Arizonans- question about scorpions

[Tooblessed]

Cats are the best answer for scorpions. We hire an exterminator if we have a lot of crickets as that is what they generally eat. Also don't let things pile up by the house outside or you will get spiders, black widows etc.
In our new house we have found 2 dead ones in our garage but none living.

We found one in our bathroom on Christmas eve a few years back. Scared the --- out of me as I was walking around in the dark and dh is the one who saw it move and turned on the light.

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

luvflorida,
Try not to be so terrified. I know, easier said than done. I've only been stung once and it was not that bad. I would take a scorpion sting over a yellow jacket sting ANYTIME!! As soon as I got the lime juice on the sting, almost all of the pain went away. I was loading rocks in a wheel barrow when I got stung (like an idiot, wasn't wearing gloves at the time). As soon as my hand stopped hurting (15 minutes), I was back outside searching through that wheel barrow and found the scorpion that stung me, and killed him!! It truly was not that painful, nothing like I imagined it would be. I will also take scorpions over poisonous spiders anytime. I am scared to death of them and actually had nightmares weekly until we hired Terminix to get rid of them.

I also agree with the PP who mentioned using the black lights. They work well for searching areas for scorpions. Good luck. I hope you never see another one.

 

[IDoDis]

I live in NM.
I was on my knees in the kitchen last week wiping down the tile grout when a sun scorpion crawled right in front of me. It was a baby, so I lightly smushed it and then put it in a ziplock baggie because I wanted to compare pics on the internet to see what it was. It didn't look like a regular scorpion so I wasn't sure.

I was at a garage sale last summer a few blocks away and noticed a scorpion in a corner of the person's garage. It was very close to where the home owner was sitting in her chair. When I pointed it out to her, she jumped up, grabbed a shoe and tried to kill it. The scorpion got away (still in her garage). The poor lady was freaking out.

We've also had a couple of black widows in and around our house before. Now those are scary! One was hiding in a corner of DS's large super soaker water gun that had been in the closet since last summer. Good thing I saw it when I pulled the super soaker out of the closet before DS got a hold of it! The other one was climbing up our sliding glass patio door. It was on the outside, so when we saw it, the red hour glass was completely visible.

 

[Bareacuda]

I've lived in AZ for the past 30+ years, most of them in Western Az.
We have had 2 scorpions in our home. 1 stung my dog on her ear and the other one was found in a cardboard box that was from another location.

We save tons of money by not using an extermanator spraying. Several times a year DH scatters diatomaceous earth (for pools) around the outside of the house. The DE cuts the scorpions bellies and the die. DE is not dangerous to cats/dogs or kids or grass/ bushes. In some old trouble spots in the house (garage) we put a small dusted line at the garage door.
I havent seen 1 in 18 years or so.

Good luck to all! PS: DE is all natural.

Ann

 

[Disney-Kim]

We have been in AZ for 12 years and have never had one in our house ***knocking on wood*** but we have them at my work. They scare the you know what out of me. I have them...they are like monsters...ok dramatic...but they really creep me out.

I have heard they are attracted to wet areas around your yard. keep bushes trimmed away from house and wet spots around hose etc. clean. don't leave doors open. and spray regularly. that is all I can suggest.

We live in a 60 yr old developed neighborhood with lots of greenbelt...no desert landscaping or building or disturbing of earth....so we have been lucky.

good luck wish I could offer more help

 

[golfgal]

OK, reason 725 NOT to live in the South

 

[Az Pirates]

I know folks who have lived in AZ their entire lives and have never even seen a scorpion. We lived there less than 10 years and had the darn things in our house all the time.

We didn't really think about the creepy, crawlies issue when we bought a house that backed to a preserve. (translation: large, open desert area) Duh!

We did have a pest guy; but he was honest enough to admit that if you've moved into their territory, scorpions are pretty tough to control. Of course I was more freaked out about heavy chemicals than about scorpions, so the poor guy's hands were a bit tied.

