The cheapest route is to fumigate the INSIDE of the house with those foggers you can buy at the grocery store. That way it not only kills some, but drives the others outside. I know you'd like to do this without too many poisons, but I've never had any luck at all with things like Diatomaceous Earth or things containing pyrethrins. Scorpions are just the one bug I won't tolerate in the house. Especially with babies on the floor. Be sure to follow the directions on the box to the letter. You only have to be out of the house for about 2 hours. One thing I always have forgotten to do, was turn off my air conditioner while I'm gone. I know it's hot here in Texas, but with the air running the stuff can't work properly.
Good luck

You can make your house scorpion free (I've done it and we had HUNDREDS in the yard), but it is going to take some work.

Since you have babies, I'd bring in a professional exterminator that advertises specifically that they handle scorpions. Some companies will seal the openings around your house or you can do it yourself. A scorpion can flatten themselves down to the thickness of a nickel. Look under all your sinks and seal where the pipes come from the wall. Also go around the perimeter of the house and seal the area where the siding meets the foundation. Put fine mesh screen over any attic or other vents.

Scorpions are phosphorescent, so if you use a portable FLUORESCENT blacklight (Home Depot)and hunt in the dark, they will show up easily as a bright yellow/green. I'd turn off the lights and check the babies rooms every night. Would only take 5 minutes.

You have to start outside and remove any potential habitats for them (wood piles, junk lying around, etc.). Then general spraying to kill the other insects (mostly crickets) that they eat. For sure, trim any tree branches that touch your roof or house way back. Centruroides exilicada or the Bark scorpion live in the trees out here in AZ and they climb really well. These are small scorpions but they are the most deadly ones in the US, and the ones most often found inside houses. Many babies in Mexico die from the stings every year. The sting would generally be fatal only to a very elderly adult.

Talstar (bifenthrin) works the best on them and I've tried everything. Most exterminators don't know that.

You can put the babies crib feet in glass or plastic jars so the scorpions can't climb up them. Also, some people will hang a sheet of plywood that is larger then the crib over it. That way, if the scorpions fall from ceiling, they land on the plywood and then if they fall from the plywood, they fall outside the crib area.

If you simply cannot bring yourself to use pesticides, babies or no babies, then I'd take all the measures to seal your home, and search inside and outside each night with a black light. You can grab them with tongs and drop them in a jar of vinegar to kill them. FWIW, if they were my grandkids, I'd use the Talstar outside the house for sure every two months in the summer. I have never had to spray inside my house.

First things first. Get rid of the moth balls from your home. They are toxic. They have never been intended to be used as a repellant but as an insect killer! They can emit dangerous fumes for children and pets. You can even be held liable if someone comes to harm by the improper use of mothballs in your home.

Secondly, call on the professionals. If you aren't comfortable with using strong chemical pesticides (and you shouldn't be), let someone else do it. You can certainly do the physical things mentioned in the previous excellant posting.

Get rid of the moth balls.

Hi. I live in East Mesa, AZ, and just found one dead bark scorpion. I think my cat killed it, hopefully. We have been here for 5 months, and never found one. The old renters never saw one, and they were clean people. Our neighbors just found one in the garage, but never inside. Isn't it enough to have a professional "seal" the house up, one that is experienced in dealing with scorpions? Do I have to spray too? And Kill them? Thanks for any help...I am very afraid of them...my husband and my mom thinks I am too afraid!! Eva

Here is what works for me: I spray my own house with a product from Bug and Weed Mart in AZ. ( I do not work for them ) They sell the same strength pesticides that the exterminators use and I find I do a better job of applying the product. I also put down granules that are time released; you have to water the granules in. At night I go out with a black light (Home Depot) and use a small butane torch to blast them. It only takes a second and if they are in a crack in the block wall fence the heat still kills them. Also, if they have babies on their back it kills the babies so they don't run off. The butane torch can be purchased at WalMart for 39.99. WalMart has a cheaper one, but I like the more expensive one because you just pull the trigger and it lights automatically and then shuts off. I know of several people who have been able to control scorpions with this approach. I agree with controlling the food supply, killing them at night and keeping your house sealed. Good luck and good hunting!

Has anyone ever used Cedarcide to repel scorpions? We are moving into the Tucson West Mountains and I've been alerted that there are scorpions that get into the house..yikes... I hear they hang out in laundry baskets so would like to through the cedar chips in if that works...

mesiasue - Doesn't work.

1 - Caulk all cracks and make sure the weather stripping on openings is in good shape.

2 - Don't have clutter near the house, especially no clutter near the doors. Keep at least 5 feet of BARREN dirt between your doors and any flower pots, mulch or other hiding spots. They are reluctant to cross open areas.

3 - Keep the foundation area free of anything a scorpion can hide in or under.

4 - Control cockroaches and crickets. No food = no scorpions.