Gecko control in At Tanim, Makkah

Targeted, not broadcast

Product goes into cracks and runways, never sprayed across open surfaces.
Told before we start

What we will use, where it goes, and what to cover or move before we arrive.
A follow-up visit

We return after the first treatment, because what survives it does not show on the day.
Homes and businesses

Apartments and villas, and kitchens and stores that need a record of each visit.

Why they keep coming back in At Tanim

The continuous trading activity means doors open and close dozens of times daily in At Tanim, and any residual treatment takes much longer to establish because new geckos keep finding their way back in from outside. The method is set out in full on how we approach Gecko control.

The first reason

Outdoor lighting concentrates insect prey

Shops in At Tanim stay lit all evening to attract customers and pilgrims, and the lights draw flying insects on which the gecko feeds. Switching off part of the outside lighting or changing the light colour will cut the pressure on the shop measurably.

The second reason

Ground floor shops with direct street access

Unlike flats in a residential block, a commercial shop in At Tanim opens straight onto the street with no entrance lobby or vestibule, so the gecko enters unnoticed and the treatment cannot hold because entry continues unchecked.

The third reason

Continuous supply of flying prey insects

Markets, restaurants and commercial units produce food scraps and waste, and flies and mosquitoes collect around the doors and ventilation openings, drawing geckos that follow the prey and not attracted to filth.

The character of At Tanim

Commercial area: offices, showrooms and small stores

Commercial status means the shop has direct street access with no entrance hall to filter out pests, so treatment focuses on the openings, doorways and crevices through which the gecko enters from the pavement outside.

Before treatment

The food, the opening and the crevice decide the method

Quarries, warehouses and offices cluster along the bypass road, and the commercial shops open directly onto the street with no entrance hall to slow the insects, so every customer brings an opportunity for pests to enter the building.

A small house gecko resting on a pale wall

The house gecko

Geckos in At Tanim enter from outside the building, coming through door and window openings and through cracks in the walls that may be too small to see.

Outdoor lighting

Shops are lit outside all evening to draw customers and pilgrims, flying insects come to the light, and the geckos come to eat the insects.

An insect screen on a window, seen close up

Window mesh

Shops in At Tanim open and close dozens of times every day, and window mesh may have small tears that let flying insects and small geckos through.

Air-conditioner pipes passing through an outside wall

The air-conditioner sleeve

The air conditioner sleeve in commercial shops often has poor sealing, and humid air helps the gecko enter through it from outside.

An electrical distribution board mounted on a wall

Meter boxes and electrical panels

Electrical panels in shops are often old with gaps, insects hide in them and the gecko comes to feed on them, and the spray may not reach deep inside the panel casing.

A garden wall with watered planting beside it

The garden and the irrigation

Commercial shops have no gardens but scraps and waste may collect outside or in corners, insects gather there, and the gecko stays close to the food source.

How we work

1
Inspect at night and find the source

We come at the hour it is actually moving, and establish which wall face it is living on, which lights are gathering its food, the entry points and the crevices it wedges into by day.
2
Treat the food source

We treat the flying and crawling insects on the wall faces, around the perimeter and around the lighting. Once the food goes, the wall stops being worth staying on.
3
Close the openings and clear the crevices

We seal the air-conditioner sleeve, screen the vents and drain outlets, deal with the underside of doors, and place a repellent in the crevices and behind panels so they move out before anything is closed.
4
The follow-up visit

We come back once the glued eggs have hatched, check the seals held, and re-treat any wall face where activity has returned.

What gecko control includes

A recorded night inspection

Wall faces, lighting, entry points and egg sites, all established before anything is applied.
Treating the insects on the walls

Targeted treatment around lighting, windows and the building perimeter, because the food is what keeps it there.
Placed repellent in the crevices

Behind panels, in wall joints and at the ceiling-void entries, where it sits out the day.
Screening vents and drain openings

Shafts, vents and the condensate outlet, which are entry points nobody looks at.
Aftercare instructions

Ventilation, what to cover, and the change to the outside lighting that stops the insects gathering again.
A scheduled follow-up

A set date after the first treatment, a check on the seals and re-treatment of anything still active.

What is different about Al Umrah Sub-Municipality

Al Umrah sub municipality covers the north west of Makkah along the Madinah road and the old Jeddah road, from At Tanim and Masjid Aisha to An Nawwariyah. Its districts are the city's newest, villas and apartment blocks raised on wide schemes where large tracts in Al Umrah Al Jadidah, Al Fayha and Al Buhayrat remain vacant or under construction. Wadi Saraf and Wadi At Tanim run through it and rainwater gathers on unfinished schemes, ihram shops, restaurants and coach stops along the Madinah road serve a constant flow of pilgrims, and villas fill Al Hamra and Umm Al Jud.

Questions about this district

Why does the gecko enter the shop instead of staying outside?

Flying insects shelter in dark damp places inside the shop, and the gecko follows them in. Inside is damper, darker and has more food residue than the street outside.

Will treating the shop stop the geckos if the building is old?

Old buildings have deep crevices, and the residual treatment reaches the surface but the eggs are cemented deep inside cracks where the spray cannot reach. A follow up visit is needed after two weeks once the eggs hatch.

Is it worth treating one shop if the shops are side by side?

Geckos move between adjacent shops through cracks and openings in the shared walls, but treating yours stops them entering your unit. Neighbours who do not treat will not undermine your own treated space.

Will treatment damage the stock and goods on display?

The residual is safe on fabrics and ready goods, but we cover food, drinks and spices before spraying. The shop airs in an hour and can reopen.

How often does a commercial shop need treatment in a year?

A commercial premises needs treatment every three to four months because the pressure is constant. The foot traffic, outdoor lights and flying insects mean geckos return faster than to residential flats.

Should we close the shop during treatment or keep serving customers?

The treatment is safe around people and children in flats, but a commercial shop has continuous footfall. We prefer to close for just one hour so the treatment is thorough and complete.

How much does gecko control in At Tanim cost?

It is set after the inspection, because the price follows the type of infestation, the size of the space, how far it has spread and the number of visits it needs. Send a photo and a description on WhatsApp and we will give you an estimate before we reach At Tanim.