The Eggshell Hack That's Said To Keep Lizards Out Of The Garden (But Does It Work?)

Having a few lizards around can be a good thing when growing a healthy garden. This is because they can help to eliminate other garden pests such as beetles, slugs, snails, and many small insects and larvae — they'll help get rid of various pests that would otherwise eat the plants and veggies you're growing. Despite this, there can be too much of a good thing. If the numbers of lizards in your yard grows too strong, it can be problematic. These reptiles may eat some of your plants as well, and you'll begin to notice if there are too many of them. 

If you're looking for ways to get rid of lizards in your yard, one solution that you may come across is sprinkling eggshells around the garden. The claim is that eggshells will deter lizards due to their putrid smell. Unfortunately, this is a myth that is completely anecdotal, and it's unlikely to work well. In fact, they may serve as a great meal for them, having the opposite effect, and attracting them instead. 

On top of this, eggshells may serve as a meal for other pests as well, so they could attract some of the other common pests that can cause problems in the garden. For example, eggshells may contain food residue that attracts roaches to your home and yard. Instead of relying on this lizard-repelling hack that's based in myth, there are other things you should consider trying instead.

To repel lizards from your garden, ensure conditions aren't ideal for them. Avoid keeping any standing water around, and remove all food sources if possible. Bird seed, food in pet bowls, and similar sources of a quick meal can attract them to the yard. Additionally, taking steps to reduce insects in the area can help deter lizards as well since insects serve as a major food source for them. You should avoid keeping lights on in the area at night as this can also attract them. Materials that create hiding spots, like compost piles and debris, can also encourage little reptiles to come around.

Once lizards are present in your garden, you may want to try to eliminate them with some non-harmful tricks. While eggshells are unlikely to do much good, you can use hot sauce to get rid of them instead. Consider making a pepper spray by mixing cayenne pepper or hot sauce with warm water in a spray bottle. The smell of pepper is unattractive to lizards, so they'll stay away from it if possible. You can also use similar ingredients such as onion and garlic to repel lizards from the area as well. You can place slices of these in the garden or make a spray by combining them with water in a spray bottle. You can spray this solution anywhere you need to repel these small reptiles.