While scorpions are predominantly found in dry, desert regions, they can occupy many habitats, including your home. Understanding why scorpions are being attracted to your home is crucial in getting rid of these relatively common pests.
From citrus trees and piles of wood to vents and small cracks, there are many reasons scorpions are finding their way into your home. Scorpions are nocturnal arachnids naturally attracted to dark and moist environments, even those found inside houses. Scorpions are native to hot regions of the world but prefer to avoid the sun during the daytime.
The chances are that you don’t like the idea of scorpions making themselves at home in yours. To prevent these potentially dangerous creatures from moving in with you and putting you and your loved ones at risk, you need to know why they’re attracted to your home.
Scorpions are less interested in the crown molding in your house and more interested in finding a suitable habitat for themselves. This article will break down the factors that could make your home the perfect Scorpion habitat.
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Identifying Potentially Dangerous Scorpions
If someone tells you that they are an arachnophobe, they are not just afraid of spiders! Scorpions are another type of arachnid species, like spiders, and there are more than 1500 different subspecies of scorpions. While exposure therapy might help treat the irrational fear of scorpions, it won’t help remove these potentially dangerous creatures from your home.
You might wonder where these different scorpions come from and whether they’re equally dangerous. While an estimated 1500 other scorpion species exist today, only 30 are considered venomous enough that their sting could be regarded as lethal to humans.
Regardless of the threat, those 30 species pose, how are you expected to tell the difference between the estimated 1.67% of scorpions that could have fatal bites and the remaining 99.33% that don’t? It might not seem worth being concerned about less than 2% of the 1500 different scorpion species, but it could save your life.
A few key characteristics commonly define scorpions. Like all of their fellow arachnids, including spiders and mites, scorpions can be identified by their eight legs. This is a feature distinct from all arachnids. However, their infamous tails and pincers set scorpions apart from other arachnids.
They Have Strong Pincers
In the front, scorpions have two relatively strong pincers. When scorpions hunt their prey – typically insects, though their appetites may vary – their pincers are very useful.
Scorpions can use their pincers to grab hold of and crush their prey before devouring them. Luckily for humans, we’re not small enough to be destroyed by a scorpion’s claws. If we were, the food chain might look a little different.
They Have A Flexible Tail
In the back, scorpions also have a flexible tail which could be their most deadly weapon. A scorpion doesn’t need to use its pincers always to crush its prey, but it can use its claws to hold its game in place while it stings them. Their pincers, with needle-like ends, are used to inject venom into a scorpion’s prey. This is to either protect themselves from other predators or to maim or kill their prey.
However, what would happen if a human were stung by a scorpion’s pincer? As discussed earlier, this depends on the specific species of scorpion that has hypothetically stung you, though the consequences could be deadly if not treated in time.
If a scorpion has already bitten you, you may need to seek medical attention, depending on the severity of the symptoms. Most scorpion bites only result in a few mild symptoms, which you can treat at home – but more on that later. If you’re interested in preventing ever having to seek medical attention for a scorpion sting possibly, there is a way to identify the dangerous ones!
Small Claws & Thick Tail Indication
A closer look at the physiology of scorpions will reveal a life hack to identifying the potentially dangerous ones! Many scorpions are naturally reclusive. Many, but not all! If you spot a scorpion in your home, there is a rule of thumb that you can use to identify venomous scorpions from the harmless kind.
If you notice a scorpion with relatively tiny claws but a thick tail, this is a clear indication that the scorpion is venomous and could pose a threat. Scorpions that match this description often act aggressively and will not hesitate to use their venom. The reverse is also true: should you find a scorpion with large pincers but a smaller tail, it’s harmless!
While most scorpion bites are not lethal to healthy adults, scorpions could put children, the elderly, and pets at risk of a sting. This could have disastrous consequences. That is why it’s important to identify various factors that could attract scorpions to your home and put you and your loved ones at risk.