I was stung twice by bark scorpions in the time we lived in AZ.
Yes, it's painful and you may have some really weird after effects for a week or so after being stung... although that part was worse for me the first time. The second time was no big deal. Maybe an immunity kind of thing.
And my DD (age 12 at the time) was stung once. PP's were right about the shoes advice. That's where her scorpion was hiding, got her right on the big toe.

Scorpions stings are no fun for sure, but they're really just dangerous to the very young, the very old, or those who may be allergic. If you don't fall into those categories, it's mostly an annoyance.

Good Luck OP
Hopefully your scorpion siting was an isolated incident and your pest guy will be helpful.

 

[luvflorida]

I don't blame you. It also appears you have a baby. My six-year-old is trained to stay away.

Our kids are all grown. The baby in my signature is our grandson. We have a Pack 'n Play set up for him in the guest room, and the exterminator suggested putting the legs of the Pack 'n Play in glass jars. He said scorpions can't climb on glass. I'll have to find some big glasses because two of the legs have wheels on them. Of course, I pointed out to the exterminator that it won't be necessary, because he is going to get rid of the scorpions, right!?!?!?!??!

luvflorida,
Try not to be so terrified. I know, easier said than done. I've only been stung once and it was not that bad. I would take a scorpion sting over a yellow jacket sting ANYTIME!! As soon as I got the lime juice on the sting, almost all of the pain went away. I was loading rocks in a wheel barrow when I got stung (like an idiot, wasn't wearing gloves at the time). As soon as my hand stopped hurting (15 minutes), I was back outside searching through that wheel barrow and found the scorpion that stung me, and killed him!! It truly was not that painful, nothing like I imagined it would be.

That's a bit more reassuring, I guess. I've read some awful stuff online about scorpion bites.

We save tons of money by not using an extermanator spraying. Several times a year DH scatters diatomaceous earth (for pools) around the outside of the house. The DE cuts the scorpions bellies and the die. DE is not dangerous to cats/dogs or kids or grass/ bushes. In some old trouble spots in the house (garage) we put a small dusted line at the garage door.
I havent seen 1 in 18 years or so.

This may be my third back-up method.

We live in a 60 yr old developed neighborhood with lots of greenbelt...no desert landscaping or building or disturbing of earth....

We are in a community with a lot of other houses. The houses in the neighborhood we're in were built about four years ago. The whole community is about ten years old, and more houses are being built. It IS in the desert, so I know these creepy crawly things were here long before we were. But still...stay outside,you nasty critters!

Scorpions stings are no fun for sure, but they're really just dangerous to the very young, the very old, or those who may be allergic.
Hopefully your scorpion siting was an isolated incident and your pest guy will be helpful.

Oh, nobody got stung. I saw the scorpion on the wall of a bedroom. It was kind of weird actually, because it wasn't moving and it looked completely flat. Almost like it was already dead. I smacked it with a shoe, and it kind of flaked off. I don't know how it could have been dead if it was attached to the wall. I mean, how did it crawl there and end up there?

All I know is that it really scared the heck out of me, and I'm STILL looking everywhere for others.

 

[MichelleVW]

I have lived here all my life and never in a house where we had an exterminator. I've had a few scorpions in the house and I do hate it, but not enough to get an exterminator. The best thing to get is a cat. Even if they don't catch them (which mine do most of the time) they will usually point them out for you.

.

I've found two in my house...one last summer and one just last week and the cats pointed them out to me both times!!!

 

[surfergirl602]

I've found two in my house...one last summer and one just last week and the cats pointed them out to me both times!!!

We've found dead scorpion #4 of the summer in our house just this afternoon. They are always dead - I think the cats kill them in the night, which is perfectly fine by me! We are in Oklahoma and have those brick scorpions, or whatever they are called. We've only been here since January, and have had four in the house already! I have NO idea how they are getting it. It's not like we leave the doors open!