Hi everyone. We moved to a year old house in the dirt hills of Western Colorado last summer. I've lived in another area of this valley since 1982 and NEVER saw a single nasty creepy horrid little devil! I've killed 8 here so far and had 2 near misses with stings. One of them crawled over my thigh in bed!!!!!!!!!!! Last night my 17 month old daughter brought the tissue box out of our powder bath and was very curious about putting her hand inside over and over. Then she signed potty and my HERO/Husband took her in to go. Guess what he found under the shelf that holds the tissue?! That's it! Enough! Scorpions be advised, this is MY house and if you enter YOU WILL DIE! I'm getting a black light, sealant, gloves and a rake at Home Depot today. I'm also going to buy a couple of the Pest Repeller Ultimate AT units. I saw them online. They use Ultrasonic, Electromagnetic, and Ionic technologies to ward off lots of pests AND clean the air. I'll post back in a month to let you know how they work. Has anyone else tried these? Did they help? Hopefully I'll report back with the cure in a month. By the way, we have bug killing cats and chickens and still get these horrible things inside!!!

Hello

I posted on this thread back on Sat, Oct 28, 06 about my experience and using Cy-Kick. I turned to this thread then because as you can read I bought a house that had a really bad problem with scorpions and was terrified after seeing so many outside at night. I'm happy to say that I'm still in this house and have not had any real issues since my nightmare when I moved in. I have not reread my previous post so forgive me if I repeat anything as I try to address the questions and concerns from the more recent posts and also forgive me if this again seems long. I love my house but I hate scorpions so I love to talk about this stuff and have checked back over the years to see if anyone has found something new. I just feel like I've done the right thing and want to help those people that are living with the same issue I had. As before if you have any questions for me I am always happy to answer them at:

jchri66@hotmail.com

People have contacted me over the last two years and I enjoy helping them.

After 9 years of living in 2 homes that had scorpions in the area I can safely say that if you have scorpions your neighbors do also. You should talk to them about it anytime you can and if you use my advice and find it helpful to your issues then pass it on to them every time the topic comes up. You need to do this because unfortunately, the reality is you can safely assume they don't care and are unwilling to do the things needed to take care of the neighborhood so your main concern is to keep the bugs away from you house and planted in your neighbors yard.

Moving on... Five things that have helped me:

1. I use Cy-Kick, I only spray it on the outside of the house. In fact I dont use anything on the inside of my house. I have block perimeter walls so I spray all along the bottom block of the walls. I aim slightly up from the ground line so I also get 4 or 5 inches of the ground. On the pillars I spray all the way up where the wall connects in and I spray the wall on both sides of the pillar up and out two blocks. For these walls I had noticed they were normally in those areas so that's where I spray. On the house I do the same thing at the base and never go up more then a foot from the ground, then I go back and spray the eaves. I make a circle around all windows but I don't spray the sills or the windows themselves. (They say this stuff is less harmless then toothpaste but I know this is a chemical so why risk it harming me or my family) As I said before, when I first started using this I caught one, put it in a tupperware container and then sprayed it. In the morning it was dead so that made me a believer that it will kill the bugs on contact. With that knowledge I spray at night because I figure yes the chemical still gets them when it's dry but why not spray when they are out. When I first starting using this I sprayed every 3 weeks and now I spray about every 3 months, maybe 3 times a year and usually I judge it by if I see them close by in the alley.

2. I use Delta Guard granules in the alley and along any bordering walls with neighbors. Again, assume the neighbors are more concerned about beating the Jones's, you concern yourself about beating the scorpions and living a happy life. This stuff is great, when it rains your spray job becomes worthless but the granules get activated and take up the slack until you can get out there and spray again. (This also applies to the Cy-Kick, I give a good soaking to my side of any wall that I share with someone.)

** On safety and neighbors concerning steps 1 & 2:
With both of these pesticides I don't treat them as harmless. I wear rubber gloves when handling them and over time I have come to believe that I am using the products at responsible levels. I use a separate set of old clothes that I wear when I use them and the clothes stay sealed up in storage binds in the garage. I DO NOT use the granules in the common yard because I would not want my children seeing some little white chip and putting it in their mouths. I don't like pesticides but I also don't like my children getting stung but scorpions even more so I have found a happy medium.
On neighbors, I find it insane when people say "I have pets so I can't use that stuff". I love animals, but I don't get this comment your first thoughts should be your family, you and then your pets. Is the pet more important then something affecting your children? In the end if that's the reason you are not using something then you better not be making your backyard a safe haven for them by leaving debris out that attracts them.
You will also have the neighbor that says "I don't believe in pesticides for environmental reasons". That's fine but again, you better not be making a safe haven for them by leaving out debris that attracts them. Also ask these people about all the High Fructose Corn Syrup the put in their body.
This is another reason why you talk to your neighbors about the issue because you will find out where the critters are coming from. The funny thing is if they live next to me you better believe I'm spraying so they might as well also.

Which brings me to helpful tip number 3:
3. Look at the outside of your house and clean up any piled up rock or wood or crazy bushes. When I first moved into this house I had to move a big wood pile out to the alley in the middle of the day and I saw 4 or 5 scorpions scurry along the rocks. So clean this stuff up or make it less of a haven for them. Before you do this check your city's bulk trash pickup dates so you can time it so it doesn't sit in the alley for weeks which has the potential to attract them from your neighbors or even push them to a neighbor. My neighbors love to just throw stuff back there and it sits for a month which drives me nuts because then they complain about scorpions. Of course this is why you use the granules in the alley and also spray the alley side of the block fence, and give the shared walls a good soaking.
When you do remodeling or landscaping think about what would keep them out. Don't make it worse. To answer the lady asking about grass, you have scorpions and the only thing that will keep them at bay is if you spray and do the things Im writing about. In the last year I pulled up all the grass in the front yard because the previous owner piled up dirt 1.5 feet above the foundation and I had major bug and moisture problems. The moisture from the grass attracted bugs and the bugs attract scorpions so if you do grass I would do a small border of rock to separate it from the wall. I know that they were living in the wall so why bring the moisture up to the wall? As a guy said early in these posts if you take a wet cloth and cover the ground you will find them in the morning because they are attracted to the moisture. I am planning on extending our grass in the backyard in a couple of weeks and will use 2 foot border for this reason.

4. Buy a blacklight and search for the little buggers at night. I go out once a week and search all the cracks of the fence and around the whole house. Then I go down the alley and search the alley side of the neighbors fence. I just figure that when I find them down the alley it's one less that could come down and get into my yard. Plus you get to see which neighbors don't do anything to help. I was finding 15 or so every 2 hours when I first moved in and then after 3 months of using Cy-kick I have only seen maybe 8 total in the last two years in my yard or along my fence on both sides.

