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david3_gw

Scorpion Control

David3
18 years ago

Any suggestions for spray or granular scorpion control inside and outside of the house?

Comments (42)

  • sugarhill
    18 years ago

    I once beat a scorpion with a hammer until it was nothing but scorpion atoms. I'm assuming you have more than one scorpion though, so this is might not be the best method.

  • thecaretaker
    18 years ago

    My wife tries to rupture their tiny eardrums with screaming, but this usually makes them scamper extra fast. I once found one parked on the sleeve of a dress shirt in my closet.

    They have the most disconcerting habit of staying absolutely still forever, then instantly going to Mach 1 when poked. Usually they head for cover by trying to get under my shoes, which makes for a great free dance lesson. Do not poke them in bare feet. Do not under any circumstances poke one that is above eye level on a wall or, even worse, a ceiling. Their traction is poor when panicked and you can have heart failure when they fall. When I saw one on my rain gutter, I let my Dad poke him -- if it hadn't been for an intervening spiderweb, Dad would have won the free dance lesson. My Dad is usually smarter than that.

    They also make an impressive pinging and grinding sound with that stinger if you pin one with a china plate. Wow.

    Thankfully, they drag their bodies along the ground and are therefore susceptible to all kinds of conventional poisons, unlike spiders who tippy toe over everything.

  • efam
    18 years ago

    I follow TheCaretaker's wife's method too. Oh, they are so nasty!!

  • RadioGuy
    18 years ago

    Does anyone know the best black light to use and where to buy one? thanks

  • kirataffy
    18 years ago

    ummmmm is Georgia full of these??????

  • sugarhill
    18 years ago

    Yes, Georgia is full of them.

  • raymikematt
    18 years ago

    I lived in Georgia for about 17 years and never saw a single scorpion....unfortunately! Im not positive about this but I dont think any of our Southeastern Scorpions are very dangerous...and they are all quite small. Not like something you would see out in the deserts of the West.

  • WhitePony
    18 years ago

    I've been living in Ga for 4 yrs now, and still haven't seen one. Where are they normaly? Do they like damp, basement-like areas, or do they like dry areas? Just curious.

  • sugarhill
    18 years ago

    So far I have seen one in my living room, one on the sidewalk in front of my house, and one climbing up the leg of a dinner guest - guess how quickly he got out of his pants at the dinner table. This link from UGA gives more scientific information about their habitats.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Scorpions

  • gottahosta
    18 years ago

    Raymikematt

    You might not think our scorpions are dangerous but they hurt worse than a beesting and since I'm allergic, evidently, I stayed swollen- like a rock on my arm- for over three weeks. Feels like a very thin red-hot needle going in!

    My method- squash the h-ll out of them by vigoriously beating to a pulp, carry remains to your door to the outside, and generally and vocally, warn all the remaining scorpions in the neighborhood that "this will happen to you, if you don't watch out!" Works!!! Really!!!!

    Brenda

  • hdladyblu_2007
    16 years ago

    i was born and raised in ga.never saw a scorpion til about 10 yrs.ago.i moved into a house in franklin;was overrun with them.you could see them in the light fixtures in the ceiling.they were dead of course,heat fried.but you could take the globes off the lights and clean them out and in a couple weeks they'd be there again.they would get in your shoes.the guy that owned house said always had problem with them.tried all kinds of stuff to rid them.i only lived there about 2yrs.that was one reason i moved.

  • valleycoexist
    15 years ago

    Hi All

    Newcomer to Ga from De... saw first scorpion ever past Sat. night, then another today... Was small dark reddish. Can it hurt my cats? one kitty is quite small.

    Thanks

  • blazepepper
    15 years ago

    I've lived in the metro atlanta (north of town) for my entire 31 years of life and have never heard of or seen a scorpion. Should I be weary? Where do they live? valleycoexist, where abouts are you and where did you see it?

