Arizona Scorpion Season Winding Down

As we move into cooler temperatures, scorpion activity slows down considerably.  If you have any level of scorpions that you see from year to year, you know that you tend to see less scorpions the colder it gets.  However, one should still be vigilant as you never know when you might see the next one and it is usually the case that you find a scorpion where and when you least expect it.  Now, scorpions are a fact of life in Arizona and the Phoenix area and their presence at your home tends to be more as an unpleasant nuisance than anything else (excepting getting stung).  Here are my tips and recommendations of what you can do to keep watch and keep them at bay.

How to find them

• The most effective way is to use a blacklight (go to Spencer’s in the mall to get one for around $12). Blacklights make a scorpion glow like nothing else.
• Scorpions will generally come out outside when the temperature is in the 80s and greater.  Right now, they may be out as early as 8:30pm.  I recommend going out a couple of different times a night so as to be sure you are covering a range of time that they could be out.

Outside Places They Can Be Found

• Cinder block walls.  This is the most prevalent hiding location for scorpions that I have found.  They come out of the cracks and columns and wait around for food to come by.
• Especially dry climates.  A yard that has overgrown trees and a buildup of leafy debris below it near cinder block walls creates an environment that is more dry than what’s around it.  For instance, pine needles or leafy droppings dry out and absorb moisture from the air.  The overgrown trees shield the space from direct light and so the space stays darker than it otherwise would be.  This creates an ideal climate for scorpions.
• On the exterior walls of your house.  Make sure to scan on the overhangs.
• Undisturbed areas in your yard:
  • A pile of firewood or other debris that goes largely undisturbed.
  • The electrical box or controller unit for irrigation.
  • On the bark of a knotty tree such as a pine.

Inside Places They Can Be Found

• In the open as they move around searching for food.
• In door jams.
• Walking right across the floor.
• In undisturbed areas such as closets.
• About anywhere in your house.  They may be discovered more closely to an entry point.
• In the garage.  It’s not unusual to find one in the garage!
• On your brother Brutus if he has a tattoo of one.

How to Kill Them

• Be 100% certain that you killed them.
• Smash them with a long tool or some other item that keeps your hands and body away from them.  For me, I use the round end of a shovel and place it right over them to smash them.
• Don’t smash them with your hand as you will be sure to get stung.  If you ever have one on you, you should swipe it off with a side movement of your hand.  Don’t come down on top of the scorpion with your hand as you will likely get stung.
• Spray them with glue spray to freeze them in their spot and then smash them.
• Scorpions are mostly impervious to any pesticide and will be able to scurry off even after a full dose.  Whether they actually die from it later is the question you don’t want to have an answer for.

Special Tips

• Scorpions can move faster than you think so kill them from a distance.  Be sure in your movements to kill them and keep your body away from them.  If you see one in your house, keep an eye on it and call for someone who can get you something to smash it.  Don’t lose sight of it.
• A mother scorpion will have a mass of babies on its back.  If you see this, make sure you get all of them.  You can use a glue spray or hair spray to stop them in their tracks (or a foaming pest spray that would completely coat the pests) and then smoosh them.

Longer-term Remedies

• Have a pest control company familiar with scorpions come out for a regular treatment.  Do a blacklight search the nights immediately following a treatment (they may be on the move).
• Trim back trees and clean up yard areas that may be more conducive to scorpions.
• Blacklight periodically based on what you find.  Kill what you find.
• Have a company do a seal treatment (as needed) whereby cracks and openings are sealed.
• Clean and organize closets so that you can easily view the floors.
• Clean and organize the garage so that you can easily see the floor and behind stored items.
• Cats are supposedly immune from scorpion venom and will kill scorpions.  However, if your cat is like mine, it’s more likely to nap than find that scorpion that got into the house.

Stings

• Call the appropriate authorities if someone has been stung to get instructions on what you should do.

Now, having said all of this, don’t let scorpions freak you out too much.  You’re tougher than they are!  You can get rid of many of the little critters!  So, safe times as we move into the holidays and happy hunting!

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