7 Easy Ways to Scorpion-Proof Your Home

I won’t shy away from telling you that I lived with enochlophobia for long.

To be precise, I was a girl who always fears of spiders and other arachnids such as scorpions until I joined a pest control company in Arizona in 2002.

After practicing my pest removal job for about 2-3 years, I fell in love with these creatures.

And it didn’t take me too long to realize that these little classes of pests are also like we humans.

These are god-made and should not be killed.

If we want to get rid of them (due to the fear factor or any other reason), we should instead try to take steps to stop coming without using any harmful chemicals.  

What are Scorpions?

Unlike popular belief, scorpions are neither reptiles nor insects. They belong to a class of animals that are called arachnids.

Scorpions are one of the greatest survivors of the planet.

Right from high heat to below-freezing cold, scorpions can survive almost all-weather conditions.

In fact, they have been in existence for more than 400 million years, and they exist in more than 1700 species.

They can be found in every corner of the world except Antarctica. In the United States, they are limited to New Mexico, California, Texas, and Arizona.

Scorpions lack a backbone, and they move quickly; hence one should be careful when maintaining a habitat.

They have eight legs and are considered nocturnal (most waking activity is at night) arthropods. 

Some scorpions can stay without food for 6-12 months, and being nocturnal, they are only active at night and may be tough to notice.

Sadly, those living here in the US may find it challenging to remove scorpions from their houses.

But the good news is that scorpions aren’t as hazardous as people think, and most of them are only as harmful as the sting of a wasp or bee.

How to Keep Scorpions Out of Your Home?

By taking proper preventative measures and using some best natural remedies to prevent scorpions, you can stop the problem easily.

Here are some guidelines to control these creatures and make your home scorpions proof without actually killing them:

1- Make Your House Bug-Free

The first step to controlling scorpions is to control pests and insects (like beetles, crickets, moths, flies, etc.) in your house.

Once their food source is removed, you can eliminate these venomous reptiles.

When you talk about scorpions, you should create a repellent barrier in your house and yard with a non-toxic, environment-friendly pesticide.

• Make sure you sprinkle around the foundation of your home and fence lines
• Do this twice a month till the problem is eradicated

Non-hazardous indoor pesticides can repel or kill organisms that have entered your home and as a preventative measure to treat windows, doors, and the basement.

2- Proper Yard Maintenance

Scorpions many times find their way through your yard.

Therefore, you must keep a tidy and well-organized yard to safeguard your house against scorpions.

Most of the time, they are likely to get dehydrated; thus, they look for shady and cool places to avoid heat and sun exposure during the daytime.

Some of the things you can try to manage your garden are:

• Keep grass trimmed and flagstone dirt free
• Check for the water system to make sure that it’s not over-watering
• De-clutter your yard and remove all unwanted things like stacks of wood, piles of leaves
• Keep the bushes and trees in good shape. Don’t let them overgrow and touch your house walls. Scorpions may use it as a bridge to enter your home

3- Clean Out the Debris

Just as you need to de-clutter your yard, you should keep your home clean and organized.

Dirt and debris may attract bugs which can then attract scorpions very easily.

You should check and clean the areas like your kitchen, bathroom, and basement for any debris lying around.

If you keep your home organized and clean, scorpions will not find a place to hide.

4- Seal Your House

Remember that scorpions don’t need big openings than a credit card to slide inside your house.

• Doors, windows, light switches, wall cracks, ceiling fan openings, and outlets can hence be potential entrances for scorpions.
• Check the basement, attic, patio, and porch for any kind of openings

If you find any, you should seal them by filling the cracks and openings (using concrete caulk, silicone caulk, fillers, sealers, or expandable foam).

Copper mesh can also be used in weeps where caulk cannot be used.

Plus, seal your doors and windows and keep them firmly shut when not in use.

For proper sealing of doors and windows, you can even use weather stripping.