5. Seal up any openings to the house that they could crawl into. Now you can probably go too far here but I'm all about doing things so I don't have to worry about it. On old sliding windows like mine there are weep-holes that are just the right size for them to come right in. Take some metal aluminum tape and cover them up. Take off your vents and fill the cracks with spackling around where your duct work comes out and meets the drywall. You could probably use caulking for this also. I bought a roll of screen for $4.00 at Home Depot and in my daughters room I cut out a piece and taped it inside the duct work behind the vent using the aluminum tape. I don't know if they are in your duct work or not. For every person that says scorpions don't like it because it's cold or that good duct work should not have any way into it I can find you someone who said they've seen them come out of the vent. So for $4.00 I don't have to worry about it. We have a door to the outside in our bathroom that we never really use and when you look at the joints you can see daylight coming through. We plan on replacing the door when we start remodeling that bathroom but in the meantime I put up some packaging tape all around it. You don't notice it and it keeps the bad guys out. So we have scorpions, and one of the big things to remember to do is to keep your doors closed at night as you go in and out from the patio or grill and remember to close your windows before you go to bed. It sucks, I know, I would love to open them up all night and have the nice cool air come in but the reality is this just makes it easier for them to come in. Now with all the other things I've done I wouldn't freak out as much if I forgot and left them open but I still don't risk it. I lived in a townhome for 7 years before this house that was in the same scorpion area but I never had the problems that some of my neighbors had. I maybe saw them once or twice a year in the house. But for that place as I remodeled I pulled off baseboards and then reinforced the bottom of the drywall with extra screws to the studs and then caulked the gap between the floor and drywall. Then put up the baseboards and caulked the bottom of them. So the room was sealed as far as the spaces behind the baseboards. As I remodel this house Im doing the same thing.
Recently I just removed 9 inches of river rock from my backyard to make way for a larger patio by the pool and extending the grass. Just by doing that I know I have taken a huge haven for them. That river rock was nasty and a perfect home. This was 5 dump loads of rock and I sleep so much now knowing there is nothing there for them.
OK this is long enough I hope this helps anyone and again if you ever want to ask questions about what I did feel free to Email at:

Jchri66@hotmail.com

This is a secondary Email for me so forgive me if I dont respond right away. Bug and Weed Mart is where I get my supplies but Ive seen it cheaper online. Dont be afraid of the $60 price it lasts all year.

Hi,

My husband and I just moved to the Black Mountain area of Henderson NV after having lived in the general Henderson area for 3 years. We had never seen a scorpion until last night and my husband found one sitting on the wall. Unfortunately, we weren't able to kill it before it got into a crevice. I was able to get a photo of it though, for identification purposes.

Today we bought screening for the air vents (just in case), ordered some Cy-Kick, bought a black light and also some slippers to wear around the apartment so we don't step on one. Oh, I also bought some of that foam in a can to seal up the crevice where he went into. We sealed it up with heavy tape last night, but we are just trying to be sure.

I am including a link to the photo of the scorpion in hopes that someone can tell me what kind it is. I realize it isn't a very good photo, but I was only going to get so close to that thing!! If anyone has any ideas as to what type it is, your input would be greatly appreciated. Also, thanks for all of the information that has been posted here !!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1267373}}

Hi, I live in North Scottsdale, AZ. I live on a main road with open desert across the street. I agree with sealing up everything and keeping scorpion food away. But what I do, regardless of the willies I get every time, is hunt for them at night. I duct taped a cheap black light to a pvc pipe and use it to find them. Then I kill them! I cannot step on them (the crunch is gross!) so I use a stilt with a rubber bottom to squash them. I have cats, but I hate to think of them being stung. I also found a wind scorpion (same family, but not a scorpion at all) outside my kitchen window the other day. Good to know they eat scorpions, I think I'll let it stay as my guest! I put a photo of one of the scorpions that I killed on my myspace page. You can see it in the black light. Good luck all!

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.myspace.com/compatiblecanines

I didn't see this idea posted-if it has been already posted, my apologies in advance.

I've been a desert dweller for many years. Scorpions can be a huge problem some years!!!

I simply place a glue board (the kind used to catch mice) in the corner in every closet in the house. Since scorpions and sun spiders (and others) seem to like to follow the walls so to speak, they walk right into it, get stuck, and that's it. You would NOT believe the things that glue trap catches-what an eye opener!! I caught 3 kissing bugs last year-in my bedroom. I've been bitten once, I am terribly allergic to all insect stings-but this really seems to do the trick for me.

I don't use pesticides with the exception of a bug bomb under the house, spring and fall.

Just make sure you keep the closet doors closed at all times if you have pets-trying to get an entire glue board off of a cats tail with vegetable oil isn't a fun experience!

The French use lavender to deter scorpions as well as other aromatic plants. You might want to plant a bunch of these around your home. Mypetstreet.com wrote about this, as well as some other ideas for deterring bugs from a garden where pets live. You might want to also check this site out for info.
Best of luck to you. It can be frightening to think about a dog getting stung. I have been stung once and it was not pleasant!

A few thoughts:

1. Cats and dogs are rarely harmed by scorpion stings. They react much differently from humans. They may get nervous, sneeze a lot, paw at the sting site, etc but it is usually a minor issue that will go away quickly. there are exceptions, of course, and I do recommend calling your vet if your pet is stung, but there are VERY few documented cases of pets being killed by scorpions.

2. Spraying pytheroids like Cy-Kick or others is a very risky business around a home. I would NEVER do it inside. Ever. If you have to wear gloves to apply it, I would venture to say that it is not something I would want to spray around my kids or pets at any cost. Speaking from experience, these chemicals can be very irritating and not terribly effective. There are better answers, see below.

3. Sealing a house against scorpions is not very difficult. They come in looking for water and cooler air, so seal any and all air leaks around doors and windows. Scorpions cannot come in via A/C vents or plumbing - if you find them in sinks, tubs, or dropping from vents it is because they came in some other way and simply found what they were looking for. Bark scorpions are terrific climbers and aggressive hunters, which is why you will find them in your house. Scorpions can enter via very small spaces, so do a good job around doors and windows, and make sure your attic is properly screened as well.

4. I recommend using Best Yet for indoor spraying and PCO Choice for outdoors spraying. Both can be purchased from cedarcide.com. I am in no way affiliated with them, just a satisfied customer who has done a LOT of research and testing. These are the best products I have ever found, at any cost, and they are 100% completely harmless to people and pets. You can use Best Yet as an insect repellent. These products will kill scorpions (and other critters) and act as a long-lasting barrier against re-entry.

I live in SO.CAL., Canyon Country, not too far from Desert. All around me are canyons, open terrain. I have lots of mice, quails, cayotes, and other widelife.

Now and then I see a Scorpion about the house.

What I do is simple, I tend to lay Flat paper mouse GLUE traps against the baseboards through out the house. Away from CAT, in Areas where the cat won't get into. I buy the traps at at the Dollar Store, i think 3 or 5 per dollar.

These traps tend to catch many insects, lizards and scorpions. Once it even got a tarantula

{{gwi:1267376}}

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1267376}}

ALCOHOL!!!!

I live in Henderson, Nevada. We've been really battling scorpions here at the house for the last two years... I just learned this one from our babysitter who said she'd read it on a website with other "useful facts". We tried it and it really does work to kill the occasional scorpion you might not want to get close to.

1. put 70% or better Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol (undiluted) in a squirt bottle, set the bottle to stream.

2. squirt scorpion or douse it with alcohol. This works great if you're across the room or yard and you don't want to get close enough to smash it.