  • mk87
    15 years ago

    OK, y'all, this is seriously freaking me out. WHY, WHY, WHY...WHY did this post get back on the front page? (Just kidding valleycoexist!) :) If it hadn't then I would never have known there was another critter out there to worry about! Dang, you mean to tell me we have SCORPIONS? I have lived here since '87 and have never seen one. (But, then again, until last year I had never seen one of those really weird big ants. It was an inch and a half long, I swear. Scared me silly. Saw another one a few weeks later, but never saw a "nest" or anything.)

    esh! shot! GGG! Help! LOL

    Scorpions? Seriously? Great...98 degrees in June...now this...

  • thecaretaker
    15 years ago

    Heh, I think you can relax. The deal is, if you haven't seen them, they're probably not on your patch of land. Once you GET them, it's really hard to be COMPLETELY rid of them. My folks' Marietta house in the woods had them; saw 2-4 per year. Standard roach control keeps the 'pions down. More houses DON'T have them than have them.

    Those huge ants are 'velvet ants' or 'cow-killers'. They're wingless wasps, not ants, and they live alone. Unlike scorpions, they'll do their best to stay out of your house. So again, don't fret.

    A scorpion (or a velvet ant) can't do anything to a kitty except give it a highly educational and painful sting.

    I don't poison my yard, which keeps up my buggy guardians, like wolf spiders and (more minorly) velvet ants. These in turn keep pests from getting out of hand.

    I treat the crawl space and house perimeter for roaches/ants.

  • mk87
    15 years ago

    thecaretaker -- Whew! Thanks for the good info. I did think it was weird that I only saw the one "ant" by itself both times. Cool.

  • kingturtle
    15 years ago

    I've lived in Georgia all my life, and have only seen them in the mountainous portions of the state (NW GA) not around Atlanta or on the coast. I grew up in Floyd County and never saw them on the valley floor, but when I bought a cabin on a ridge half a mile away 6 years ago, I started seeing them alot. I have stepped on them twice in bare feet - they hurt worse than wasps. I've started leaving the little spiders that build webs on the floor and especially near the kitchen cabinet toe kick. They catch the scorpions, string them up, and suck them dry. A fitting end.

  • valleycoexist
    15 years ago

    I live in Dahlonega, on a hillside. House was built this year and builder broke ground next door recently; which is one reason I think why we are seeing scorpions. First one (Red Devil) sighted a week ago in the basement, second 3 days later - same place but this past Sunday we had one inside, in the breakfast nook... Called 3 Vets and all said sting is like a wasp, watch for stings around the mouth areas which could cause breathing problems. Home remedy of 2 cc's liquid benadryl for our 7 to 10 pound cats if needed and maybe a trip to the Vet for a steroid shot.
    So many of the postings regarding remedies for scorpions were from the south/west U.S.A.... Wondering if the same treatments are needed for me here in N.GA??? In other words, how far and of an expense should I go for the freakin Red Devils???
    Thinking of getting a ferret for the basement....
    Since scorpions like rock/gravel, does anyone know what would the best material be for use under a deck to help keep dust down???? Same goes for the lawn barrier. If Scorpions like rock/gravel, then what should be used in the barrier????

  • kingturtle
    15 years ago

    I've lived in Georgia all my life, and have only seen them in the mountainous portions of the state (NW GA) not around Atlanta or on the coast. I grew up in Floyd County and never saw them on the valley floor, but when I bought a cabin on a ridge half a mile away 6 years ago, I started seeing them alot. I have stepped on them twice in bare feet - they hurt worse than wasps. I've started leaving the little spiders that build webs on the floor and especially near the kitchen cabinet toe kick. They catch the scorpions, string them up, and suck them dry. A fitting end.

