This is not a problem for every household, but those who have it know how dangerous it can be. With the weather warming up, a lot of critters are coming out of hibernation and descending upon us and our homes and one of the most dangerous ones is scorpions. While not as flashy as bees and wasps, these tiny creatures do tend to sting when feeling attacked and can be surprisingly hard to get rid of.
Of course the best thing to not have to get rid of them is to not have them in the first place, but sometimes it is unavoidable and they are already in when the problems start to arise. Some of the main reasons that these little critters decide to make a home inside is that they tend to prefer dark, damp, and warm places, which is a description that coincides with a lot of areas within a home like basements, crevices, behind furniture, under sinks…
Sometimes scorpions can even take refuge in clothes that have not been worn in a long time or shoes, so take care when getting dressed if you know this is a problem that you have.
While cities are not often places you will find them, suburban areas or rural areas that are going through construction can be some of the most common places to find them within homes. After all, they are disturbed by construction or changes in vegetation. This is because most people do not realize that they are arachnids, and as such they prefer quieter environments that are not under constant change.
Another reason why you might find them inside is because of their diet. They favor cockroaches, crickets, and spiders, which can also usually be found inside homes, so if they are feeling displaced form their natural habitat it is quite a safe choice for them to decide to come inside.
They do not usually just casually stroll into your home through the garden door. When they come in they usually do so through small cracks, poorly sealed ceilings, gaps, or pipes that touch the ground and they can scale, so ensuring your home is airtight is important, but they can also come in inside objects such as firewood, boxes, or building materials, so make sure to check everything you bring into your home before you find yourself with an unexpected colony.
How to know if there are scorpions living inside the home
While it might seem obvious if they are present, oftentimes it is not, as they can be quite hard to find given that they are nocturnal. Some of the most common signs are, the lack of other insects inside the home, as they are usually meals for them, small bites that do not look like mosquitoes during the night, and lastly, seeing them. Just remember that one female scorpion can carry a lot of babies on her, so if you see one it stands to reason that there will be more.
When in doubt, check closets, shoes, beds, curtains, and behind appliances and boxes using an ultraviolet light, which makes them easier to spot as they glow under it at night.
If you have found them, now it is time to evict them. The easiest way is to deprive them of food, so keep your house clean and free of pests with traps or natural repellents. Seal your home by making it as airtight as possible, using silicone or expanding foam in any places where they might get in and place sticky traps to catch them in the places we have mentioned that they favor.