Do check them on a regular basis to keep them in good condition.

4- Wipe Out Excess Moisture

Scorpions experience moisture loss and usually like to stay in places where they find water or moisture to cool.

Whether inside or outside, make sure you remove all the puddles, standing water, or any kind of moisture intact.

Keep the area dry and leakage-free to prevent scorpions from making a hideout in your backyard.

5- Use Sticky Scorpion Traps

The sticky traps used to capture mice and rats in domestic homes can be re-used to catch scorpions.

Put them at the entryway or near water sources or in dark places like below the furnishings or closet. 

Keep one thing in mind some sticky traps have pesticides and other toxic substances.

So in order to maintain the safety of your family members and pets, make sure you only buy the non-hazardous version

You can also use a DIY burlap trap for catching the scorpions easily and getting them off your house.

For this, you will need to get a wet burlap sack which proves to be an efficient scorpion trap.

• Just moist the sack and put it in the area where scorpions may appear, like the basement, attic, or entrance of your home
• Keep the open bag overnight and check it in the morning
• Make sure you don’t put your hand inside the bag and also check under the bag to avoid the nasty sting
• Repeat the procedure till you don’t find any scorpion on your lawn or house

6- Use Essential Oils to Deter Scorpions

Cedar, lavender, tea tree, peppermint, and cinnamon are some of the best essential oil which deters scorpions.

You can dilute the essential oil with some water and then spray in the troublesome areas or at the entry points like doorways, windows, the basement, and other areas of your house from where the scorpions may generally enter.

The smell and deterring nature of essential can hopefully help you to make the scorpions, and other pests resist entering your home.

7- Switch Out Exterior Light Bulbs

Bright exterior lights at night may easily attract lots of bugs and roaches.

These bugs can encourage scorpions from coming into your outer areas like a deck, yard, and porch.

You can either shut them off at night or can use yellow-colored light bulbs, which emit light that is less attractive to bugs.

This can discourage scorpions from getting inside your home through exteriors.

How to Tell if a Scorpion is Dangerous?

Scorpions are typically identified by their pincers and tail that look like a lobster.  

Although most of the species are not a threat to humans, there are still a few that can be fatal due to their venomous stings.

The severity differs from that of a sting of a bee, as it can sometimes cause death.

Carefully examining the size, thickness, and length of the scorpions from head to tail can help you identify if they are dangerous or not.

Keep in mind that scorpions that are less than 4 inches in length are dangerous.

Also, check their claws or pincers for thickness.

The scorpions with bulky pincers are usually less venomous than those with lean pincers.

At last, look for the thickness and length of their tail.

If they have a large and thick tail, it can be a sign of dangerous neurotoxic venom.

Scorpions with smaller and thinner tails are usually less harmful and non-poisonous.

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Tips for Avoiding the Scorpion Sting

You need to be extra careful and preventive if your home is prone to get infested by scorpions.

Some of the points you need to remember include:

1. Do not leave your shoes outside in the dark
2. Always wear shoes when you are walking outside at night
3. Wear sandals or sleepers when walking inside your home on dark nights
4. Teach your children not to touch or play with scorpions if they find one outside your home
5. Keep ready with your tetanus shots or vaccinations, just in case you need them if scorpion bites
6. Scorpions glow under ultraviolet lights, so use a UV light to inspect your home before going to bed

What should you do when you get stung by a ѕсоrрiоn?

Scorpion sting can be mild to severe depending on the type of scorpion and how venomous it is.

Unfortunately, if you are stung by a venomous like Arizоnа bаrk ѕсоrрiоn, you should immediately wash the sting with soap and water.

Then apply a cold compress to the area for about 10 – 15 minutes.

Wait for the next 10 minutes, and then apply the cooling pad again. Repeat the process 2-3 times.

If you still experience serious pain or a tingling sensation, call the doctor to get treatment for the poison that may affect your body.

