A technician checking a boundary wall line and pipe entries at ground level

Snake control in Al Bayban Makkah

Al Bayban is an old Makkan quarter on a hill north of the Grand Mosque between Al Diyafah and Al Hajun off Madinah Road. It is crowned by Qasr Kuwair, a five storey palace of local stone with wooden rawashin built in the early twentieth century. The district is very old with narrow lanes and deep foundations and drainage networks that are decades old, and all of this provides wide safe passages for snakes.

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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 Al Bayban

Old drainage and water networks are decades old, and deep stone foundations provide wide cavities beneath every house. The method is set out in full on how we approach Snake control.

The first reason

Historic district: packed buildings and ageing drainage

Al Bayban is very old, and stone houses are packed tightly on the hill. Deep old foundations provide wide cavities, and drainage networks are over sixty years old and leak everywhere. Snakes move easily through these cavities and underground passages.

The second reason

Narrow lanes provide shade and protection

Lanes between buildings are so narrow they remain shaded and damp throughout the day. This creates ideal conditions for rats, cockroaches and snakes, especially as ventilation is poor and moisture remains constant.

The third reason

Adjacent wadis provide a natural source

Wadi Al Zahir and Wadi Al Tanim run beside the district and carry flash floods. Wild snakes migrate from the wadis into the district seeking food, and old foundations provide easy entry.

The character of Al Bayban

Historic district: close-set buildings, narrow lanes and ageing services

The historic district presents unique challenges: deep stone foundations provide wide cavities, old drainage networks provide water passages, and narrow lanes provide snakes with protection.

Before treatment

What the site tells us before we start

A historic district on moderate elevation between wadis, with tightly packed stone houses and extremely narrow lanes without good ventilation.

A shed skin

Shed snake skin is left in cavities beneath deep stone foundations where moisture and protection are very high.

A winding trail across fine sand beside a wall

The track in the sand

Snake tracks appear in damp soil in narrow lanes and around details of old foundations.

Concrete blocks stacked against an exterior wall

Block and rubble piles

Piles of block and stone from maintenance work provide temporary shelter for snakes and rodents.

A closed metal gate with a visible gap beneath it

The gap under the gate

Small gaps between stones in old foundations provide fine passages for snakes.

A burrow opening in dry soil beside a garden

Rodent burrows

Rodent burrows are found in every damp spot beneath foundations and in narrow lanes.

A drip irrigation line leaking onto garden soil

A leaking irrigation line

Leaking old drainage lines and constant water seepage provide ongoing moisture that attracts insects and earthworms.

How we work

1
Inspect and locate

We work the perimeter, the garden and the service rooms with a torch and a mirror, reading the tracks, the skins and the burrows to establish whether it is still on site and where it came in.
2
Safe removal

It comes out on a hook and tongs into a closed container and is released away from buildings where that is possible, with no chasing it around a room.
3
Close the routes, take away the shelter

A strip under the gate, sleeves around pipe entries, tight covers on the floor drains, and the blocks and palm fronds moved off the wall line.
4
Cut the food, then come back

We treat the rodents and the geckos on the perimeter, then return once that activity has settled to check the sealed points and look for any fresh track.

What snake control includes

A recorded site inspection

Perimeter, garden, service rooms and pipe entries, with tracks and skins recorded before anything is applied.
Drains and entries closed

Tight covers on floor drains, sleeves around waste and air conditioning pipe runs, and the weep holes in the boundary wall closed.
Rodent work around the building

Closed bait stations on the rodent runs, because cutting the prey is what makes the site stop suiting them.
Perimeter treatment down the food chain

Insects on lit walls hold the geckos, and geckos feed some species, so we treat the chain from the bottom up.
A perimeter housekeeping list

What to move off the wall line, how low to cut the ground cover, where the lighting sits, and what to do if you see another one.
A scheduled follow-up

A set date to check the sealed points, the rodent stations and any new track in the sand.

What is different about Al Utaybiyah Sub-Municipality

Al Utaybiyah sub municipality covers the old districts north of the Grand Mosque: the hillside quarters of Al Hajun, Al Utaybiyah and Al Bayban, Al Zahir and Al Shuhada at the northern entrance, and the newer Al Zahra, Al Diyafah and An Nuzhah westward. Its building stock is among the oldest in Makkah, stone houses on the hills, packed apartment blocks and sewers decades old, threaded with crowded markets like the Utaybiyah souq and furnished flats that fill in the pilgrim seasons. Wadi Al Zahir and Wadi Al Tanim carry storm water through it, and industrial workshops line Hajj Street.

Questions about this district

Are old stone houses more exposed than modern ones?

Yes. Stone houses were built with deep foundations and wide cavities beneath them. The stone walls themselves have small cracks that provide pathways for snakes.

Are old drainage networks really dangerous?

Very much so. Drainage networks are sixty years old and older and leak everywhere. Snakes enter from the street into beneath the house through broken sewers easily.

Do narrow lanes provide protection for snakes?

Narrow lanes remain shaded and constantly damp, which aids snake and rodent movement. Snakes move easily from house to house through the tight lanes.

Are the adjacent wadis Wadi Al Zahir and Wadi Al Tanim sources?

Yes. The wadis provide natural habitat for snakes and rodents. Seasonal migration from wadis into the city comes through the district.

Does Qasr Kuwair affect nearby snake activity?

The palace itself is old and a historic monument undergoing maintenance and with visitor activity. Tourist and pilgrim curiosity may indirectly affect snake movement.

Does closing empty homes reduce snake problems?

Closing homes may reduce direct entry, but snakes come from below ground via drainage and foundations. Empty homes may be more exposed because rats settle in them.

How much does snake control in Al Bayban 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 Al Bayban.