They hurt like a really, really mad wasp. Keep epsom salts and benadryl. We see at least a dozen a year in the house, but we are a bit rural.

We had them in our house from the day we moved in. I suspect they got into the house when it was under construction. We killed every single one of them that we saw with a shoe or a flyswatter and carefully picked up its remains with a paper towel and put them in the trash. It probably took us 4 or 5 years to rid the house of them, though admittedly, we never sprayed any sort of insecticides because we just won't use synthetic pesticides in our house.

I don't think the bite of the typical Oklahoma scorpion will kill you (unless you are allergic---similar to how most people tolerate a few bee stings, but those who are allergic to them can die), but it hurts worse than anything else I've ever experienced in my life. To me, they are about 5 times worse than the worst bee, hornet or wasp sting I've ever experienced. I usually get bit on the hand when I pick up a board or stepping stone or something and a scorpion is on it or underneath it. I got bit about 7 or 8 weeks ago when I picked up a 2 x 4 in the garden to use it to hold down the edges of floating row cover I was using to cover up plants on a freezing cold night. Prior to that, I think the last time a scorpion bit me was in 2010. The last two times that I was bitten were worse than earlier bites years ago, with my finger swelling up quite a bit and being almost unusable for a few days until the swelling went down.

Back in the early days, when they were inside our house, I got bit twice....both times when I put on a shoe that had a scorpion in it. To this day, before I put on any boot or shoe, I shake it and bang it against the floor to knock out any scorpion that might be in it, even though it likely has been at least 8 or 9 years since I was bitten by one indoors that was in a shoe. I can't even remember the last time that I saw a scorpion in the house, but still check my shoes and bang them on the floor anyway.

We are in a rural area that tends to be hot and dry more often than it is hot and wet and scorpions are everywhere outdoors. They like to congregate in moist environments, like in mulch piles, underneath bales of hay, on the edge of compost piles (where they lurk and wait for crickets and other things they eat to come along), etc. They get underneath boards lying on the ground and especially like to crawl under a piece of burlap on the ground. Sometimes when I have seen scorpions in my garden, I put down a piece of burlap in the path overnight and then, in the morning, I pick it up (using a pair of salad tongs, I'm not stupid enough to use my hands) and quickly stomp on the scorpion or scorpions underneath it.

I completely quit buying and wearing any sort of shoe that had open toes, open heels, etc. because even if I just put them on and walked straight from the house to the car in the driveway, somehow a scorpion would manage to find that open toe or open heel and bite me as I made that short walk.

I see scorpions a lot in and near our garage and usually just stomp on them and kill them. When using a synthetic pesticide to kill them, remember that they are not insects, they are arachnids, so you need to use a spider spray to kill them.

To kill them organically, you can use the glue traps intended for mice to catch them. I put the traps in the corners of our closet and caught quite a few brown recluse spiders and scorpions on the glue traps in our first couple of years after the house was built. I haven't had to use them in years though. The glue traps that are triangular and shaped like a little tent work better than flat ones.

You can dust around your foundation with diatomaceous earth (use the kind intended for crawling insects, not the kind for pool filters, which is dangerous to inhale).

You can spray them with a homemade spray using the Dirtdoctor's fire ant recipe that basically is compost tea with orange oil added. I keep an orange oil/water solution in a spray bottle in my shed and sometimes spray scorpions and other hard-to-kill critters with it if they are in a place where I cannot or will not stomp on them....like if they are in tall grass or a brush pile where snakes might be. I usually have a bottle of Garrett Juice too, so all I have to do is add orange oil to it to turn it into a spider and scorpion spray. I never kill spiders because they are beneficial and help control pest insects, except that I will kill black widow and brown recluse spiders, and we have tons of them outdoors here. They also tend to get into the potting shed and the garage, and we keep a can of Spider/Scorpion Spray in the garage to spray them in there.

If you are in a rural area, the scorpions likely are plentiful and have came indoors because of hard rain. Snakes and roadrunners will help control them. I don't see roadrunners in our yard often, probably because we have cats that would chase them, but we have plenty of snakes. I do see roadrunners running up and down the road, and during exceptional drought they will come to the yard in the evenings (when the cats already are indoors for the night) to eat the hen scratch that I put out for them and the other birds. In years which are that hot and dry, the scorpions try to move indoors to escape the extreme heat.

This year is a really, really bad scorpion year. We are seeing more than we've ever had this early in summer before. I am not sure why. It is a bad snake year too. I just hope the plentiful supply of snakes are eating the plentiful supply of scorpions. Tim said they had a big conversation at the fire station the other night about how bad spiders and scorpions are everywhere this year.

There are not many things in this world that I truly hate, but I hate scorpions.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Organic Scorpion Control

At the old farm house I had 2 check the beds before nighty time.
When I brushed my teeth at night 2 n the sink every night.
Every morning 2 n the tub.
They travel in toos..
You need a tennis bug zapper.
SEE SHHH They'll hear us for more info.
Tresa

At the old farm house I had 2 check the beds before nighty time.
When I brushed my teeth at night 2 n the sink every night.
Every morning 2 n the tub.
They travel in toos..
You need a tennis bug zapper.
SEE SHHH They'll hear us for more info.
Tresa

I live in Edmond. I've found scorpions in my house. I just catch them and then release them outside. They've always been shy, not aggressive, so I am not freaked out by them.

I lived 8 years ago domestic south-side OKC on a branch of Lightning Creek...had a few outside. Moved rural NE Norman - had 2 inside and killed a small one on the deck out back tonite. My advice is to buy bug-bombs and set them off inside. That will help protect you walking barefoot in the house at night when nature calls. And spray around your house (or have someone do it) for at least 12 feet from the exteriour. That will give you a "barrier guard".

