scorpions

Hire an exterminating company to come in. We moved into a new build 2 years ago and we are at the base of a mountain with desert all around, so we expected it. We have found probably 5 in the house within the 1st year, the rest have been found dead in the garage. Within the last year we have seen none in the house. Our company (Sonray) puts down a powder substance alon all of the door ways to the house, the garage entrance and it really works! We are finding less and less dead in the garage, but none are making it into the house. It's very scary. I also recommend you purchase a good black light- go online, the ones they sell at the home stores are not that great. When we were really concerned, we just searched the bedrooms before we went to sleep, we looked in the beds, under the beds, closets, all along the floor. We never found one, but if we had, we could have killed, knowing our babies were sleeping safely. I hear they like to hide in bedding, so definitely check the sheets before getting in. Good luck!

If anyone is stung, they say to just wait it out at the house, but some people do have an allergic reaction and can stop breathing, so just go straight to the hospital...no need to take the risk!!!

JenM

.That is very scary. I really do not have any advice for you as I am scared to death of these things we have our house sprayed by a company and in the 7 years we have lived here we have only seen 1. We live past Casa Grande and not really in a huge neighbor hood. I wish you the best of luck if you do find something that works can you please share.
           

God Bless
Candy

I have heard there is really no way to get rid of them, but you can try. My son was stung at his father's house in Tempe, he was 2 but turned 3 the day he got out of the hospital. He was in ICU for 3 days, there was no anti venom, it just had to run it's course. When I walked into the ER, that was not my child. He was thrashing around, growling, foaming at the mouth, and his eyes were rolling in the back of his head. He had to be put in ICU because he was having a hard time breathing and they wanted to make sure they would be ready to intubate (sp?). They put him on 2 different narcotics, and when they wore off, boy you could tell, he pulled the IV out and blood went everywhere. Worst 3 days of my life!
The scorpions have been here longer than we have, I don't think they're going anywhere anytime soon. If someone else out there knows of a sure fire way to get rid of them I would love to hear it.
If you want to be able to see them really well at night, buy a black light at a hardware store, shine it in the back yard or wherever, and they will glow. We found 10 in the backyard at my son's fathers house.

The best thing I can tell you about scorpions is to make sure everything is kept off of the floor, shake your shoes upside down before you put them on, and hire an exterminator. Kick over any rocks do not use your hands. Some places in arizona are on things called Scorpion belts http://phoenix.about.com/library/blscorpionmap.htm. It happens. Also does your house back a canal, an empty lot, close to the desert, or a desert park or anything like that. If so then that's where they hang out. Scorpions are also attracted to food, and like to hang around lights were food is attracted too. So if you have crickets, or any other types of small insects those are their food. Re-caulk your doors and windows, and make sure that there isn't any gaps underneath your doors.

That would drive me crazy so I'm so sorry. I hope you can minimize them. Good luck to you.

Lisa - Mom to her spunky little Scarlette

The homeowners who lived in the house we bought said they would see 5-6 scorpions a year. After seeing one, my husband and i had our house sealed and we pay for monthly extermination. The sealing of our house was so worth the money! So is the monthly pest control. They spray outside every month and in the house only twice a year and dust the attic once a year.

Here is the site to the company we use. Gene and his son Matt are great!!

http://www.knockmoutpestcontrol.com/index.html

We have been in our home almost three years and after seeing the one, we haven't seen anymore. We also have a cat who starts meowing really loud if she sees any bugs - like if a moth gets in.

The recipe for perpetual ignorance is: be satisfied with your opinions and content with your knowledge.
~ Elbert Hubbard (1856 - 1915)

We had scorpions growing up - no fun. Don't know about laundry but be sure to shake out your shoes before you put them on - that's how my Dad got stung years ago.

Susie is a discussion leader in the east valley for arizonamoms.com. She has two sons, ages 7 and 3.

