Scorpion Management

What you should know about scorpions: Scorpions are active at night, they are nocturnal predatory animals that feed on crickets, spiders, and soft bodied insects, and sometimes prey on each other. During the day, they hide under stones, tree bark, woodpiles, and shrubbery and in the masonry cracks of your home and block walls. Scorpions, seeking food and shelter, are able to enter your home through an opening as small as 1/16 of an inch, about the thickness of a credit card.

There are approximately 1,300 species of scorpions worldwide, Although Arizona has 36 different species, we most commonly see only 3 of the 36, the Bark, Devil, and Giant Desert Scorpions. All can sting but only, the Bark Scorpion can put a person in the hospital and possibly cause death. More than a 1000 people die a year from scorpion stings in Mexico.

Unfortunately, the venomous Bark Scorpion is the most commonly seen in and around our homes. It chooses to live in defined geographical areas and, if your home is built in one of these areas, you will most likely encounter these scorpions. Bark Scorpions are the only climbing scorpions and so are the most likely species to be found in multi-story dwellings.

Bark Scorpions vary in color from darker golden brown to light tan. An adult Bark Scorpion measures one to one and half inches in length and has two large pinchers located at the front of its body. The poison gland is located in the last segment of the tail and can deliver a very painful sting. Bark Scorpions give birth to live young four times throughout the summer months. A female scorpion produces an average of 935 live scorpions per brood. When born, these baby scorpions climb to the mothers back and ride 7-30 days before leaving out on their own.

Scorpion Control: Scorpions that cause a nuisance around your home can be successfully managed by following these simple suggestions:

• Eliminate their harborages by removing lumber, debris, and anything stored against you home.
• Remove unnecessary boxes and other clutter from your garage. Don’t give scorpions a place to hide
• Eliminate their food supply, crickets, spiders, roaches, and other small insects by scheduling monthly pest management treatments with a qualified pest control company. Treated with the proper products and application, your scorpion problem can be managed.