The light brown ones are less potent...but a scorpion sting ain't no fun from any direction.

In the 30 years we have lived here, I prob. had less than a half dozen until last summer. We have killed over 60 this year. ONly a few were in the house, but last year at prob. 30-40 were inside. I have shoes on top of every surface. I HATE scorpions. So creepy and fast. Tempo works pretty good on them if you want to spray. It has good residual. You can buy a UV LED flashlight and look for them with that. They glow a kind of neon yellow-green. I hate having to put shoes on in the a.m. before I even get out of bed and then keep them on until I get into bed. I keep them on the nightstand. HATE it. Daughter saw a documentary on them and said that some people who had a bunch in their house sprayed in their attic with cedar oil and then they came downstairs to the house. So, I can't recommend that. Start downstairs maybe if you use that. She said that the doc. said it confused them and they moved out. It has been a long time since i have been stung by one, I fear that the grandkids will "find" one. Good luck.
mo

Since we built our new house, we have seen THREE inside (in one year). Supposedly if you disturb the soil they live in, they start to migrate. So you will see them a LOT in new construction. Are any of your neighbors building?

We never worried too much about the odd bug here or there, and never sprayed. However, the scorpions freaked me out to the extent that we now get our house sprayed inside and out every 2-3 months from March until October. (about 3x per year, $85 each time). The only scorpions we see now are dead ones.

I HATE to spray (worry about the dogs and the kids). But I hate scorpions more.

Jo

60 scorpions?? Wow. I would literally move if I had that many.

Interesting that the bug problems seems to have gotten so much worse in the past year or two.

I haven't seen another scorpion since I posted this.

But, yesterday alone I saw 2 spiders inside.

There's a few dozen roly polys that come in a week.

There are some long narrow squiry bugs-- I see a few of those a day inside.

It's gross. I bought yard insectiside that I poured out. I bought some insect spray and sprayed around the foundation, doors, crown molding, windows. I bought an electronic repeller. I bought some tree bug sprayer and sprayed all of the trees too.

Still, I've got tons of bugs. Never had so many. I'm pretty clean and there's no real clutter. First year I had ants here-- I got rid of most of those, but still have spiders, long squirmy bugs, and roly polys.

This is the first year of roly poys. It's disgusting.

Been here over 30 yrs and have never seen a scorpion!
How LUCKY is that?? Right now my issue is with a few crickets and black widows. I've got some professional stuff ordered that will be here in a few days.

In case any one is at their wits end or going broke buying junk from the box stores or exterminators, here's some 5-Star help......great company, fast shipping.

Here is a link that might be useful: scorpion control

I killed the mice. That's when the scorpion showed up and little Miss needed an escort to the bath because of all the spiders. Clean and they'd be back the next day.

Noticed the spiders were dwindling. Thought it was the cool weather. Then, two mornings ago we found a mouse trapped in the tub.

I put a towel as a bridge for the little guy and let him GO.

I'll take care of the mice after the first freeze!!!

jsutsaymo:

That's A LOT. I am absolutely NOT surprised given the numerous fiddle backs I've killed in the bathroom this year.

Last night, Cookie, my little Maltese suddenly screamed and ran out of the kitchen, shaking in fear. I immediately ran into the kitchen to see if there was a scorpion. I get the occasional one, but they've never stung anyone and don't seem to object to being relocated to the garden. Couldn't find anything, but after hearing me say "scorpion", my homestay boy from Saudi Arabia was convinced he had seen one go under the stove. I know it wasn't one because he said it was black and while they are black in Saudi Arabia, they aren't here. Never found out what it was (moving the stove turned up nothing) and Cookie eventually calmed down. Yes, I checked her repeatedly for signs of any toxins. She has a lot of long hair, so her nose and her eyes were the only likely targets. She's perfectly fine this morning though I have not yet checked to see if she'll go in the kitchen on her own.

Sure wish I knew what it was...

Saw the LARGEST spider I've EVER seen inside yesterday!

ACK!!!!

I think they're just brown normal spiders, but they look scary.

It RAN towards me across the living room! Maybe it was headed towards the lamp, vent, or wall, but.... EW!!!!!!!!

Was it a wolf spider? Those are the big ones in my house.

I have never been one to spray much, but two years ago I started having trouble with ants getting into house, especially around one of my windows. I was worried about carpenter ants and/or termites. The house had been previously treated for termites when they could use the deadly stuff.

I finally had someone spray. They did the whole house while they were at it. I must say, it was nice to just find dead bugs. I wasn't planning to spray again, but the ants came back this spring, so the exterminator came out again.

I have not seen any scorpions at my house. I did find one at work a long time ago sashaying his way down our tiled hallway. I covered him up with a glass and made the maintenance people take care of him :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Wolf Spider

I'm not sure I can tell the difference between a wolf spider and a brown recluse.

These are huge.

I just saw another run across my floor.

That makes 3 in the past few weeks.

I scrubbed the house down, but saw another today. I sprayed a few weeks ago and at least there aren't roly polys anymore, but I'm still seeing spiders. I'm not sure how they're getting it. It's not a new house, so I'm guessing they're getting in through window/doors not sealed. SICK.

It surprised me I didn't know the difference between the fiddle back and the wolf spider. While schooling the chillins is when I discovered this. I wanted them to be aware of the difference.

To me, the wolf spider looks more ominous. The fiddle back is usually much smaller and I often confuse it with plain-ol cellar spiders. This year gave me plenty opportunity to discover the difference!

An average of 3 fiddle backs a week in the bathroom until the mouse came around.

To make matters worse: Sometimes the internet sources confuse the two!!

Wolf:

Another just ran across my floor! ACK!!!

Is the second photo you posted a fiddleback? Mine looks more like that.

Yep!!