****Scorpions react to the "heat" of the alcohol by going into convulsions (which appears to us to look like it is stinging itself- it in fact, is not) and then they die.****

I've become a bit of an Annie Oakley with a spray bottle, but it works well- I have dogs (Jack Russells) that like to pounce on bugs, so in order to keep them away from pouncing on the "little stingers" I have to be quick on the draw. It evaporates quickly and leaves only a tiny bit of residue- doesn't seem to harm much else, and though it does seem a bit cruel, it WORKS. Nice part is, it leaves no nasty insecticide residues behind.

We HAVE tried cedar oil in the house (also harmless) and it seems to drive them away, but DOES NOT APPEAR TO KILL THEM. If you like the smell of cedar, it is a rather pleasant way to keep them at bay (but it will not affect their numbers, so they WILL be back!).

Hope this helps...

P.S. To the other Henderson residents on the forum- we just found our first TWO(!) at the house LAST NIGHT! Looks like it will be an early season!

I wanted to write this post because almost a year after encountering our scorpion roommates, we have successfully stopped their interaction with our family and felt this information should be shared. Last July my family (1 year old, 16 year old and dog) and I moved to Maricopa, Arizona. The house we bought seemed idyllic. However, after removing 3 rooms of carpet and 2 rooms of ceramic tile along with all baseboard, we discovered we had scorpions. At first we only saw one. Then after the wood floor was in and baseboards replaced we saw many, many, many more. It appears that before the remodeling they did not have an open freeway into the house however the baseboard on the wood was not sealed (was not sealed in previous house and never had a problem with scorpions or bugs) so now they had unlimited access points. We have found in our house or on our patio over 50 scorpions in less than 9 months. We found many babies which was even more frightening since they were difficult to see and it also indicated there were reproductive parents somewhere in our walls.

We had our house sprayed, "professionally sealed" (what a joke! Dont whatever you do hire Scorpion Specialist associated with Knockm Out Pest Control in Chandler, Arizona -- unprofessional, not guaranteed, and an absolute rip off) and I read numerous posts and other information on scorpions. The sealing is a must and what the Scorpion Specialist did for $1300 you can do yourself (Jchri66 recommended much of the same in his posting). After the "sealing by the specialist" we continued to find scorpions in our house. So, my husband and I re-sealed the baseboards ourselves and started doing our own pest control (we could do it more thoroughly and for less than the $90 a month we were being charged).

The two best things we did were have all the rock (1" granite) removed from around our house and back wall and place screen (nylon type used for windows) over the j-joints at the bottom of the outside wall. First, we advertised on Craigs List "free rock". We had all the rock removed and we have found very few (as in less than 4 on our backyard wall). Unfortunately, we continued to find them on our back patio. I remembered seeing somewhere to seal the openings (j-joint ?? I think it is called) at the bottom of your outside house wall. We were already certain they were in our house walls and that is why we found so many more in our house than we found outside. So we bought the netting and in a couple of hours sealed all of the holes at the base of our house wall. Now this was truly somewhat unsettling knowing we were sealing them in our house, however knowing they cant get into our living area and they cant get out they will eventually die. I wish I could say I feel sad about that. After this sealing we have not found any on our back patio (3 months) or in our back yard. Unfortunately, I found 8 dead ones in our front yard close to the wall. Now the holes (at the base of the wall) were sealed on the front as well as the back the only explanation was the 1" granite "touching" our house was providing habitat. Again, we advertised on Craigs List "free rock" the rock was removed 3 weeks ago and I have found ZERO scorpions in the front.

At this point we spray monthly with DEMAND (chemical) and only on the exterior of the house and occasionally the back wall. I feel very pleased and confident we have eliminated a great deal if not all the scorpions from our living areas. I truly believe the rock was providing habitat for the scorpions and that there is a massive infestation in our walls however by removing the habitat and preventing them from getting food and water they are not presently an issue. Good luck and thank you to all the posters for the many helpful ideas.

Any questions please feel free to email me at pollywiggl@yahoo.com please dont send any hate mail if you are a scorpion lover (I really didnt enjoy killing them as much as some of the other posters okay maybe I did a little)

We just bought a new built home in Queen Creek, AZ, which is south of Mesa. It sat empty for about a year before we purchased it. It sits on 1.25 acres and is, of course, in the desert. So far, we've found 2 scorpions in the house and several outside. Yesterday I had to water as my husband was sick so I was watering new trees we have planted. I saw a 6 inch scorpion that crawled out from under some large rocks that surround the tree I was watering. Freaked me out for sure! By the time I worked up the courage to get a rock to kill it, it had moved on and I couldn't find it. I hate these things. Both my daughter and son have been stung in the past.

We are about to start a mission to get rid of as many as possible and make our home as scorpion proof as we can in the desert. I appreciate all the ideas suggested here and we'll be giving a lot of them a try, particularly sealing the house. We have 3 dogs, two pekeingese and one large mix and are hoping the dogs are what is keeping those nasty critters out of the house. We haven't seen any inside in several months and the two we had we found in the same day after buying some stuff at a local yard sale. We think we may have brought them in with us and the stuff we purchased. We'll be careful of that in the future too.

I appreciate all the input!

Has anyone had any experience with an "Ultrasonic" device, like "Riddex"?

Please email me I'd like to hear from you, pro or con. Thanks!

imaminkie@hotmail.com

I have a dog...he just backs up when he sees one, his ears are kind of crooked, his eyes are piercing the little varmet, looks totally freaked out - so dogs are not the answer; we don't have cats; we don't have chickens - BUT - we do have area 51, don't know if that will help although it has scorched all appearance of life (wonder what they use). We have a lot of srubbery and plants...to darn lazy to do anything with them (tried stopping by a couple of home depots, but we couldn't understand each other, man did they flock to my car when I stopped - thought I was going to get mugged). So, what have I done? So far nothin, keep my eye pierced like my dog. I walk one step then stop and look then take my next step. Does anyone here know of someone who can come over and stuff my light fixtures and bomb my attic and stuff foam into the walls, and seal off my doors and windows...maybe someone who has chickens that will make a weekly trip to my place....I don't like these things! HELP!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

First I have a question on the chicken thing because I'll do anything at this point as you'll read later. Do the chickens have to be in the house all day?
OK I have a mess of scorpions that do not care where they are.
It started when I found a spider and a scorpion fighting in my bathroom and I recorded them and posted to my face book. I had a friend text me the spider was the poison one-so I had ordered these spider traps that have very sticky glue in them to determine what kind. Our area in the mountains had spiders webbing everywhere only to learn scorpions love to eat spiders-I wasn't sure which worse SCORPIANS ARE IN MY BOOK was. Well my traps became full of scorpions and I bought Wal-Mart spider spray that reads" Kills brown recluse and scorpions" not all sprays read this. It was the cheaper can as well $1.68. I sprayed the entire perimeter of the interior of my house and the next day my downstairs basement living area had 25 dead scorpions. I still have scorpions because they are still in traps and dead all around. I have no dog or cat. However I am willing to leave the chickens inside until I get home. How long do I have to keep the chickens and what to do with the chickens when scorpions are gone?