  • sarah1030
    15 years ago

    This morning we found a scorpion in my kids' room. He was as big as my thumb! Totally freaked me out!!!! We found him in the sheets on the bed. My child had been sleeping with him. Freaked me out even more!!!! Does anyone know if they live in "Nests" of sorts, or if he was more of a loner, and I really should worry to much. Do I need to "bug bomb" my house? I have lived in North/Northwest GA my whole life, and I have seen my share of scorpions. Just never in my child's bed!!!!! Someone help! Please!

    ***For the record the scorpion met his demise this morning. I swatted him until he wasn't moving anymore and then I flushed his creepy butt.

  • mich0324
    14 years ago

    I have been living on the west side of metro Atlanta for the past 5 years, and just found this reddish brown creature on my kitchen floor. I have no clue how he got there. This is my very first encounter, and freaked me out. I placed a drinking glass on top of him and dragged his butt out onto the deck. A friend says, to spray the scorpion with ant and roach spray. Yeah right! That didn't work. Now he seems to be really mad! Hope he dies of a heat stroke out there on the deck with no chance of escape, since I don't have the guts to smash him! Yikes!
    Do I have to expect more of his buddies in the house, or did he just get lost?

  • beneficialbug
    13 years ago

    I had to join this forum to post about scorpions - these posts were so entertaining! (if not terribly helpful).

    We bought a mountain cabin in N Georgia and are encountering one every week or so. Tonight I was wrestling with my dog on the floor and noticed one a couple inches from our noses! My husband got us out of that jam, and while walking to the kitchen I got stung by another on on the toe! It hurt, but not for long. Ice helped.

    This is my second scorpion sting ever. The first had NO swelling or mark. This one caused a tiny bit of swelling. I'm wondering if one can develop an allergic reaction. Someone else in this forum said they swell up when stung, so I guess you can.

    We're looking at repellents, etc - I hate to have an exterminator at my cabin if it's not necessary. It looks like sticky traps are somewhat effective. That's all I've learned so far....

  • pyrin_thrulife
    13 years ago

    I've lived in a town about 30 miles south of Atlanta for about 6 years and have seen a few. 2 in the bathroom, 1 in the garage, 1 in the kitchen. I cover them with the hose of my Dyson vacuum. They get sucked in very quickly. I then let it run for a few minutes, just to be sure they're in at least a thousand little scorpion pieces. Once I did use a hammer. Same effect.

  • pyrin_thrulife
    13 years ago

    Me again. I forgot.....the one I encountered yesterday IN THE SHOWER was sent down the drain in very hot water and then rinsed down further with Drano. If you're a coward like me, it helps to yell something like, "I am Xena, Warrior Princess", or "Let me introduce you to my little friend"! Not sure that it affects the scorpion at all, but I must say I felt more powerful than I did when not yelling.

  • chuanfashodan_aol_com
    13 years ago

    You will never get rid of a scorpion problem unless you do 4 things.
    1) use Cy-Kick spray under warm zones like ground based ac units/washer dryers and along entire bottom of house outside walls going up to 2 ft coverage (because they climb)
    lasts 30 days. safe to humans and pets once it drys.
    2) Use Delta Guard granules in flower beds and entire yard. Water in to seep into crevices. lasts 30 days. kills the little ones�
    3) Go night hunting. Get a black light and Scorpion killer no. 2 can quick knock down spray. It speeds up the control process by getting the adults you can see before they mate again�
    4)Seal your home from access points usually around pipes and vents or they may nest in your walls�
    Nothing else will work effectively. Trust me, I live in Az. and am a professional on this.
    You will never get rid of them period until these steps are done�
    Treat monthly for 1st year�After that you should not have to treat as often�Usually quarterly keeps them gone for good.