In rare cases, the sting of the venomous scorpion can be dangerous and can even cause death.

People who are old, too young, and pets are highly vulnerable, especially when you delay the treatment.

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Can You Keep a Scorpion as a Pet for Kids?

No, you should never hold a scorpion as a pet. It is one animal that will never recognize you or communicate with you.

But although they should not be kept as a pet, they can surely be a fascinating observation for you and your kids due to their cuddliness.

with that said, scorpions aren’t recommended pets for kids.

In general, scorpions are of two species- jungle and desert. If you really want to, it is important to find out which kind of scorpion you own.

For amateurs, the experts recommend keeping big jungle species like emperor Scorpions (Pandinus imperator), Javanese Jungle scorpions (H. Javanensis) as well as Thai Black Scorpions (Heterometrus spinifer) as pets.

However, when you are keeping them in your home make sure that you have all the safety and precautions in place.

Place them in a proper enclosure, and do not ever try to touch them or get into contact with them.

• If you are using an aquarium or a jar, put a 2-4-inch substrate layer at the bottom of the aquarium.
• Use a precisely base organic substrate and cover it with a fine layer of coarse bark for jungle breed, or you can put clean sand for desert species.
• Spray some water on the organic layer until they are moist and not wet.
• Add some flat rock or ceramic ornament to offer a place to hide from the scorpion. You don’t need other fancy ornaments.
• Do not forget to cover the aquarium jar with a habitat lid. Also, seal the lid with lid clips.

Other Related Questions:

What can kill the scorpion instantly?

Killing scorpions, at first sight, is one effective solution to get rid of these critters at your home.

Using diatomaceous earth (a powder made of fossilized aquatic diatoms) can be the most effective and fastest way to poison scorpions.

This powder causes fast dehydration and an ultimate death even when used in small quantities.

Fortunately, there are many other household items that you can use to kill (or at least repel) them from your place.

Some of these home remedies include using hairspray, cinnamon powder, WD-40, bleach, vinegar, boric acid, etc.

Is it safe to flush a scorpion down the toilet?

Scorpions mostly love the bedroom in your home and can make your bed (blankets, pillows, end even children’s cribs) a good habitat for a long.

Although you may find a scorpion in your bathroom (like in a tub, sink, or drain), they do not crawl up a drain because they do not like to live there in the drains.

If you find a scorpion in your toilet you can flush it down to get rid of them.

But remember, since they are extremely resilient and can survive in water, it will not kill them.

Do scorpion pesticides work to keep them away?

Yes, it does work. In fact, the market is today loaded with many scorpion extermination products that claim to work fine.

When it’s about using the pesticides for scorpions, you can use wettable powders such as Cyper WP and Demon WP.

If this isn’t available, you can consider getting Delta Dust and Drione Dust.

While using any of these insecticides, make sure you use them with extreme caution as these are poisonous and can be harmful to pets and people at home.

How long can scorpions go without water and food?

Scorpions can live without food and water for up to twelve months.

So, once they are in your home, they can hide anywhere (like your bedroom, kitchen, attic, etc.) without getting noticed.

However, if you want to catch and keep them as a pet, it’s important that you keep them hydrated in your home.

For this, you can keep a low-base water dish on one side of the aquarium and fill it with water.

Some scorpions can collect all the moisture they require from the air, but if you are not sure about your scorpion breed, then just offer a sponge on one corner of the aquarium.

You should also offer some food once or twice a week to the scorpion during nighttime.

The food you can provide to them may include small cricket or pinheads – a giant scorpion can eat around 4 to 5 crickets weekly.

The Conclusion

Although not very harmful, some scorpions can still be dangerous to keep as pets at home.

You should never keep them as pets and also try to eliminate them from your home as soon as you see them first.

Above are the 7 ways you can make use of for making your home scorpion-proof.

Make sure that you keep practicing these pest removal tips from time to time to avoid any kind of entrance of scorpions inside your home.