Weird topic, I know. My dad and I were talking about the 5'+ gopher snake in our pool equipment area and I remembered aliigator lizards (or whatever they are called)

We used to catch them in the hills in the Bay Area and keep them as pets in a terrarium. I used to buy crickets and meal worms to feed them.

One time I saw a king snake and an alligator lizard in a life and death struggle.  This was at Fremont Older OSP. The snake had the lizard constricted but the lizard had its jaw over the snake's head. After about two minutes or so, the snake loosened up and the lizard opened his jaw.

They took off in different directions. Cool to watch, though. They knew that there was no winner.

CSB

While south of the bay area by quite a ways, Alligator lizards and Blue Bellies are still very common.  I'd like have more, but my male cat loves to hunt.  On the plus side, he is a meat hunter and eats what he kills.  Since we back up to a canyon, the neighbors love the way he controls field mice and such.

There is never a complaint when he is roaming around someone's property, as they know he's doing them a favor.

In the SoCal we have a whole lot of blue bellies but not so many Alligator lizards.

This year I'm seeing a bunch of baby blue bellies all over the place

I caught one in my back yard the other day. I used the grabber thing cause I don't like getting bit. I kept it long enough to show my grandson then let it go.
Them'r some aggressive lizards!

I caught a 21 inch one when i was younger.  For the last few years ive had up to 6 at a time hang out on my front porch.  They eat the june bugs that the lights attract.  You can hand feed them if you catch bugs.

It's not such a weird topic to me.  Here's why.

This year we have had two unusual populations appear.  It is not that they are new species in this area so much as there appears to have been a population explosion, and I do mean explosion.

Coast Range fence lizard (sceloporus occidentalis bocourtii) is and has always been indigenous to this area.  This year, they are everywhere outdoors, all the time.  I see babies and adults and everything in between (~1" to >6").  When you have one or two or see your first baby lizard, they are "cute".  When you have a hundred, they become a nuisance and I wonder what health hazards they pose.

House fly populations have also exploded this year in unprecedented numbers.  I have no idea what caused this but they are also everywhere, all the time.  Any time you open a door, you risk having them invade the indoors.  This has gotten so bad, I have set out traps for the.  In less than a week, the traps are so full, I'm thinking I need to replace them.  

By the way, fly traps work but disposal is another matter altogether.  They are gross and smelly!


Any ideas on how to eliminate the lizards?  How do you kill lizards, poison bait?  Why so many flies?

I remember one time when I put a lizard on my shoulder. The little bastage clamped his jaw onto my neck.

I never did that again.

That's what you get for smelling like a fly.

I used to catch them out at the Chevron Rod and Gun club as a kid when my Dad would have his Refinery softball games.

Kind of related: I saw an egret eating, what looked like a rat or ground squirrel, while I was cruising around the foothills in South San Jose yesterday.