders, and birds you’ll have near your cameras.
So, if there are insects around your security camera, do your best to keep these creatures far away from your surveillance devices.
For example, you can use a bug zapper or insecticide for this purpose. These pesticides will kill any nearby insects in the area of your camera.
But, unfortunately, this won’t stop insects from returning after the poisons wear off. So, you must reuse these insecticides continuously.
However, this method isn’t widely used as there are a lot of homeowners who refuse to use insecticides because these chemicals affect human, and animal health.
Method 4: Mount Sperate IR lights Near your camera
It’s not good for you to get a high-quality camera with night vision and disable its LEDs to keep geckos off security camera.
For this case, there’s a simple solution: purchasing a separate floodlight and mounting it near the camera.
Once you do this, you make your camera capture HD videos at night and also keep geckos away from it as the light source will illuminate the camera area, and attract insects.
Method 5: Put a Dryer sheet around the Camera
Another way to keep geckos off security camera without using lubricants or insecticide is to put a dryer sheet around the outdoor surveillance camera.
All you have to do is to buy a packet of a dryer sheet with a strong smell from any store, then place it around your security camera until you cover the whole body of the device to keep geckos.
This way is cheap and effective, and it’s not harmful as the dryer sheet contains natural ingredients like linalool which help to deter insects and little lizards.
Not only that, using a dryer sheet keeps your camera clean and prevents the camera from rain, and dust.
Method 6: Spray or put repellent gel around the camera
In many cases, customers refuse to spray lubricants due to their smell and other consequences.
So, they tend to use a repellent gel that contains naphthalene or camphor to prevent geckos from getting around security.
Unlike lubricant spray, using gel has many benefits and it can be used inside the camera box, and also you can place it on the camera mounting plate for more protection against geckos.
Method 7: Clean the camera regularly
Dirty places are always a suitable spot for many insects, bugs, lizards, and also geckos. These creatures are attracted to the food that exists in dirty places.
For example, when your security camera becomes dirty, the insects will come and build nests as a result for that, geckos come to feed on insects.
Not only that, geckos are one of the favorite food for birds, so they also come near your camera and block the lens, making view camera feed difficult.
So, if you have a dirty camera location, then you should clean your camera regularly, you can use a soft cloth to wipe the lens and body of the camera.
Method 8: Purchase a geckos repellent device
The last way that you can use to keep geckos off security camera is to purchase a gecko-repellent device.
There are many different types of repellent devices available on the market, all you have to do is to choose the repellent that suits your needs, and then put it near your camera.
But, How does the Repellent Device work?
Well, this device produces a sound or vibration that geckos don’t like, it works like other models of insect repellent devices.
Once you mount the new device and turn it on, all geckos that are near your camera will leave immediately, and they don’t come back in the future.
Can Garlic clove repel a gecko?
The answer is YES, Garlic cloves can repel geckos and other insects. However, there are some homeowners who use this prevention method, and after a short time, they notice that geckos are stopped from coming near their cameras, a few weeks later, they found that geckos come again.
What is required from you to do is to try this way out and see if it has any impact on your specific situation? Just keep in mind that you’ll have to reapply the garlic often if you want to keep the reptiles at bay.
For more, watch the next video about How to get rid of lizards & geckos that exist in your home.
Source: Solutions Pest & Lawn
What scents do geckos hate?
Well, Geckos dislike the smell of peppermint and eucalyptus. You can use these scents to make your repellent or purchase a commercial product that contains them.
In my opinion, making a gecko repellent at home is cost-effective, and does its job and keeps them away from your monitoring cameras.
Just get a small bottle of each oil and then mix them with water, after that spray the mix around your camera.
Another scent that lizards really hate is pepper and chili powder, you can put both of them near your camera location.
How can I stop geckos from coming into my house?
You can stop geckos from coming into your house by using repellents, keeping your house clean, and sealing any cracks or gaps that might serve as entry points for these little lizards.
However, you need to keep the food of geckos away from your home by getting rid of the rest of your family food day by day to stop insects from coming to your property.
Final Thoughts
Geckos have proven to be pesky creatures and they seem to enjoy ascending cameras. If you’re having trouble keeping them at bay, try one of our suggested solutions.
You will find one that works for you and your home. Be sure to clean your camera regularly, as geckos are attracted to dirty places.