Brandy - Where do you live?

Start by caulking all outside cracks around windows, the base of the siding, vents, pipes, and door frames. Keeping them outside is easier than killing them inside.

Inside, caulk the baseboards, door frames, window frames and all areas where pipes and vents enter.

Reduce the attraction by reducing their food supply - cockroaches and crickets attract scorpions.

Get rid of their outdoor habitat: clutter, piles of lumber, etc.

I realize that this is an old thread now but thought I'd relate my experience with the critters. I had a great many scorpions on the property and some would show up in the house. I started using a portable 'blacklight' to find them after dark. They 'shine' with the blacklight, I'd zap them with a spray and go on. The first few nights I killed many. Each evening there were fewer and after about 8 or 9 days I didn't find any outside. This seemed to do the trick inside the house also. At first, I would spend 30 0r 40 minutes on the 'hunt' and it seemed worth it. Good luck.

I too know this is an old thread but I thought I would share my experience. I have lived in Vegas for 6 years now and moved into a house by Jones & Cheyenne never saw a scorpion before except at a pet store or movies until I moved there. When I moved in the owner told me about the last tenants how they left it a mess and just left everything and moved out and asked me not to do the same thing, I thought it was strange but who knows what their story was. As I was moving in I saw a scorpion in the backyard and mentioned it to the owner who acted surprised so I thought it was just a freak thing. I called Swat co. and got them out there right away, and they said if I saw any bugs to call them, so I saw another one this time in the house so I called them back, next thing you know I was calling them back daily, they said they can't kill them unless they sprayed them directly, then they left these little things all over the house that looked like hot pocket covers which never caught anything except my 5 year old sons attention and my cats, he told me not to worry that their sting is just like a bee sting, and that no other company could guarantee to get rid of them. After seeing many more, I got tired of telling my son to always keep his shoes on (it was summer and hot) and not reach around stuff he can't see, but I had to let a boy be a boy and thought well if he got stung it would sting for a little bit and he would learn. I started what I thought was my own thing but after reading through the posts it's not that uncommon, My daughter and I called it "Scorpion Hunting" at night we found at least 10-15 everyday inside and out, so I thought the more I kill the less chance any one of us would get stung, but it was scary. They were everywhere inside, & outside, on the ceiling, next to my sons dresser, the walls, in the kitchen they are nasty little critters and can move very quickly. I'm a single mom and didn't know about the spray bottle alcohol thing so I got a can of hair spray and a lighter....gotta do what I gotta do.... I finally had enough because it seemed to take over my life everywhere I looked there was one, I felt like I was getting obsessed, so I decided to move out and break my lease. I had to save money to move & didn't pay rent that month so I could move, the owners came over furious and when I called the cops they made them leave and I showed them the can of scorpions I fried and found, funny thing cause he seamed surprised when I first moved in but he told the cops he was aware of them and that he knew they were everywhere but that I still owed the rent, the cops told him to get off the property and go to court. I had already found a place, went to court and explained to the judge the circumstances and she gave me more time, to go through my stuff, it felt funny bringing a bag of a bunch of fried scorpions to court.... The day I rented the uhaul I reached into my pantie drawer and for some reason I opened it further (who really cares what color panties your wearing when your moving right?) and then WHAM it felt like someone hammered a nail into my hand, I reached in to see if there was any broken wood slivers but found nothing sharp, thank God that nasty thing didn't get me again, because I woke my daughter up and told her I thought I was stung, she thought because of all the stress I was under I may have imagined it, until further examination, there he was we saw him slithering away but couldn't get him. I went to the hospital as a precaution, by then my hand was burning soooo bad and they said it would hurt for about 10 hours. It felt like a million needles and radiated all the way up to my shoulder and it burned too, my son touched my arm and it felt like fire, this lasted for 16 hours, I was rolling back n forth on the ground in pain, this was no bee sting (I've been stung by bees and wasps they are nothing compared to this scorpion sting, and I know pain I've have 4 kids) I showed a pic to the doctor at the hospital and he said it was a bark scorpion and they would have to go to the zoo to get the anti-venom if I had a serious reaction. After a couple hours I left the hospital and had to return the uhaul (waste of money) but even after 16 hours the pain was still there, but all of a sudden I felt like I couldn't breath and couldn't straighten my legs and started to cry for no reason (I almost never ever cry) and my toungue swelled up and it was hard to talk, I called the hospital and they told me to call poison control which I did and they suggested me to call 911, I guess I didn't because I didn't want to scare my kids anymore than they already were and we were in our new place, but I did stay up all night because I was too afraid to go to sleep and if it got worse while I was sleeping not be able to breathe, I couldn't think straight and felt very confused. The next day I had friends take apart my dresser which my late mother left me and of course I was going to keep but they found 4 more scorpions in there but not the one who stung me. So needless to say I left the house the same way the last tenants did, I left everything because I didn't want to bring the nasty critters to my new home and worry about it all over again, its a nightmare to live through, it is still sad to this day because there was some very sentimental things my mother left me but I was too afraid to look through the boxes. And it was really sad to see they had rented the place out within a couple weeks after I left, I stopped by to talk to the new tenants and warn them but they didn't speak English and couldn't understand me. I know there are a lot of different types of scorpions here cause we live in the desert but if you start seeing them around or in your home just make sure they are not the venomous bark scorpions, especially if you have small children. I feel the owners could have at the least warned me and gave me the opportunity to make that decision because I had a small child which it could have been deadly to him. I guess I really don't have any advise here except maybe before you go renting or buying a place, talk to the neighbors, do a "Scorpion Hunting" at night, or ask your future landlord to be Honest.... Cause I wouldn't wish that pain on anyone not even my worst enemy.... I've done my research and what I've found out is they come out and hunt at night, if you see them during the day they are lost and can't find their way back "home", and the bug companies spray can't kill them because unlike spiders and other insects they don't ever clean themselves to lick the insecticides off to ingest the poison, they say the powder is the only thing that works if they happen to cross it because it scratches their shell and dehydrates them to death, and they are not aggressive and only sting if provoked, they can live for 6 months to a year on one meal (so if you've left your stuff in storage and paid the fees for a year and feel it's safe to bring your stuff to your new home it may not be) they can live for 6 to 25 years, and mating season is in the spring which can produce 25 or more per scorpion, they also can't handle the cold but too bad it never gets cold long enough in Vegas to handle that problem.... Just be careful if you have small children or elderly persons living in your home its been almost two years since I was stung and it still seams like yesterday. I can barley remember my own kids birthdays but I will never forget the day I was stung May 16, 2009, I'm just kidding :-) and another funny thing is thank God I was stung on my hand because it definitely could have been a lot worse :-) Good luck too everyone who has to deal with these nasty scorpions, I pray I NEVER see one again....

Just moved to Phoenix in Jan, rented a home in Chandler , now that it has warmed up have been seeing more scorpions, first in the garage then the side of the house, walking across the patio and now one crawling on the bedroom floor. I came from ND so these things freak me out called the exterminator and will try boric acid, but I have killed them with a bottle of 409 lemon all purpose cleaner, just incase you want to try this.