5 Things That Will Attract Scorpions To Your House
There are a handful of reasons you’ve found a scorpion (or a few) at your house. Understanding how these factors could attract scorpions to your home is crucial for preventing and getting rid of them. Here are the five reasons you could attract scorpions to your home!
1. Scorpions Like Darkness
While being afraid of the dark may seem childish, there are a few valid reasons we should be, especially if there are possibly venomous scorpions lurking in the darkness.
Scorpions are nocturnal creatures, so darkness is usually a prerequisite for their habitats – which is why you commonly find scorpions below in dark crevices or burrowed in the ground.
Since scorpions are typically native to hot, dry regions, these nocturnal creatures prefer to stay cool during the day in areas that are safe from predators. While looking for a shady spot to lay low, a scorpion may have found one in your home.
While none of us would like to use the word ‘dark’ to describe areas in our home, these dark corners exist and could attract scorpions. That cold and dark place could be your basement. While the scorpion is likely hiding there for its safety, yours might be in jeopardy!
In your house, areas that scorpions are attracted to would be both dark and quiet. Therefore, the best place to look for a scorpion isn’t plain sight; it’s those dark and quiet corners. You’ll want to carefully check areas like your basement, under beds, behind cabinets, and in the fireplace.
It’s essential to check outside too! Scorpions are used to living out, even in the heat, when they can find shelter. Scorpions could find shelter there if you have piles of logs, bales of straw, or a leftover pile of debris from some construction.
By finally getting around to tidying your yard the way you’ve meant, you could prevent someone from being bitten by a scorpion at your barbeque!
2. Scorpions Like Moisture, Too
Moisture goes well with darkness and could be a critical factor in attracting scorpions to your abode. If you live in a hot, dry climate, you are already more at risk of finding a scorpion in your home, and the reason is simple.
Scorpions are also found in these regions and, like most of us, need water to survive.
Looking for a water source or a reprieve from the heat could lead a scorpion into your home. One of the many ways a scorpion can enter your home is through your plumbing system.
All of your pipes and drains inside the house need to lead somewhere. Those pipes and drains could lead a scorpion into your bathroom or kitchen.
While a scorpion cannot live in your drain, it could take up residence in a dark or moist corner of your house. Scorpions can survive while submerged in water for up to 48 hours, so even if the journey is slow into your kitchen or bathroom, they might make it.
While one or two scorpions might find a way inside through your plumbing system, it is rare. However, the presence of multiple scorpions in your home could suggest that they’ve found a different way.
3. They’ve Found A Sneaky Way Inside
When looking for darkness or moisture, it’s possible that a scorpion entered through a door or window left open or through the plumbing.
However, these crafty little creatures can find other ways inside your home, which could result in more of them entering than just one or two. Checking these areas can prevent scorpions from entering your home.
If you find a scorpion in your bathtub, it is possible it got in a pipe. However, it is also possible it found another way in and was climbing on your walls when it fell into your slippery bathtub. Before assuming how it got inside, look around the room.
Is there perhaps an air-conditioning vent nearby? You should also check for any cracks that could be entrances to scorpions. Grout that isn’t appropriately sealed may also be a culprit.
It is also essential to check for cracks outside the kitchen and bathrooms, as scorpions can wander around your home on the walls or ceilings. Even the tiniest cracks could let a scorpion in.
These creatures have been known to squeeze through some unbelievably small spots, ensuring everything that needs to be sealed is!
4. You’re Inadvertently Feeding Them
In the wild, scorpions do not only use their pincers and tail to find their prey, but they also use them to prevent themselves from becoming prey.
When other animals, such as owls or snakes, try to attack scorpions, they can use their tail and pincers to ward them off. On the premises of your home, there’s less prey for scorpions to fight off and more for them to feed on.
Luckily, scorpions can slow their metabolism down if there isn’t enough food for them. However, if they’re finding food easily in your home, who are they to say no?
Scorpions can feed on a wide variety of other creatures and critters. From mice and lizards to spiders and flies, scorpions are not too fussy about their food.
