Snake control in Al Rawdah, 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 Al Rawdah

Seasonal housing means the flats empty and refill every few weeks, and with each turnover comes cleaning, refurbishment and opened windows, yet the snake infrastructure in the building frame stays the same. The method is set out in full on the full Snake control page.

The first reason

Hotels and seasonal housing that constantly empty and fill

Hotels and seasonal homes fill and empty with the Hajj, Umrah and Ramadan cycles, and with each turnover the building opens for cleaning and renovation. Snakes take advantage of open doors and windows during the reset and preparation period.

The second reason

Layers of old pipe beneath the new development

Al Rawdah has been rebuilt many times, and old pipes are left in place beneath the ground rather than removed. Layers of broken and decayed old pipes form a complex network beneath and between the buildings that snakes navigate easily.

The third reason

Proximity to the Grand Mosque and constant foot traffic

The site is minutes from the mosque entrance, so hundreds of pilgrims pass through daily and buildings stand open most of the time. Constant movement and open doors make it trivially easy for any animal to enter.

Al Rawdah on the map

Al Rawdah sits about 1 km from Al Maabdah and about 1.5 km from Al Jumayzah.

Open in Google Maps

Before treatment

What the site tells us before we start

The location is moments from the Grand Mosque entrance and the holy sites, so pilgrims pass through the area constantly and hotels operate throughout the year. The steady foot traffic and the large food preparation areas make this a magnet for rodents and insects.

A shed skin

Shed snake skin beneath furniture and beds signals regular night movement, and the low space beneath low beds provides safe shelter.

A winding trail across fine sand beside a wall

The track in the sand

Crawl trails on floor surfaces, carpets and dust in bathrooms and kitchens reveal the route from entry to the deepest part of the flat.

Concrete blocks stacked against an exterior wall

Block and rubble piles

Piles of furniture, curtains and coverings from the seasonal changeovers provide long term shelter for snakes and rodents.

A closed metal gate with a visible gap beneath it

The gap under the gate

Large gaps beneath exit doors and windows with old frames allow snakes to enter even when doors are closed at night.

A burrow opening in dry soil beside a garden

Rodent burrows

Rodent burrows in the gaps between pipes beneath the floor slab provide direct food source and reason for a snake to stay within the flat.

A drip irrigation line leaking onto garden soil

A leaking irrigation line

Water leaks from old pipes beneath the floor maintain persistent dampness that attracts insects and small frogs constantly.

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 Maabdah Sub-Municipality

Al Maabdah sub municipality climbs from Al Abtah and Al Jumayzah beside the Al Mualla cemetery up through Al Khansa and Rai Adhakhir to Al Adl, Jabal Al Nour, Wadi Jaleel and Qurtubah on the outer ring roads. It mixes hotels and pilgrim housing near the Grand Mosque with old popular houses on hillside passes, new housing schemes on valley floors that carry flash floods after rain, and industrial plots, workshops and warehouses along Al Hajj Street in Qurtubah. Street widening and expropriation leave partly demolished frontages in Al Khansa.

Questions about this district

The housing here is seasonal and flats turn over every two months. How do you track snakes through all this constant change?

We focus on sealing the fixed entry points in the building frame itself, not the furniture or contents that change. Sealing pipes and structural gaps ensures protection even when occupants turn over.

The hotel next door opens windows and doors for air after guests leave. Does snake risk spike during cleaning season?

Yes, the adjacent hotel is a source of rodents and insects, and the opening and cleaning of the hotel may disturb a snake and send it looking for shelter elsewhere, such as in your flat.

The flat floor has complex pipes beneath it. How do you find exactly where snakes enter?

We inspect under the floor slabs and beneath bathrooms and kitchens for cracks and holes. Shed snake skin leads us to the routes, and we follow the trail back to the source opening.

New hotel construction next to the old flat. Does excavation disturb snakes and drive them into our house?

Construction disturbs snakes and may drive them outward, but if your flat stands open with food inside they enter. If you seal the openings they may stay in the older building near the hotel site.

The Al Faisaliyah tunnel beneath the flat is very close. Does the damp tunnel shelter snakes more than your house?

The tunnel is damp but carries constant traffic and noise from cars, and snakes prefer quiet. But if there is a passage from the tunnel into your flat, they may enter it for food.

Does leaked water from the hotel's pipes next door create damp conditions that attract snakes?

Yes, dampness attracts insects, frogs and rodents, and where the food is, the snake follows. Leaking water is a problem because it creates an attractive damp environment that persists.

How much does snake control in Al Rawdah 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 Rawdah.