Prevention Tips to Avoid Scorpions From Entering Your Home

Scorpion stings in the USA rarely cause death in adults, but they’re extremely painful and can be fatal for children. Repeated stings may also cause allergic reactions with unpleasant symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and difficulty breathing.

The bark scorpion, prevalent in the deserts of the Southwest, is America’s most venomous species, but all scorpions are unsightly and unwelcome visitors in your home.

Keep reading for our best tips on how to get rid of scorpions and keep them away from your children.

Why Do Scorpions Come Inside?

Understanding scorpion behavior is the first step toward understanding how to get rid of scorpions permanently.

Despite their frightening appearance and intimidating stinger, scorpions are non-aggressive creatures. They have no interest in humans and will only sting if you disturb them.

When they enter your home or garage, they usually do so in search of food, somewhere to shelter from inclement weather, or a warm place to sleep.

Scorpions are nocturnal, so you’re unlikely to encounter them unless you stumble upon one of their hiding places, or accidentally step on one at night.

Their usual diet consists of insects, spiders, centipedes, and other scorpions. Larger scorpions may prey on small lizards, mice, and snakes.

Despite their potential usefulness as a form of natural pest control, there’s a good chance you still don’t want them anywhere near your house.

How to Get Rid of Scorpions Naturally

Most scorpion pest control companies can advise you on environmentally friendly ways to deal with these arthropods. However, there are a few things you can do to take care of them yourself:

These include:

Removing The Scorpion

Physically removing the scorpion from your home and placing it in a more suitable area is the most humane way to get rid of a scorpion. Working carefully, you could scoop it into a container and place it outside in its natural environment. 

Be sure to wear protective clothing like a long-sleeved shirt and gloves when you attempt this method. You can use a long pair of tongs to guide them into the container.

Never try to squish or swat a scorpion. There’s a great risk of getting stung in the process. 

If you’re too afraid to remove the creature yourself, call a pest control professional for help. 

Eliminate Standing Water

All animals need water to survive, and desert creatures like the bark scorpion might risk entering your home to get at it.

So, get rid of any puddles of standing water near your home or in your garage. You’ll reduce your mosquito population at the same time.

Seal the Gaps

Cracks and crevices in your door and window frames provide access to all kinds of creatures. They also make your home drafty and cold.

When you seal these entry points, you’ll prevent all kinds of creepy crawlies from coming inside including ants, cockroaches, spiders, and scorpions.

Inspect Dark Spaces

If you discover scorpions’ hiding places during the day when you can see them, you reduce the risk of stepping on them at night.

Go through your closets, cabinets, and other dark places regularly to check for scorpions. Keeping these areas tidy and clean will eliminate places for scorpions to shelter out of sight.

Tidy Your Yard

Scorpions like to rest up in warm, dry, and dark places, like woodpiles. So, don’t store your firewood up against your house. Rather, keep it at least 30 feet away.

You should also clear away any debris and brush piles from your home’s perimeter. Always clear up after completing your gardening chores and get any refuse removed quickly.

Keep Insects Away From Your Home

Scorpions can’t remain inside your home without a food source. By keeping your home pest-free, you make it less attractive to these creatures.

For instance, turning your outdoor lights off at night makes your home less attractive to crickets and other favorite scorpion snacks.

How to Prevent Scorpions From Entering Your Home

If you prefer a more aggressive approach to scorpion prevention, you can try some of the tactics used by pest control companies.

These include:

Spraying for Pests

Hire a pest control company to spray your home’s foundations with insecticide. This will kill the pests that scorpions like to eat, leaving them with no reason to visit your house.

If you prefer the cost-savings of a DIY application, you can try products like Pest Remedy, Harris Scorpion Killer, or Terro®.

Check for Scorpions at Night

It’s difficult to find scorpions during the day when they lie up in out-of-the-way places, but you can track them down at night when they’re more active.

Of course, it’s more difficult to spot these small, fast-moving arthropods after hours unless you have a UV black light. Scorpions glow an eerie blue-green color when you shine one of these lamps on them, making it easy to find them.

You can look for scorpions under large rocks, decorative pillars, and windowsills. You should also check inside cracks, rain gutters, and your shoe closet.

Traps and Insecticides

For a quick fix, you can spray scorpion insecticide directly onto the scorpion to kill it. Alternatively, set sticky traps in areas where pests congregate.

If you don’t catch any scorpions this way, at least you’ll reduce their food source.

Keep Your Home in the Best Shape

Both large and small pests can wreak havoc in your household and pose significant health risks.

Use these tips to get rid of scorpions, and you can rest easy knowing your kids and pets are safe from harm. Would you like to explore some more tips to make your home a better place?

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