Is the gecko a beneficial insect or a pest? Explained clearly in one article

The gecko is a type of lizard, also known as shougong, four-legged snake, babihu, and so on. It is distributed across southwestern China and the regions south of the Yangtze River basin, and can adapt to habitats ranging from deserts to jungles. Many species often venture into people's homes, feeding mostly on insects, with an average lifespan of about 5 to 10 years. Let's take a look below at whether the gecko is a beneficial insect or a pest!

Is the gecko a beneficial insect or a pest?

The gecko is a beneficial and harmless animal. It hides by day and comes out at night, resting during the day in hidden spots such as wall cracks, under eaves, and behind cupboards, then emerging at night to move about. On summer and autumn evenings it often appears on walls, under eaves, or on utility poles illuminated by light. Its diet is very mixed, usually consisting mainly of small live insects, and it chiefly preys on mosquitoes, flies, locusts, cockroaches, ground beetles, dragonflies, moths, crickets, spiders, and other insects and their larvae.

Why is the gecko one of the Five Poisons?

Although the gecko is one of the Five Poisons, it is not actually toxic itself, and there has long been a misunderstanding about this. Since ancient times, folk legend has held that gecko urine is extremely toxic: it blinds the eyes, deafens the ears, and causes ulceration if dripped onto a person's body, and anyone who eats food a gecko has crawled over will die of poisoning. It was even said that "the shougong is extremely lewd and fond of water; whenever it encounters water it mates, and its essence is highly toxic, turning into pus and water in anyone who eats it." For this reason, in ancient times it was listed as one of the "Five Poisons" (scorpion, snake, centipede, gecko, toad). But in fact, apart from a few species that are venomous, most geckos are not toxic.

What kinds of geckos are there?

1. Japanese gecko: The Japanese gecko, also known as the four-legged snake, often inhabits forests, deserts, grasslands, and residential areas, and has been included in the "List of Terrestrial Wild Animals under State Protection That Are Beneficial or of Important Economic or Scientific Research Value."

2. Tokay gecko: The tokay gecko is the largest kind of gecko. It mostly inhabits crevices in overhanging cliffs and rock walls, and a few also live in tree holes. In China it is distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Henan, Hong Kong, China, Fujian, Yunnan, and other places.

3. Web-footed gecko: The web-footed gecko is a species endemic to China. It is not only a predator of agricultural and forestry pests, but also a traditional Chinese medicinal material, with effects such as tonifying the lungs and kidneys and relieving cough. It often inhabits gaps in buildings, rock crevices, under stones, and on trees.

4. Fringed gecko: The fringed gecko is distributed in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and other places, and has been included in the "List of Terrestrial Wild Animals under State Protection That Are Beneficial or of Important Economic or Scientific Research Value."