  • cindy_eatonton
    13 years ago

    I used to live in a log home in south of Atlanta and we had plenty of small scorpions - ~3/4-1 inch. They came in late fall and in spring - temp or water changes. The worst was the one that came in through the logs at about head high and fell in bed with me one night and stung me. Not good. I'm very sensitive to most stings - this swelled, but antihistamines (benadryl) did ok. Scorpions are fierce - one of the best things I ever watched was a battle between a small scorpion and a blue-tailed skink on our deck. The skink was trying to eat the scorpion, eventually the scorpion's head was in skink's mouth. The scorpion kept trying to sting the skink, but the scales don't allow the stinger to penetrate. It was like watching a National Geographic documentary on our deck. After about 15 minutes of struggling, the scorpion apparently wore himself out and the skink then swallowed the rest of him. I wish I'd had my camera to have filmed this. I was cheering the skink. :-)

    We have them in our new place, but less woods and only a tiny fraction of scorpions - now there's palmetto bugs instead. I think I preferred the scorpions.

    Cindy

  • buzzy
    13 years ago

    Will chickens eat scorpions? We're planning to move to GA from Pacific Northwest, where we don't have any pests, so I'm a little freaked. We don't even have much in the way of mosquitos, let alone anything like Wheel bugs and scorpions. Just garter snakes, no woodticks, lots of spiders but few scary ones...

    If my chickens run wild all around the house will they get the scorpions?

  • jenncochran_gmail_com
    12 years ago

    OMG! We moved to our new house in NE georgia in January. So glad to find a great home in the country on 10 acres of woods.....until I was doing dishes tonight and my 12 year old daughter started yelling, "LEGS, LEGS, LEGS!!!" I was completely stumped and looking at her like she needed to be checked in somewhere where she could enjoy some finger painting under the direction of some nice nurses. That's when I saw her pointing at the outlet just 18 inches from my sinkfull of dishwater. I looked but saw nothing. I went back to doing dishes when suddenly I saw some odd skinny claw like thing come peaking out from behind the outlet cover....then another started coiming out...."OMG what the heck is that!" I grabbed the big carving fork from the drawer and wheeled back around but the little claw things were gone. Then they poked out again. I screamed and they retreated again. Then it was like it decided to just go for it. It started wriggling its claws and part of its body to get out from under the outlet cover. I poked at the outlet cover with the carving fork....just a bit too hard and broke the cover!!!!! Hey adrenaline gives us super strength without us even realizing it. But now it has an easy means for escape-INTO my home! I ran and got bug spray....no not Raid....skin-so-soft. Hey, desperate here! I sprayed and sprayed into the corner that was broken out of the cover. Then I laid a sticky trap on the counter near the outlet. Idk if any of the commotion or spray helped to scare it off. We abandoned the kitchen and dont plan to go back! It can have that room! NEVER HAD SCORPIONS B4! And to whomever posted saying they would rather have scorpions than palmetto bugs....NO WAY! Palmetto bugs may fly and creep me out too (had em real bad at our last house), but they sure dont sting!!! Just spray the tiniest amount of Mean Green cleaner on a palmetto bug and they die in seconds! But now I am worried how to keep those nasty scorpions out of bed with my 3 little kids (and me too) and out of toy boxes, etc. GEEZ why does mother nature find it necessary to make such creepy bugs!

  • ronfurg
    12 years ago

    I'm house-setting my sister's home in Jasper, GA, while she is on vacation. Her home is in The Preserve on Sharp Mountain near Jasper. Upon waking up and walking to the bathroom, barefooted, ready to shave and start the day, I noticed what appeared to my old eyes like a piece of lint on the ceramic tile floor up against the wall. I used my big to to flip it into the floor where I could more easily pick it up to discard it. Well, as you've already surmised by now, when I stooped to pick it up I discovered that the lent had suddenly grown pincers and a stinger-equipped tail. It was alive and by then it's little tail was performing a dance. I must have scared it as much as it scared me. But, I was not stung and can cheerfully report: Ron 1 -- Scorpion 0. After a prayer of thanksgiving I checked and found three others, two in the family room and one in the bedroom. Ron 4 -- Scorpions 0. I had no idea that there were scorpions in Georgia, but am now much wiser and anxious to "thank" my sister for the warning I didn't get.

