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

Snake control in Al Utaybiyah Makkah

Al Utaybiyah is an old, crowded quarter on hillsides north of the Grand Mosque with ageing houses and a sewer network over forty years old. It is known for the popular Al Utaybiyah market on Hajun Street with shops selling clothing, household goods and pilgrim supplies, busy year-round and especially during Ramadan and Hajj. Snakes here may come from the market itself or from rats hiding in voids beneath the old hillside houses.

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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 Utaybiyah

Snakes in Al Utaybiyah typically hide beneath houses or inside the market rather than appearing openly in the street. The method is set out in full on Snake control in detail.

The first reason

Al Utaybiyah popular market and adjacent shops

The market provides abundant food for rats due to daily waste and discarded scraps. Many adjacent shops offer both shelter and food for rats. Snakes may hide between shelves and boxes during the day and move at night.

The second reason

Old houses, antiquated drainage and underground voids

Houses on hillsides have weak foundations and a drainage network over forty years old. Underground voids and ancient pipes provide safe passages for snakes. A snake may remain in these voids for days without being seen.

The third reason

Hill slopes, elevated terrain and high population density

The quarter on a hillside provides natural passages for snakes to move downward hunting for rats. High population density provides many neighbouring houses that may harbour rats.

The character of Al Utaybiyah

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

An old crowded quarter means a snake may be in your house and your neighbour's at the same time, moving through connected voids. The antiquated network and active market make the problem persistent.

Before treatment

What the site tells us before we start

The old dense quarter on hillsides with a sewer network decades old and an active popular market provides an ideal environment for rats, and therefore attracts snakes continuously.

A shed skin

A shed skin is left in tight underground voids and dark corners of houses and the market.

A winding trail across fine sand beside a wall

The track in the sand

Tracks are clear on ground beneath houses and in gaps between shelves within the market.

Concrete blocks stacked against an exterior wall

Block and rubble piles

Block and rubble lie in the market and tight corners between houses on the hillside.

A closed metal gate with a visible gap beneath it

The gap under the gate

The gap beneath old doors and low windows allows snakes to enter from the market and street.

A burrow opening in dry soil beside a garden

Rodent burrows

Rodent burrows exist beneath raised floors, in underground voids and in adjacent shops.

A drip irrigation line leaking onto garden soil

A leaking irrigation line

Seepage from ancient pipes provides continuous moisture in underground voids beneath houses.

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.

Landmarks of Al Utaybiyah

Al Utaybiyah stretches along Hajun Street where the popular Al Utaybiyah market sits and Madinah Road rises away, and the search for snakes starts at the front shops facing the market and ends with treating the elevated houses on the hillside and the voids beneath them.

Al Utaybiyah Market
Hajun Street
Hajj Street
Madinah Road
Revival of Islamic Heritage Library

Questions about this district

Is the market the main source of snakes or do the old surrounding houses provide natural habitat?

Both do. The market provides abundant rat food, and old houses provide shelter and voids. Snakes may be present in both simultaneously.

Does the sewer network over forty years old need repair to stop snakes entering?

Repair is important to prevent seepage that attracts rats, but snakes may remain in voids even after repair. Sealing individual houses may be more practical than repairing the entire network.

Are snakes in the market more aggressive than those in houses because they guard food?

They may be more cautious due to constant movement and noise, but not necessarily more aggressive. Snakes usually avoid humans if they can.

During Hajj and Umrah seasons when the market is crowded, do snakes increase?

Rats may increase due to additional waste, and snakes may follow. But crowding and movement may make snakes less visible to the public.

Can a snake stay hidden in a single house for weeks without being seen?

Yes, absolutely. Underground voids and old walls provide safe shelter. A snake may hide constantly and only be noticed by accident when you search the voids.

After removing the snake and sealing gaps in the house, will it return from the neighbouring market?

Very likely. The market provides a continuing source of snakes. Effective sealing requires cooperation with your neighbours and focus on multiple entry points around the house.

How much does snake control in Al Utaybiyah 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 Utaybiyah.