UGH! My heart is racing just reading these posts. My parents have lived in AZ for the past 17 yrs and I have lived here for the past 2 yrs and I am happy to report that none of us through those years have seen a scorpion! I think if/when I might just get in the car and drive away, never to return...ok, drama queen, but I definitely would call a pest control company immediately. My mom's house backs to some vacant land, and she has the exterminator come monthly and hardly ever sees ANY bugs, let alone scorpions. I think it's worth every penny! YUCK!

I have been stung 2 or 3 times. Posion Control is who I called and was told to take something like Advil for the pain. Yes, you want to get rid of their food, like crickets. The fact you have a cat is great. Cats can help you get rid of them. For some reason cats do not have the same reaction as other animals - like dogs. They usually get stung in the mussel and then it swells. We had to give our dog sudafed to help it.

Putting your crib legs in glass jars is suppose to help keep them from climbing up. I kept my kids' crib away from the walls too as the little buggers like to crawl. I would also suggest you get your attic dusted with something like diatanashust diatinasious not sure how it is spelt - that was 2 attempts. It is a sand, powder like substance that can be used in pool filters. Apparently they crawl thru it and it irrates them to death.

I would shake the clothes btw - they like heat so the dryer might be nice for them. I have not seen any in my house for a while, but we do see them outside. A black light makes them glow and my husband will go out and hunt them. He will burn them with a torch if they are hiding in the block wall or stab them with a screw driver if possible.

Good luck - I hope this helps.

KarilouMomof2 is a discussion leader for arizonamoms.com living in Tempe. Her daughters are 9 and 6.

We found our first scorpion just days after we moved to this house (it was summer - prime scorpion season). I was terrified. People all over the east valley probably heard my screams. To kill it, we used a 2x4 and a hammer. I'm not really sure why we (DH and I) thought we needed such heavy equipment to kill it, but it did fulfill a need that I had to not just kill it, but to completely obliterate it.

Oh, I know there are a lot of good-hearted people who capture them and release them out in the desert. I'm glad they do, and I know scorpions have their place in our ecosystem. But I really am happier smushing them with a shoe.

Hire a good exterminator to treat the outside of the house. If you can, have the house sealed so that any cracks and openings are closed off. It's expensive, but it makes a difference. These measures have really made a difference.

I have heard that scorpions are "territorial", in that, if they're there, they're there, if they're not, they're not. A friend of mine went door to door asking the neighbors who had already moved in to a new subdivision if they had seen any scorpions. They all admitted to seeing a few - not many, but a few. She backed out of the house immediately. I'm afraid to jinx myself (even though I don't believe in that sort of thing), but we've never seen one either in the 6.5 yrs in this house, not the 3 yrs in the previous house, not the 3 yrs in our first house. All of the new construction surrounding us has mostly been completed. We held our breath when the new Lowe's went in across the street, but so far, so good.

"Only a life lived for others, is the life worthwhile" - Albert Einstein

We had 20 scorpions in one year in our rented house. We just moved out. Here's what I have learned.

The white powder is useless unless a scorpion walks through it. It can also be potentially dangerous to children and animals.

A cat is a great help, especially if they go after the scorpion. For some reason, they are immune.

We put the white box sticky traps in the garage and in the bathroom. If our children were to touch them, there is no chemicals. We bought ours at Wal-Mart next to the bug sprays. A pack of 4 white box traps was under $3.00.

The Scorpion Hunter flashlight is sold at Ace Hardware. You can buy the $20 or the $40 flashlight. I recommend the $40 flashlight. The scorpions glow like crazy.

Brake cleaner is the best invention. It kills the scorpion on the spot. It will not run or get away. The brake cleaner cannot be used on carpet.

A home seal is your best option. It will seal all of the cracks that are in the foundation of the house.

Scorpions can climb anything except glass. We bought mason jars to put on the legs of our children's beds. Pull the kid's beds away from the wall, as the scorpions can climb. Do not put a bed skirt on your bed or have any fabric draping down, it gives them a way to climb.

I put all of my children's toys in plastic bins that had lids. Every night all of the toys would go away to reduce the incidence of being stung.

My husband and I were both stung. They can be anywhere. I hated having them. My husband went to the ER but was okay. The doctors at the ER said that if our little children were stung, immediately take them to Chandler Regional Hospital, as they have the anti-venom. Mostly the problem is with the children creating extra saliva and possibly choking. Thankfully it did not happen to our kids.