  • Sarah_earthlink_net
    12 years ago

    To beneficialbug: as adults not only can you develop allergies where none previously existed, but they can also get worse the more you come into contact with the allergen. Wasps are my personal kryptonite. Since you've only been stung twice I wouldn't panic but I would recommend investing in benadryl, lotion and pills as well as baking soda. It helps with the pain and the itching, still need ice for the swelling. Now that you know you're allergic you just have to be hypervigilant of bite sites in future (red streaks, pus, other gross stuff) and if you ever get short of breath after a sting call 911 right away. Good luck and happy hunting!
    To everyone else, thanks for the bug killing advice!

  • homechicken
    12 years ago

    I too have lived here all my life and never saw a scorpion until about 15 years ago. My sis-in-law and her husband bought a new house in a new subdivision and they found a few of them arouns their house the first couple of years. New construction stirs up all kinds of wildlife both animal and insect. You come in an disturb undeveloped land that hasn't been touched except posssibly by a farmer and all those creatures that were going about their existence blissfully unaware of us, and vice versa suddenly come into conflict with the new human inhabitants. Our neighborhood was surrounded by undeveloped land when we moved here, but the housing boom generated three new subdivisions around us and our neighborhood was inundated with all manner of wildlife we hadn't seen before. Teh worst was the rat infestation that hit us and several of our neighbors. Took a couple of years to get tehm under control, and 8 years later, I still catch one now and then.

  • newtoAlph
    12 years ago

    Oh man...we just moved to Alpharetta from Wisconsin. We got a beautiful home we are renting for a year, in a great subdivision. As soon as we pull into the garage last night, we saw a teeny little brown scorpion on ground, alive. Never seen one in my entire life! Then today, in our still empty house, saw another little one hiding out by the fireplace in a corner. WTF! The owner came by today and she says she has only seen one in many, many years of living there, once in the tub. She is calling pest control tomorrow.

    Okay, we have 2 young kids and I am more scared then them. Second, we have a cocker spaniel and 2 one-year old cats. From what I have read, perhaps pest control coming alone will not get rid of it, them? My husband did a sweep of the house, every corner, says he sees no others....UGH. Luckily the house is EMPTY, no furniture nothing...not even clothes, so idk where else they would be hiding out.

    Do you think that since the house has been empty for at least a month or two before we moved in, that is why there may be a couple in there? Maybe since no water running frequently in sinks, etc.??, they are crawling up the pipes? How are these damn things getting in ?

    Any help, to calm my nerves, would be MUCH MUCH appreciated...thank you so much.

    Gina

  • sinn316_hotmail_com
    12 years ago

    Bought a 1 year old house about 30 miles south of Atlanta. We've had 4 scorpions in 2 month, one outside, 2 found dead (victims of the cats, I believe), last one tonight on the kitchen wall. I smacked it with a shoe and was horrified to see a little baby scurrying away from mom's corpse. Squash any you see! I never saw the baby until it climbed off mommy. It must have been on it's back or belly. Yuck.

