Scorpions strike fear into the hearts of many people around the world. These creatures are deadly hunters with a ferocious attitude and the muscle to back it up. Scorpions, like many other creatures, are beneficial to the environment by keeping the populations of other pests in check. They are also a prime food source for other animals in their natural habitats.
Scorpions have a venomous sting and can pose a threat to the well being of you, your family, and your pets. This makes them a danger when they intrude into your yard. Protecting your family, pets, and home from scorpions is possible when you learn their behavioral traits and what attracts them to an area. Learning how to keep scorpions out of your yard will provide you with peace of mind and a safe environment.
What Are Scorpions?
Image via Flickr by gailhampshire
Scorpions are classified as arachnids. They have a segmented body with claws, an erect segmented tail with a stinger at the end, eight legs, and multiple sets of eyes. They are formidable creatures and are hunters. In most cases, they aren’t deadly to humans, but children and the elderly may be more susceptible to the scorpion’s venomous sting. The typical reaction to a scorpion’s sting is localized swelling, numbness, and pain. In more severe cases, trouble breathing and vomiting can occur.
Why Are Scorpions in My Yard?
Scorpions move from one area to another in search of food sources. If you find scorpions encroaching on your property or even in your home, chances are your yard and house have an ample supply of prey such as crickets, roaches, and spiders. Scorpions are abundant where their prey is also abundant, so if you have noticed an increase of bugs in your yard, scorpions are sure to follow.
Signs of a scorpion infestation begin with sighting one. Daytime sightings are rare, but they do happen in cool shady areas of your yard. Scorpions are nocturnal hunters and are most active at night. During the day, they typically dig a scorpion hole or burrow that can be a meter in depth. These holes can be another sign of scorpion activity on your property. The opening to a scorpion hole or burrow is usually crescent or oval-shaped.
Scorpions that live in burrows are ambush predators that lay in wait for any potential prey to enter their nest. Most scorpions can be found hiding under rocks, logs, clutter, and boards on the ground. The bark scorpion, considered to be the most deadly in the United States, can be found resting on vertical surfaces, including trees.
If you feel you are battling against a scorpion infestation, a professional pest control agency will be ready and willing to give you a helping hand. A trained exterminator can correctly identify the pest, implement a plan of action to eradicate the threat, and put a preventive program into action to reduce the risk of future scorpion invasions.
How to Keep Scorpions Out of Your House
When you have scorpions in your yard, you are likely to have them in your house, as well. The best way to keep them out is to eliminate the bugs they are preying on. If you take care of all the other pests that may be appealing to scorpions, they won’t have a reason to be in your house and will move back outside to seek sustainable food sources.
Scorpions also need water and will invade your private space in search of water sources. Leaky faucets or pipes and other moisture issues in your home should be fixed to deter all manner of pests from seeking refuge inside. You will also need to find any areas of your foundation that have cracks, crevices, or holes where scorpions can find their way inside and seal them all off.
How to Get Rid of Scorpions Naturally
The use of essential oils has been said to keep scorpions away. The different oils that are suggested to be used as a scorpion deterrent are cinnamon, lavender, cedar, and peppermint. Diluting these in a carrier oil or small amounts of water will allow you to make sprays that can be applied in scorpion trouble areas. These sprays can also be used around baseboards, doorways, windowsills, and around the foundations of your house.
A proven method for getting rid of scorpions naturally is to use small, moistened burlap bags. These open bags should be placed in areas within your home and on your property where scorpions have been observed. After leaving the burlap bags in place overnight, you can cautiously check underneath and inside the bags for scorpions and then dispose of the scorpion and reuse the burlap bag. This can be repeated until there are no more signs of scorpion activity.
Scorpion Prevention
It is often overstated, but prevention is the best plan for keeping pests such as scorpions out of your yard. Taking preventive measures is essential for creating a safe environment for your family and pets to enjoy. A few steps you can take to make your yard less appealing to scorpions and other pests are as follows:
- Landscaping trees and bushes need to be maintained and trimmed away from the side of your house. Scorpions can use overgrown foliage as bridges to reach windows and otherwise inaccessible entryways into your home. The excess shade created by such overgrowth can provide the ideal place for scorpions to hide out during the day.
- Keep your grass and other types of ground covering vegetation trimmed and clear of clutter or ground covering debris. This will reduce the number of places where scorpions can take refuge.
- Only keep the essential materials in your yard and limit your use of decorative items such as rocks. Promptly remove brush, woodpiles, lawn equipment, and any other type of ground covering clutter. Make your yard as unappealing as you can for scorpions by eliminating their ability to hide during the day.
Scorpions can be a significant problem when they have intruded onto your property. They pose a health risk to your children, older family members, and your pets. Taking swift and appropriate actions to get rid of scorpions and keep them out of your house and yard will help to protect your loved ones. Resources such as Bulwark Exterminating have the information you need to keep your yard pest-free.