PLEASE SOMEBODY TELL ME HOW TO RID SCORPIONS, MOST ARE LITTLE BITTY BABY ONES AND A BIG ONE EVER ONCE IN A WHILE BUT MOSTLY IN OUR DAUGHTER'S ROOM, OUR HOUSE IS JUST ABOUT 5 YEARS OLD NO ONE HAS THIS PROBLEM BUT US, I HAVE A BOXER WITH HUGH ALLERGYS AND WORRIED HE AND DAUGHTER WILL GET BITTEN AND SUFFER PROBLEMS, WE ARE IN N. TEXAS, HOW DO WE GET RID OF THEM. WHY ? FROM TIME TO TIME WE SEE THEM MOSTLY WHEN IT STARS GETTING WARM AND HOT HERE... HELP !!!!! SCARED IN TEXAS >>>> THANK YOU

I love all the stupid responses. Move! That's the only solution. I've had them in both my homes in Summerlin. Nothing works except to kill them as they come.

I wanted to explain three items that are commonly incorrect.

1. Poisonous = you ingest and get sick or die.. Or as I learned 'you bite it'
2. Venomous = it injects venom. Or, 'it bites you'.
Example: a rattlesnake is venomous as it will bite you and inject venom.

Many biologist get this incorrect on TV and drives me nuts.

3. Using oil based pest control is one way to kill scorpions, as their bellies
rub the surface and is softer able to absorb chemical.

Sorry for the rant, just educating.

1. Scorpions don't bite, they sting.
2. If you live or have moved into an area where scorpions live, you are the intruder. They were there first.
3. There are no "deadly" scorpions in the U.S. Yes their sting is very uncomfortable but it's not fatal.
Why all the freak out and fear? Just scoop them up in a dust pan and gently deposit them outside. Scorpions play a vital role in our natural world. I have family, pets and have lived and gardened in a "scorpion zone" for years. You really have to work at to get stung.
Respect them as you would other life. Why not learn about them? They're quite interesting little creatures.

I live in vegas in the NW.. I was stung on my right foot (driving foot) it swelled fast and did not stop swelling, it felt like someone shot my foot.. I've had a lot of painfull things in life and this makes the top of my list. Me and the scorpion took a trip to ER (we thought the dr. Should see the type of scorpion that got me) Dr. Said it is very rare but some can kill you.. I never had a fear for these guys till I got stung.. I wish I could get a chicken because that seems like the way to go but I live in a city and not on a farm LOL..

I have an old rented house in Istanbul Turkey. In past 2 weeks 4 scorpions,,,all black about 3 inches including tail. I am worried about family, now we don't move around barefeet.....I plan to use BORIC acid as recommended by many above,,,,is that going to work....Moreover how poisonous are these black ones...does anybody know? As for comments above I am confused about the chickens...wd they not be contaminated themselves..I mean their eggs with venom?

This was scary. We live west of Phoenix on the western edge of Litchfield Park. It was night and I was standing in front of the john relieving myself when a large scorpion dropped from the ceiling vent fan and missed my head by on fractions of an inch. This critter landed in the bowl and just hung there motionless in the water. I thought it was dead until I flushed the john and it attached itself to side of the toilet bowl and wouldn't let go and it wouldn't go down. It took 3 flushes before it could no longer hang on to the sides and finally went bye-bye. Man, that thing was big, about 4 inches long. And to think it could have landed on my head. That critter would have hung there for a long time when I think about how difficult it was to flush down the drain.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion I listened to yours now you listen to mine. I am not a violent person but mmgirl I'd like to slap some sense in to you after reading your post. Want to know what all the freak out is all about. It is almost 1am and I can't sleep want to know why? About a week ago I was sleeping and got stung on the hand I was in pain for two days only after 24 hours was the pain somewhat tolerable. And you want me to "gently deposit it outside" I would have shot it with a cannon had I had one handy. Do you still think that I worked at it to get stung I was sleeping for crying out loud.

Tonight I was watching tv in my bed and yep once again a scorpion was on my thigh this time. You have got to be kidding me thinking I would remove it gently and place it outside. Should I share a glass of wine before or after it bites me once again?

They may play a vital role in our natural world but if it hurts me or mine I hurt it and theirs nevermind the natural world and them being interesting.

This is all out war, I am taking advice of one of the previous posters and going out tomorrow morning getting a butane torch and a black light and if it moves it's dead be it an ant, cockaroach, cricket I don't care it is dead.

By the way I never even kill daddy long leg spiders when they are in my house I relocate them that goes to show you I don't go out of my way to disturb nature until now.

I'll let you know how it goes, may even have a scorpion scavenger hunt, think of all the satisfaction I'll get exterminating that which caused me great pain. I am only thankful it didn't get one of my pets.

After reading all the posts, I feel like a complete wimp, but am going to do my best to get rid of them anyway. The scorpions in my house are maybe 1/2 to 1 inch in length. They seem to live on the ceiling in corners - curled up in a ball - thought it was a hole at first - and since I had just painted was not happy about the hole. Sometimes I think I would have preferred the hole LOL! Have now found 3 of them in a 2 week period, as well as 2 centipedes, so it is war now,. Thanks for the advice, I plan to have all the potenial entrances into the house sealed and the outside sprayed. Don't like any animals in the house, cats dogs, or chickens, so will have to get rid of the food supply :) I will miss the lizards that live out front!

August 2011 I bought some diatomaceous Earth (food grade)at ACE Hardware for 25$ for 50 pounds. I use it with a duster behind washer, dishwasher, refrigerator, cracks in garage floors and garage crevaces. Also all around outside of home and in where ground meters... are. Next day I used in attic. There is still 45 pounds left and no scorpions. The bathroom exhaust fans were covered with filters from home depot for $3. I have no scorpions. Also dusted where dead floral debris is outside. Note: wear a mask and gloves. DE is natural but don't breath the dust in. You can also do windowsills and make sure lights above anywhere you have a faucet is plugged (in the attic) those critters have a @#$% sense when it comes to water nearby.

Great stories, here is mine. We called a friend who is an exterminator, he came over one night and dusted all cracks, joints in the frame and foundation, columns in our block wall fence, and any other area he suspected scorpions would live. This took him about 10 mins to cover the outside and garage. This dust he told me, not only kills but also forced the scorpions out of their hiding place. While he did his initial dusting he found 6 which he collected and placed on a glue board. He then power sprayed the yard and garage with another chemical that would finish the job and allow to linger on the property, fence, and walls for another month or so pending rain.

I have 3 kids under 8 years old so I did not want them to be stung so I asked if there was anything else I needed to do. He recommended doing a scorpion hunt every couple of days. He told me the issue is not my house. We have been exterminating for a year and there are no bug. The issue is my backyard fence backs up to a retirement facility and over the fence is a retention are with bushes and rocks, a perfect home for scorpions. My neighbors and I who back up to this retention area all have scorpion issues.