  • misplaced-citygirl
    12 years ago

    Greetings! This thread appears to still be active, and I hope that members who're acquainted with small Georgia creatures may be able to help me. I'm currently at a relative's home where there are problems with scorpions and assorted "cousins." Though I'd never seen a scorpion before I arrived here with my small dog, I've seen many since coming. Among them the one that stung one of my feet while I was sitting at my computer, the one that fell off my black dog onto our bed when she jumped up onto it, and the one that somehow got on the bed and stung me awake one morning. Possibly it came through a ceiling vent, like a millipede that fell through the vent onto the bed one day, when I just happened to be looking. [The vent is now closed---I opted for fans instead of AC, under the circumstances.] I mainly control the scorpions by mashing them flat with a shoe, then flushing the remains--I've learned to be quicker than they are, and I offer them no life-options if they choose to come indoors. But something was on the bedroom floor a few nights ago that I haven't been able to identify, despite many hours online researching. It was shiny black, with a red spot about the size of a lady bug on its back. Including legs and possible pincers, the total shape was basically round, about the diameter of a quarter, maybe a little smaller. The legs and other appendages were sturdy looking/fat, and the almost-flat segmented body, about 3/8" long, was rectangular, not round or oval or in any way spider-like. Possibilities I've seen in research were pseudoscorpions, but they're usually shown as very small, and no picture even begins to approximate this (now-deceased) visitor. Ideas anyone? I looked at pix of trapdoor spiders, but the body isn't right. Hopefully there won't be another of these before my dog and I leave, but just in case, I'd like to know what I'm dealing with. Oh, and while I'm at it, there was a scorpion on a bathroom floor one night last week, longer, wider and "crustier" than the usual ones, and with a light colored cluster of dots (?) on its back. Different species? I've researched a lot to solve this temporary problem for my dog CJ and me, but haven't found all of the answers needed to make sure we're safe. Would appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks!

  • ash5761_yahoo_com
    12 years ago

    I just stumbled across this page...I'm hoping someone will answer me as well. I just recently moved to Dawsonville to a townhome with a small backyard and then woods behind us. This morning I was playing with my 9 month old and she got distracted and crawled about a foot away and picked up something on the floor and put it in her mouth (like any baby does) I grabbed it from her and it was a dead scorpion! I'm assuming my cat got it last night, and my daughter seems completely fine, but it scared me. Do we know much about the scorpions around here and their effect on children? As I said, it was dead, so it couldn't sting her...but I know their venom doesn't just disappear. However, if it is helpful, the "bulb" of venom was still intact and hadn't burst or anything. HELP!

  • dtblair24_gmail_com
    12 years ago

    Nice to see this is still active. I live in Alpharetta Georgia and have seen a few scorpions. When we first moved into our house we used to see quite a few of them. All on the first floor. This was back in 2000-2002,then for some reason we stopped seeing them. Then about 2-3 months ago we saw one for the first time in a while upstairs in a hallway.

    Then tonight, Literally 10 minutes ago, I come home from a trip, and I see one upstairs in my room on the floor. It was darkbrown/black looking and about an inch long, maybe a bit longer. I am kind of worried because I used to not mind when I would see them downstairs on the ground level. I guess because I assumed they were not as mobile as spiders or roaches. But seeing a couple upstairs has me freaked out.

    I don't know if conventional home defense type sprays will defend against scorpions, but I am re applying this stuff to my baseboards anyways for good measure

  • Sleepysmile84_gmail_com
    12 years ago

    I found a red color scorpian in my house today..ive only seen black onea..ive lived in GA my entire life and have seen them for years and years..whats the difference between black and red scorpions.. I hate them all!

  • ERothweiler
    11 years ago

    The posts on this forum are hilarious. I lived in Phoenix for nine years, where the scorpions are quite poisonous. Black light and reeeallly long forceps are the best means of scorpion control. Guinea hens and chickens work really well, too. I've only had limited success with chemical means, but they squish just like a cockroach does.

    Watch out for negative geotaxis, which means that when you pick up a board or whatever, they are just as likely to be clinging to the board in your hand, happily upside down, as they are to be on the ground underneath.

  • thecaretaker
    11 years ago

    Scorpions make my geotaxis go negative. All the change falls out of my pockets.

  • zebcoboy
    10 years ago

    Nothing kills them faster than spray brake cleaner. Better than scorpion spray. Spray insecticide often outside and approved sprays along baseboards indoors. Use black lights inside and out to find them. DE near doors and in cracks around base of your home. They will never go completely away but you can make a dent in the population.

  • zzackey
    10 years ago

    I had two scorpions in the house. One in each shower. No idea how they got it. I smushed them with a wad of toilet paper. Killed one on the side of the house and one in the shed out back. We have lived in northeast Ga for 6 years in a very woody area. Mine are all reddish brown in color and quite small.

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