If you feel like there are more iguanas than people in your neighborhood, you may not be too far from the truth. The iguana population has exploded in recent years mostly because there are no natural predators that can help reduce their number.
Iguanas thrive in the heat and humidity that are typical of the area and have enjoyed great quantities of vegetation in the state.
They alone are responsible for a decrease in the amount of hibiscus and orchids that used to grow so bountifully.
This has also led to a decline in the population of many species of butterflies. If you are ready to recover your privacy, your best course of action is to call an iguana removal company that can take proactive measures to help you solve the problem.
Make Your Yard Less Attractive
It is hard for a homeowner to imagine letting their yard go to seed, but that is not the point here. It just needs to be less attractive to iguanas.
If you know that they like dense shrubbery and overgrown plants or trees with many leaves, make sure that your yard is always trimmed neatly.
Don’t offer them hideaways; remember that they may also like to hide under wood, rocks, and any other debris they may find lying around.
Iguanas also like to hide in canoes or kayaks which offer them protective coverings, making them feel safe. Hide those and any other sporting equipment in your garage until the iguanas are gone.
As far as what they like to eat, it must be sad seeing them going through all your avocados, mangos, or berries after waiting months for them to grow.Besides leafy greens, they also enjoy squashes, melons, and Washington fan palms.
If you have a way of moving your favorite fruit trees and flowers to a greenhouse or an enclosed area, do so. Otherwise, you may have to get rid of them and plant greenery that the iguanas will not find to their liking.
If you are too attached to your avocados and mangos and cannot see a way to get rid of them, place wire netting or any other type of protective barrier that will not allow iguanas to reach your delicious crops.
Keep in mind that iguanas love to dig, so stick the wire netting well into the ground to make it impossible for them to get to the other side.
Always pick any fruit that has fallen to the ground as soon as you can and wrap aluminum foil around the trunks of fruit trees to discourage iguanas from climbing.
If you have any pets, remember that iguanas will gladly eat any food you leave out for your dog or cat. Keep all food inside your house.
If you have large garbage cans in your yard, iguanas will gladly scavenge through them to find stuff to eat.
Make sure to use garbage cans that you can seal tightly or place heavy objects on top of them to eliminate the possibility of having iguanas going through your trash.
Think twice before using heavy objects that could tip over easily if you have kids that could get injured if that happens.
In short, remember that iguanas are always looking for food. If they cannot find any on your property, they will have to look for it somewhere else.
Try Other Creative Tricks
The main reason why iguanas are on your property is that they can find plenty of food and hiding places there.
Yet, if, despite your best efforts to make sure there is no food around for them, you are still dealing with iguanas, there are some other tricks you may want to try. Here are some of them:
Homemade Spicy Pepper Spray
If there is something that iguanas do not like is the scent of hot peppers. To make your homemade pepper spray, start by adding two tablespoons of pepper sauce, such as Tabasco, to a spray bottle and filling it with water.
Shake the bottle to mix it thoroughly and spray anywhere you have seen iguanas enjoying their lunch.
Be careful when using this for two reasons:
- Pepper spray can be an eye irritant, so keep it away from the eyes.
- It can also be damaging to bees, so make sure to point it downwards and apply it only to non-flowering plants, always looking out for bees so as not to spray it on them.
Citrus and Lemongrass
If there is another thing that iguanas do not like, it is citrus and the smell of lemongrass.
A simple border of lemongrass around your yard will keep iguanas away and if you like growing your fruit, switch from mangoes to oranges or grapefruit since you run no risk of having iguanas eating those fruits before you do.
As for the lemongrass, it will fill your yard with a nice, clean scent.
Crushed Eggshells
The purpose of this trick is to have iguanas believe that the pieces of eggshell thrown around your yard belong to large predatory birds.
This may scare them enough to inspire them to move away. Get some eggshells and sprinkle them around your yard in large enough quantities to be noticeable by iguanas.
The more proactive you are when it comes to dealing with the iguana population in your yard, the more chances you will have of achieving success.
Try to implement as many of the ideas suggested above as possible since a multi-pronged approach should yield much better results.
Remember that iguanas can not only do away with the vegetation and landscaping in your yard but their feces are also known to transmit salmonella.
The places they select to burrow may affect your pipes and even your roof. If your home is located by a canal, they can burrow at its edge and cause entire sections of the canal to fall apart.