Posted: 8/16/2007 8:44:01 AM EDT
| My brother is losing his mind on how the critters are getting in his house and how to get rid of them. Any advice? He has already done a lot of caulking and inspected his door sweeps. He doesn't leave doors or windows open. |
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I just killed my 1st one in my house yesterday. I really hope it's not a sign of things to come, I HATE scorpions!!!! I know the only thing that works to kill them is the powder. Don't bother with sprays, they don't work. Get some of the powder for scorpions and lay a line infront of every opening to your house (doors, windows...) They breath through their stomach area and when they walk over it they inhale it and that will kill them. Also if you have a woodpile or anything else like that outside, move it and put the powder down aroud there too. |
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We use bay leaves in the cabinets and around the outside of the 5th wheel, particularly any area they can bypass such as water lines, hoses, foundation blocks, awning legs. I also hear moth balls work, but we can't stand the odor. We also use the roach powder and so far no creepy crawlies, just lots of flies. 
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About a month ago my son wakes up in the middle of the night and heads for the bathroom, as he sits there doing his thing he hears a noise and looks up. Coming out of the bath ventilation fan grating, directly over the toilet, is a rather large scorpion. The bastards climb onto the roof then go down the ventilation pipes!! Put some screening around the vents on your roof for starters. Rich V |
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We had a problem with bark scorpions awhile back. This is what we found out. Scorpions are only going to be somplace where their is a food supply for them,that's why they go inside spiders,ants,flys....etc and even other scorpions they are cannibals. Get rid of the food supply,exterminate for the other pests that you might not even know are there. And they will be gone Around points of entry where you think they maybe coming in. Use glue traps commonly used for mice,they are lite enough to put almost anywhere. We had one come through an ceiling air vent. They get trapped and you can see what type of bastard your dealing with. We were dealing with bark scorpions highly venomous but rarely lethal. They are a tanish dark brown tiger striped. Get rid of any wood piles,firewood,lumber sitting around this is a breeding ground for them. We had somone comeout with a blacklight and he found one,he had the same advice get rid of their food supply and they will move on. Hope this helps |
<Larry the cable guy>Now that's funny right there, I don't care who you are.<Larry the cable guy> Seriously, hit them over the head with a very tiny hammer, and then using very tiny tweezers, and very tiny scissors,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, After awhile they do smell though  Man it sure takes a lot of them though. 
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I have them and am currently at war. Everyones advice above is good but i should add you should get a cheap blacklight (ebay 10 bucks) I did. Once a week or so I go out and kill one or two out on the pool deck or on the block wall. Better outside than in Also theres a bug spray thats extra extra strong call cy-kick(sp) they sell it at only a few places it kills them even though most bug spray cant only only kills thier food good luck |
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Spraying works but you have to use the right stuff. Bifenthrin kills them, only thing I have ever found that worked and I found it from a UofA study. Used to be you could only find Bifenthrin in Tal-Star but I've seen Bifenthrin now in products you can get at Home Depot and Lowe's. Safe for pets when dry. Also kills the other bugs they eat. They're called Bark Scorpions for a reason. They live in trees. That's the easiest way to your roof. If you spray your tree trunks (especially palm trees) you can get rid of them. I haven't found an exterminator yet who knows that. I joined a scorpion collector club to learn more about them and that's where those guys look for them to build their collections - in the trees. Desert Hairys which are larger but not nearly as toxic live in holes in the ground. |
I Live in the ahwatukee foothills surrounded by you guessed it desert foothills! j/k I really think its a nieghborhood to neighborhood thing becuase I have lived here my whole life (aka native) and this is my first house with them |
| I have noticed when there are more roaches and crickets, there are also more scorpions. The kind I have are bark scorpions and one summer I found one in my house every 2 weeks. Since then, I started spraying, I noticed a decline in scorpion sightings. The City of Chandler must be doing some kind of bug control because there were a couple of summers where there was a massive roach infestation. I couldn't walk around the block without seeing at least 100 of them. I don't see them anymore. |
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I've done that but I used a propane torch. The little shit crawled into a small dead end crack. Too bad for the scorpion he was in the garage and the torch was not far. It left a BBQ smell in the garage for a while. |
They taste just like chicken! |
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I've heard that bark scorpions pick an area to live and they don't leave, so if your home gets built on top of that spot, you're SOL. I've also heard that if you spray and kill everything they eat, crickets, roaches, spiders, etc that they'll go forage elsewhere and won't come back unless the food source returns. Oh, and for my personal preferred method of execution, I catch them in a #10 can and then heat the bottom w/ a blowtorch. The scorpion will start dancing and eventually go into a stinging frenzy and sting itself to death. |
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Could someone enlighten me as to the Black Light references here? Are they used to attract or just to visualize the critters at night? Also, if one is unfortunate to discover a scorpion inside their house, what is the most expedient method of dealing with the little beastie? Stomping/beating them in to oblivion in your carpet or on your floor?? Somehow, I just can't see chasing them around the inside of your home with a lit blowtorch!  Bear 
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Yes, a scorpion's exoskeleton contains a protein that fluoresces. If you shine a florescent black light (not an incandescent black light bulb), they will glow pretty brightly. Really easy to spot them, which is the point of the black light. Most people around here buy the battery operated closet light stick, with a 12" bulb. They replace that bulb with a 12" blacklight flourescent and go a'hunting. Walk into any Home Depot in Phoenix and they'll know just what you want. Serious collectors use really powerful lights that run off car batteries. Scorpions don't generally run when you approach, unlike a cockroach. So essentially, you get one free swing on the wall. They are surprisingly quick after that and can squeeze into tiny spaces to get away. Don't miss. A shoe is quite effective. They can't climb glass or smooth plastic well, so you can scrape them into a jar or a bucket which is what I do. |
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We had 3-4/year in the house I grew up in Tucson. Would find them in showers, dining room, everywhere. We had some kind of spray put down outside by an exterminator, but I don't know if it was designed to work with scorpions. The best thing we found was the sticky traps, 2-3 in each room. This would catch their food as well as the scorpions themselves. After 3-4 years it started to decline, don't know how its doing now. Only had one sting, my dad got stung in the garage one day. He just limped and took it easy for the day, don't know if he's just strong or just stupid. Other stings in my family from way back were: scorpion on ceiling fan, got tossed on uncle when it was turned on, and one sting in the, ahem, moth balls area, from one finding comfort in a swim suit, then uncle pulling on the swimsuit. I also found out that they pop in the microwave. |
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Well, that brings me to another question.... If one is unfortunate enough to be stung by a scorpion what is the recommended action? Hospital, `Doc-in-the Box, National Guard, or Beer & Ice?  Do I need to seek medical attention or just take it easy? Aspirin, Benydril, or?? Your comments and wisdom are much appreciated! Bear 
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