Since I have been using my buddies exterminating co. (Lights Out Exterminating, Owner is Jason tell him Roger sent you) and doing a hunt once in a while I have seen no scorpions in the house and only a couple out on the fence wall next to the retention area every other hunt. The frequency use to be 3 to 4 a hunt. I use to see them also in the block wall directly next to my home and in the bushes outside of my bedroom window but now no more, just on the fence next to the retention area. One of these day I will talk to someone in charge of that facility and have them be more proactive in that area. They probably don't know they are causing us issues on this side of the fence. I use a can of scorpion killer from Ace Hardware, it's only $6 and all you need to do is shoot the scorpion once, don't drown him in it. I've had the same can for 4 months. I hear any petroleum based spray will work. Anything to seep in between their armor. This will either kill them strait or they go crazy and sting themselves for lack of a better analogy. Also, be sure to also buy a black light with at least 30 LEDs. Anything less is not bright enough in my opinion.

One other thing I've done was to make sure there were no air gaps in all the door jams and where pluming enter the home, ie. sinks, toilet, laundry, water heater, and water softener. The scorpions in the heat of the summer would scene cool air drafting from tiny cracks and under doors and I hear that is why they end up in the home. I replaced or fixed the door jams and foam sprayed the inside and outside pluming. I'm guessing this is reversed in the winter time, too.

Maybe I missed it in the other posts but do Geckos eat scorpions? I have never seen them actually eating one but I have live in AZ for 14 years and normally the geckos are scrawny and only about 3" long. In this house they are 6" and plump. I use to see them all over. I found one caught in a glue board recently in my garage, it was sad, he was still alive. I tried to get him off, he was huge but he was a goner. There numbers seem to be diminishing since the scorpion population has decreased. I hope this will help some of you. If you are using an exterminator and he only comes out and sprays during the day and it doesn't seem to be helping give Jason a call. He comes out at night when the scorpions are out. He will also educate you and take the time to completely access your issue. The other exterminators I used in the past never identified the retention area and this is were I find them all of the time now.

Okay I'll throw my hat in with an adventurous solution if anyone is up to it.

There is a Gecko called the Tokay Gecko that will eat just about anything. A friend of mine had a cockroach problem in his appartment so I recomended he try a Tokay Gecko. He got one from a pet store let him loose and soon his appartment was totally pest free!
after a few months the Gecko showed up on the floor one morning looking hungry so my friend captuered him put him in a small terrarium and he has had a great pet for many years now (he now feeds him crickets).

In many tropical countries the geckos are considered good luck and are welcome in the house because they eat scorpions and large centepedes! The Tokay Gecko is one of the biggest (5"-8")and most aggressive Geckos and is nocturnal. He will eat all the pests in your house! It will stay in warm areas of your home like behinde a fridge all day and hunt at night.

But they are not friendly and dont like attention and will bite if you try to hold them.

Many pet stores will take geckos back if the gecko life doesn't suit you. and that's probably the "greenest" pest control method you can find ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokay_gecko

dj

I moved to the Phoenix area about a year ago and into a house that was infested with scorpions and giant roaches. I knew from a previous experience, living in Texas, that poisons were not a good solution. At least not a permanent one and I didn't want to poison my family or my dog. Since I knew that oils from plants were good bug repellants I mixed up a couple quarts of water with about ten drops each of lavender, mint, cedar, geranium and clove essential oils along with a few drops of dish detergent. It has to be real essential oil. I sprayed it along the base boards, where pipes came into the house and around doors and window sills, inside and out. The roaches and scorpions disappeared for about two weeks so I sprayed again and then again after about a month. That was about 8 months ago and I haven't seen a roach or a scorpion. I don't think the spray kills them but the bugs seem to hate it. I never see anything in my house, not even a spider (no spider webs either). The geckos don't come in the house anymore either. As a proactive measure, I'm going to spray again soon since spring is around the corner. I am assuming the oil spray works because it rids the house of the scorpions food supply so they stay outside where there are things for them to eat. I don't care why it works, it just does, and without having to worry about subjecting my family to poison. Insects are beneficial and I don't mind them in the yard, they just need to stay where they belong, which is not in my house.

Black lights work great! We have fun with it. We get a metal container cause they can't seen to crawl out, then we let them kill each other! The ones that survive usually die soon after when left out in the sun. However some can live for quite sometime even without water. Chickens and some other birds such as peacocks and turkeys can help keep them away. You have to have enough for the property though. We recently had to put 2 of ours down and are starting to see a couple scorpions so purchased 2 turkeys to help out. As far as the diatematious? Earth, it is not toxic. It I actually great for fleas and flies also. You can put it in dog food and it will help keep fleas off the dogs and flies away from their feces. It is safe to put around it the yard even with animals. Scorpions are attracted to wood piles. I have found if you have a fireplace or use a wood burning grill it is best to stack wood somewhere away from the house. Try to keep the peremeter of the house clear of clutter. Rake leaves around house, especially under bushes, and use rocks rather than wood chips in flower gardens.

Hello, someone claims they killed scorps regularly with 70% IPA rubbing alcohol.

We are moving into a home where I have killed (outside) more than a dozen scorps on a 1/10th acre lot. mostly by blacklighting. the Terro spray from Lowe's does work. Rubbing alchohol only irritates them. Case in point: I found one in the water meter box and grabbed him with a sticky trap(glue board) I folded the glue board and stuck it and him to a post right next to my sleeping chicken who I left in the backyard to scratch temporarily. I sprayed him multiple times last night with 70% Isopropyl Alchohol.... on his belly (because his backside was stuck to the trap. I even stabbed him in the belly with knife so some guts came out. Next morning he was still there but wiggled his legs when touched. I moved him to a wall where the chicken was scratching in gravel... THEN the hen saw his legs move and had her "hors d'ourves" snack. The chickens would not respond to it at night with blacklight illumination nor with white lite illumination. Even though they some used to jump down off thier roosts and go after roaches in the coop when I caught em in open by turning on the light... Maybe if I had picked up scorp with tongs and placed it in front of hens letting it crawl away, they prolly wouldve gone after it but alas, it was already stuck to a glue board and was not gonna come off that in one piece.

Glue boards, caulking, Delta dust into crevices where service plumbing and electrical goes behind false walls of cupboards yet... Delta Dust is a pro product but can order online. lasts eight months can stand to get wet(returns to effective dust after drying-- rather than dissolving) but I wouldnt use it under fridge or anywhere pets can sniff it out and into lungs... Good luck