If you purchased your house, you need to contact your realtor. If the scorpions were not disclosed, you can get the seller of the house to pay for the home seal, etc. My real estate agent told me this.

I use Blue Sky Pest Control and they do an excellent job at keeping the scorpions out. This was my third pest control company when the others did not work. They also help to reduce the amount of food that is available for them.

Scorpions can go without food or water for one year. A local news station, I believe channel 15, did a report a little while ago stating that scorpions can hold their breath for three weeks. Water will not kill them.

Be diligent and go outside everynight with your Scorpion Hunter black light and your brake cleaner to eliminate them, especially before they create babies.

arizona_mom is a stay-at-home mother of two boys, a kindergartener and a two year old. Just sharing my two cents worth. www.mops.org

I lived in San Antonio where they were very bad, everyone there said there is not much you can do, they are a VERY tough creature to kill. Bug companies there won't even guarantee against them for resprays like they do other bugs!

Simple things I've heard is do not use dust ruffles on your bed, they can crawl up them, I've heard their favorite thing is to hang out in clothes baskets, heard that many times. Teach your kids to tap their shoes upside down before putting them on, they like to hide in toes of shoes.

Single mom in Mesa to two great kids (8 & 10) and two great adults (18 & 20)

Scorpions are so hard to get rid of. My parents house always has a few every year, so we learned early to shake out our shoes and pants. I also pull back the covers run my hands over my sheets before I climb into bed.
The best way to get rid of them is to get rid of their food. Crickets, roaches and any other insect. Have your house sprayed. Even if you still see scorpions, make sure you kill all the other bugs, they'll eventually move on. Don't leave food out. They won't eat it, but it will attract their food.
And never leave a dishrag or sponge in your kitchen sink overnight. They love drains and moisture. We have found so many in the sink - they love to hide, and dishrags provide a good spot for them.
Killing them is horrible. I hate squishing them. I try to sweep them into a dustpan, then I just throw them back outside. I know they're scary, but they do eat the bugs I hate most... crickets! (that chirping creeps me out - and don't get me started on those creepy antennas...)

... and cats are really good at catching them. They even play with them sometimes. But then cats are kinda weird..

I have seen two scorpions in this last week. I am now scared to death after reading all of these posts. I have two daughters that are two and four. I am calling a exterminator right away.

Dianne,
I live in east Mesa and many of my nieghbors have found scorpions in there houses.We have been in our house for over 6 years,and haven't seen one.We were told it was because of the little gekoes(lizards).The ones that are pink and the size of your finger.In the summer we have alot that live mostly on our back and front proches.They come in our house alot.It sounds like we have them like you have scorpions.But our bug man said that we are very lucky to have them.I don't know where to get them.Or what kind they are.Maybe Pet smart or bug man might be able to help.The baby ones are in our house all the time in the summer.My kids and I catch them and let them go out side.They are sooooo cute!!
GOOD LUCK.

I guess I should feel lucky that since we have moved in last September we have only seen about 4 scorpions in our house and they have all been really tiny. We have tubing in the walls of our house that is filled every other month and we have it sprayed and treated. I feel pretty fortunate from these posts not to have seen more. Thank you for all the information, I have had the kids shake our their shoes, but did not know of some of their other favorite hiding spots.

JuneSlager is a discussion leader for arizonamoms.com, raising three children (ages 15, 14, & 11) in Northeast Phoenix.

I have two children ages 5 and 3. We just moved to Aviano in Desert Ridge from california. I've been here 17 days and we have found 20 scorpions. We have had a service come twice already and it's not working. I will call Bluesky. Does anyone else have this many? Anyone know if I can get out of my lease if this wasn't disclosed in writing? Our landlord told us the person before us complained but that she has never seen one at our house. I haven't slept since I moved here. My oldest son has terrible asthma and I'm worried what a sting would do to him.
I am distraught. I expected a few here and there but not this many.
feel free to email me directly.
dawnnicholas@hotmail.com