Are Asian lizards eating our native bees?

Posted by on Tuesday, February 5, 2013 · 2 Comments 

Ghecco – feral Asian lizard in Sydney home

Here’s a couple of notes I’ve received from a Queensland resident who says little feral Asian lizards are eating her native stingless bees:

“Hi Michael. I have found droppings (which are a distinctive black, with a white dot on the end.Somewhat like an explanation mark!!) around the entrance and on the bee platform. We have them everywhere here in Qld. They can take over your house if they are not controlled, so they are a real pest. They are also destroying our native Gheccos. I will try to get a photo of one and send to you. The mesh wire may work as there was no evidence (droppings) near the hives this morning.
Thank you for your reply.
Marjory”

Mesh over hive to exclude Gheccos

And then Marjory sent me the photo above with this note:

“Hi Michael. Here are two pics of those pesky little lizards. This one I found in the house.

They grow to about 3-4 inches long. Nice to look at but a real pest and they leave little
deposits everywhere and now, possibly, have a taste for native bees. They are everywhere outside.
They did come in from Asia I believe and are wiping our native Gheccos out. We used to see a lot of the
local ones but very rare to see one now. These ones are called Barking Gheccos. They do make a noise like a bark.
Regards.
Marjory
P.S Pics are a bit blurry. Had to zoom in to get the photo.”

 

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Comments
2 Responses to “Are Asian lizards eating our native bees?”
  1. Marjory Williams says:
    5 Feb 2013 at 16:33

    Thank you Michael for putting this on your blog. Maybe others out there have had a problem with these lizards. Do hope they are not destroying too many of our native bees. They do disappear in the winter months so my bees can breath a little easier for a while!!
    Marjory.

  2. Marjory Williams says:
    5 Feb 2013 at 16:29

    Not too sure of the right spelling for these little fellows. Have seen it spelt Gecko.
    Marjory.

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  • Michael Mobbs

    Michael is a former Environmental Lawyer who is uniquely placed to consult in four main areas:

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