This blog is the best I've read and has the most info. Here's my 2 cents. We've lived in east Mesa, AZ only 3 months, and have gotten 70+ scorpions. I too hate the little critters.
Bunk to people who say "gently release them." You will just compound the problem. I've come to look at them as "roach-wasps" because I'm creeped out by how they look. We've sprayed, but poisons don't seem to work. I've sprayed them with alcohol, but that seems to take about two days. I put borax around the house perimeter, but can't be certain if it works, we haven't found any live ones in the house. We put glue boards in the garage, and have caught quite a few that way. We regularly hunt with a black light, this is the surest method, and put them in a glass jar to die in the sun. Always KILL them! They are as prolific as roaches, and roaches and scorpions were found to survive at ground zero of nuclear bomb test sights! We have grass, and they seem to be around it, so I am having all sod removed. I believe it is the moisture and bugs in it they like. If you haven't seen a scorpion, you haven't looked. Also GET YOUR NEIGHBORS ON BOARD! That's my next project, since I'm the newbie. There is a website that shows scorpion volumes in the Phoenix metro area with red circles, but I caution you about the data - it is just what is reported by exterminators, so if there has not been extermination it wouldn't show up - it is incomplete data. Also a few blogs talk about how many are inside. If they are inside, there are more outside. You MUST go outside and hunt them! I've read that lavendar and rosemary act as repellants, so I am going to try to plant some. Same with wild onion. I'm going to get some cedar oil for inside the house. Our seller's disclosure just said they had seen a few outside - not sure if they just didn't know, or didn't want to know! But if you don't control them they will get out of control! Just like anything... So, you must fight them, diligently. Get a black light and do it. Our first night we got about 20, and steadily it has declined, after twelve weeks we are down to about 2 per week. If you have them in your house, I think you will be stunned when you go outside at night to see what/where the real problem is. Fight/Kill, Fight/kill! You wouldn't protect a roach, would you? Roaches, ants and scorpions will all outlive us. Have no mercy! they don't have any mercy on you.... Oh, and remember, they supposedly hibernate in winter, so make sure you stay on your issue for a full year. I dread getting stung as I have terrible allergies. But I feel better about what we have accomplished in just three months, and I have steadily reduced my fear. All thanks to this blog. Thanks for all the input, and Good Luck!

See www.pestborders.com finally a safe way to fully prevent scorpions and other insects from entering your home and yard

Just want to put in a good word for scorpions. I have lived in the Texas Hill Country outside of Austin for fifteen years. We have a lot of scorpions but not the poisonous kind.
THEY EAT COCKROACHES. Also they eat young giant north american centipedes which we also have and are more poisonous. So, I often don't even put them out. We don't have cockroaches and we don't use chemicals or anything. That is unusual in the south.
I have been stung about ten times in fifteen years but only once did it hurt longer than a few minutes (tip of thumb from scorpion in my gardening glove)..It's usually not even as bad as a bee sting...

we just bought an older home and began remodeling. it wasn't long before we started seeing a scorpion here and there in the house. just before actually moving in we thought it would be a good idea to get a black light and check the outside of the house to see if we could find a couple and kill them before they could find their way in. what we found was we had a HUGE problem. our yard and block wall was infested with them. the first night my fianckilled about 2 dozen using a blow torch and that was just on the ground. but with the dry weather it was not a good idea. so I started doing internet research. I found some really helpful information. I ordered a chemical called CY Kick on line. he sprayed 47 of those buggers, the problem with that is it takes about 24 hours to kill them. but the thing that works best we found out by accident. We were spraying for the bugs that feed the scorpions using Raid wasp and hornet spray and sprayed a scorpion that happened to be the way. it killed it immediately!! so tonight my fiancé armed with his black light and a can of Raid went back out to the yard and sprayed everything that glowed. tonight's count was about was WAY too many for me but a lot less than 47. but what did surprise us was we found some with babies on their backs and we didn't know they bred this late in the year. I've lived in AZ for 30 years and this is the first time I've had scorpions inside or even saw them outside. I got stung a couple weeks ago and that was not fun. I'm going to buy a case of Raid!

I'm in the mountains east of San Diego and I swear on live in vector central. My main problem are black widow spiders, but I regularly find and dispatch scorpions with extreme prejudice. The land is a citrus grove that backs to an open space preserve, so there is nature for scores of acres in almost every direction. Doesn't help that the landscaping around the house is overgrown and rife with rocks and dead leaves. My landlord lives on the same parcel and likes the way things are (read: is too cheap to do anything about the mess) so I am left to my own devices when it comes to killing nasty bugs. At first, there didn't seem to be very many benign bugs and the evil, poisonous ones had pretty much taken over. I truly believe the problem had been compounded by my landlord's willy-nilly approach to spraying pesticides that killed the lizards and frogs and toads and any good bugs that might have helped balance the local insect population. I have literally killed dozens of black widows in a single night. Fortunately, through dint of considerable effort and perseverance, I sense the tide may be shifting

Since scorpions and black widows are active at night, that's when I hunt. I go out most evenings - the later the better, as it gives more of the creepy crawlies a chance to get out and about where I can spot them. My weapon of choice is a small butane canister attached to a long hose that comes with a handheld, click-start torch on the end. I bought the whole thing as a kit at Home Depot for about $70 - I think it is used for soldering plumbing connections, but it makes an ideal bug killer. I really like the torch as a method of vector control - it's possible to hone in on a very small area and specific threat, there is no pesticide residue and when I kill something, I KNOW it's dead. I have even gotten good at flaming suspicious-looking cracks just enough to flush out anything that might be lurking within and find it works very well for vaporizing spider webs.

I tuck the tank under my left arm, put a small, but very bright, led flashlight (and/or blacklight flashlight) in my left hand and wield the click-start torch end with my right. I've gotten very proficient at spotting - and neutralizing - any threat around the perimeter of my house including anything on the walls, patios or out on the driveway. On nights where we have been lucky enough to have had a soaking rain, I'll extend my hunt further out in the yard and surrounding areas where it is typically too dry and dangerous to be running around with an unshielded flame thrower. Sometimes, too, I'll just lug a bucket of water around with me as insurance to douse any accidental flare ups.

I've been at this for a number of months now and I truly believe I am making a dent in the local populations of both spiders and scorpions. I rarely ever find anything inside the house anymore and very little outside. I've gotten to the point where I'll turn on all the patio lights just to lure the bastards in so I can kill them. On a positive note, now that I have nixed the pesticide spraying, I've noticed an uptick in the preying mantis population along with the occasional wind scorpion and even a lizard or two. I used to kill the wind scorpions as well, until I researched them and found they were essentially harmless and good bug hunters. Unless I find them in the house - then all pretense of civility evaporates and they - as are all others - are at the mercy of The Shoe.

OMG, you are loaded for bear ... errr, make that scorpion ... aren't you? LOL!

My problem was living in Puerto Rico - CENTIPEDES.

Not the little skinny ones that hide in cracks and crevices. These are big enough to carry off your cat, and have to be killed with a machete - a very big, thick HEAVY machete wielded by someone with considerable strength and verve.

I hated the centipedes. They could be hiding ANYWHERE and a sting could make you very sick, and could kill cats, dogs, pets, and sometimes small children or elderly or ill people. Not to be messed with or tolerated in your home, I assure you.

Here is a link that might be useful: This is the MINI size

I had a friend tell me that brake cleaner, the kind that comes in a spray can from your auto parts store to clean rotors and brake pads., kills scorpions and black widows. I have had several chances to try it out on both black widows which one short burst the spider was dead within 15 seconds. On scorpions they start stinging themselves and within 30 seconds they are dead. It works better then any spider killer spray that I have used. My other method is going out at night with 36" grabbers I bought at Home Depot to pick them up with and hold on the ground while I step on them, or cut them in half with a knife if sticking out of cracks. My black light was ordered and it's much more powerful then any lights I bought locally and cost $42.57. You just keep going out a few times each night and it may take a while and they will be gone and as stated above remove their food source first. For inside the home I use Tom Cat Scorpion Traps. I have never had a scorpion in my home however my sister has and that is where I go to hunt them.

I understand that this isn't a solution for everybody, but I've read through this whole thread and am surprised that nobody has mentioned it. Let a kingsnake or two loose in your back yard. They eat all sorts of vermin and will stay away from you. We had chickens for a few years (city girls, they wouldn't even eat a slug- wiped their beaks on the grass after one peck, so they were useless for bug control) and the mice moved in en masse, enjoying the chicken feed.. One night my husband was grilling and called me outside- big old escaped pet kingsnake was coiled up near the grill. It wasn't a kind that's native to here- bright red, white, and black- and we let him be. That kingsnake completely cleaned the mice out of the yard, and then disappeared as quietly as it came in. And they'll eat scorpions.

Sadly they will also eat chicks and eggs. But you can probably snake-proof your chicken coop if you're serious about it. The thing is they might still get in during the day - which wouldn't be a problem normally because wild kuntry chickens think that's Meals on Wheels. But with your dainty ladies, could be an issue.

I'm thinking of moving to Vegas. We're teachers and are gone all day. My dogs are trained to use a doggy door, which works well for all of us. I'm worried that scorpions and doggy doors may not be a good mix. What do you all think?

http://www.bulwarkpestcontrol.comDoggy doors are not going to be a primary entrance for scorpions. Scorpions don't typically climb doors as most doors are too slick. You should be fine there. You can check out scorpion areas by visiting http://scorpionreport.org, It is a website developed by Bulwark Exterminating.

Scorpions are a big deal in Las Vegas, but if will treat regularly or hire a professional pest control service to do it for you, then you do just fine.

The only person that knows what they are talking about is "campfool", the small yellowish colored bark scorpions can and are the only scorpian that climb walls and across ceilings,they don't come in thru plumbing ,drains or ac/heating vents but from around the outside of these ( seal with expanding foam insulation),they do not have nests or hibernate they live in colonies and as "camp fools"said have and carry their young with them until old enough to survive on own,they can fit/squeeze thru an opening the thickness of a credit card,if you deplete food source you have much better control over getting rid of them,cats and chickens will eat them but they can also be severely hurt and maybe even die from the venom,the sprays don't work well because the scorpian just crawls off before it can be killed,best way is ". If you control food source you control whatever the predator is that eats it." The bug sprays and granules kill roaches,crickets,ants,spiders,beetles, these are what the scorpians eat. Scorpions can live without water about 2 mos or more and food up to 6 mos. They come into house for warmth and water. They are found in your tub,sinks because they smell(?) water and are drawn to these areas.If you are having them in your bed push bed away from wall making sure no covers are touching floor,use mosquito netting,and put legs of bed in large glass jars so they cannot climb up them,smooth clean glass is the only thing the bark scorpian cannot climb on.Every living being/creature has a purpose!

linywiny is right. Kill the food source and you will eliminate the scorpions. We are in Arizona and giant water bugs come in the house to get away from heat or (occasional) rain and the scorpions will follow. However, if you don't want to use pesticides in your house, mix up a quart of water, one drop of liquid detergent and several drops of essential oils such as clove, cedar oil, eucalyptus and geranium. Spray around your doors and window sills, under the sinks around the pipes, around pet doors, inside A/C vents, your dryer vent and anywhere else you can think of. Do that once or twice a month. The bugs hate the stuff and won't cross it and the scorpions won't have a reason to come in. We went from running from scorpions daily to seeing one once or twice a year. Works better and cheaper than a pest control service (which did not help at all) and is much better for "your" environment.

I called Terminex, they came out Thursday and by Friday the scorpions were found dead & spiders, which is what they eat.

This is a little long, but we’ve been at this for a while so
I didn’t want to miss anything that would help someone else get a “scorpion-infested” home back to livable. We live in Southern New Mexico and have Arizona bark scorpions that started to appear in our home about 7 years ago, probably from a
batch of soil brought into the neighborhood. They are amazing insects, but I
don’t like them in my house. The sting is venomous and feels worse than a bee
sting…maybe it’s as bad as a wasp sting. I was reminded of this a few days ago
when one stung me in bed after dropping from the light fixture onto the bed in
the early morning hours. It makes you feel awful. I couldn’t do anything for a
day. Bark scorpions crawl up the outside walls of a home or drop onto the roof from
trees and slip into the eaves and the crawlspace. I’ll live with them being in
my closed crawlspace (if it weren’t closed I would probably apply some sort of
repellent such as Cedarcide), but not ok when they find cracks into the home
and drop down onto us from light fixtures.

I was impressed with this article; it lists all the steps
that are most effective at controlling scorpions. https://survivallife.com/get-rid-scorpions/
The three most effective ways for us in our home have been the following: (Note-We
don’t have problems like we did the other night if we don’t get lax on this.)

#1-Eliminate as much habitat as possible close to the house.
We didn’t tear out all our bushes or anything crazy like that, but we did find
that when we removed a struggling old gigantic mulberry tree from the backyard
that was overhanging the roof, our problems diminished tenfold. They seem to
like some trees better than others. We still find them outside on our mulberry
tree in the front yard and once in a while on our pecan tree, but not on other
trees. Hmmm.

#2- VERY IMPORTANT Seal everything you can inside the house.
This includes light fixtures, air ducts (between where the duct meets the
drywall), outlet boxes, even between the stove hood and the wall (one dropped
out of there yesterday). Anywhere you can think of. It can take a little bit of
time, but is HIGHLY EFFECTIVE. I was stung this last time because we had only
put tape on screw holes that were on the outside of the light fixture. It
crawled in between the gap that is present between the rectangle electrical box
and the drywall circle that was cut into the ceiling; it then probably slipped
out between the light fixture metal casing and the ceiling, dropping into the glass
light cover and then that’s a short journey to crawl out of the glass cover and
drop onto your bed. To properly seal, you need to remove the metal light fixture
casing and tape over the entire rectangular electrical box and entire drywall hole. We
use aluminum tape because it can withstand any heat from the fixture, and then
replace the fixture. Or, alternatively, caulk around the outside of the metal
casing fixture with a bead against the ceiling. We had done this in all of the
other rooms, except the guest room where I was sleeping that night. (Don't tell our previous guests! Yikes! Better me than them, thank goodness.)

#3-see following post...

#3-Scorpions seem to be more active during a full moon. I
mark this on my calendar and it’s a reminder to do two things a) Do a scorpion
hunt outside with black light and screwdriver AND then spray the walls of the
house and the eaves with Cedarcide outdoors product b) spray Cedarcide indoors
product around the doorframes, especially coating the threshold lip. I don’t
spray around screens because we don’t leave those open most of the time. We have found Cedarcide product to be very
effective, but it is kind of pricey (not as pricey as exterminator visits and
also much more environmentally and people/pet friendly). In the last seven
years, though, we have only had to purchase one gallon of the outdoor product
($200) and one gallon of the indoor product ($100). I’m about to purchase
another gallon of the indoor. I’m considering using a repellent recipe online,
e.g. this https://lovelovething.com/homemade-scorpion-repellant/,
but am wavering because I’m not sure if it will be as effective as the Cedarcide.
It’s the cedar oil that is key, though.