Are you already struggling with one of the above creatures in your home, such as mice or flies? If so, they could be attracting scorpions to your home. That is why it is crucial to maintain a good level of cleanliness and hygiene in your home. Leaving those crumbs on the counter could attract something far more dangerous than a cockroach.
You will actively prevent scorpions from arriving unannounced by ensuring your house is free from insects and other creatures that could infest it.
5. Scorpions Like The Trees In Your Yard
Humans are known to enjoy picnics under shady trees, and, as it turns, our scorpions might like them too! Certain trees are known to attract scorpions, using them as a source of shade and even food. Knowing which trees to look out for can help you remain aware of scorpions’ potential attraction to your garden.
As discussed earlier, scorpions could hide in piles of wood or leaves on the ground to work their way inside and find a resting place. While any tree might provide enough shade for a scorpion to lay low, there are two types of trees you should specifically be wary of!
The first tree that scorpions especially like is the palm tree. Scorpions are known to hide in the bark of these trees, which are easily peeled back. While certain scorpion species may be more attracted to barky trees, it’ll make do for any of them in a pinch!
If you’ve spotted some scorpions and you have palm trees, you may want to hire a professional service to trim the bark back on your trees.
Citrus trees, as well as other fruit-bearing trees, have also been known to attract scorpions. Scorpions love to feast on rotting fruit; when the fruit falls from these trees, it provides them with a free meal. Scorpions eat rotting roots on various trees and are likelier to find prey in these areas.
Maintaining your garden and being conscious of the trees therein will help prevent scorpions from entering your home. If a scorpion has already found its way inside, there are various methods you can use to get rid of them.
5 Methods to Get Rid of Scorpions
Apart from the general tips discussed above, such as maintaining your garden and your home’s cleanliness, here are a few tried and tested ways of dealing with scorpions you find in your home! If you decide not to use a professional pest removal service and want to do it yourself, there are DIY methods.
Please take precautions when interacting with scorpions. If a scorpion has climbed onto you, never hit it; instead, brush it off carefully using a magazine to avoid stinging.
1. The Natural Method
Once considered an old wives’ tale, this method has been proved adequate time and time again. The use of specific essential oils – such as lavender and cinnamon – can be diluted with a small amount of water.
Using a spray bottle, you can spray this solution around areas of the house that could be problem areas, especially in cold regions with moisture, such as basements.
Once you’ve ensured that all open spaces and cracks in doors and windows are in good repair, you can use this method to drive scorpions away from your windows and doors by using your natural spray!
2. Fog Your House
Using a readily available fogger to kill bugs, you can eliminate insects attracting scorpions to your home. After all, a scorpion looks at an insect the way we look at ice cream. As they are known, the bug bombs fumigate your house by releasing a combination of chemicals into the air.
Once your home is safe to go into again, you can clean up any dead insects. Ensuring the cleanliness of your home will keep pests away, especially when one pest as seemingly harmless as flies could attract hungry scorpions.
3. Check Your Garden
Scorpions cannot teleport into your home; they must enter from outside. That’s why it’s just as essential to check out as it is to check inside. You should ensure no open wood piles or other outdoor materials like straw. These are areas that can attract scorpions seeking shelter.
Furthermore, if you have fruit-bearing trees, such as citrus or palm trees, you will need to check these for scorpions. Check the bark of palm trees, which could be a mini scorpion habitat attracting them to your garden.
If that’s the case, get a professional to trim back the bark on your trees. If fruit falls off your trees and you leave them long enough that they begin rotting, this could be feeding scorpions and attracting them to your home.
Another common way for scorpions to enter your home is by using branches as bridges to your rooftop. Check that no tree branches overlap with your house or roof, which scorpions can use to get to you.
Cutting these overhanging branches so that they don’t overlap can be instrumental in dealing with these creatures finding their way inside.
4. Check Your Perimeter
Once you’ve eliminated scorpions from your home and your yard using the above methods, you’ll want to take it one step further.
This can help prevent a scorpion infestation, especially if you live in a hot region. In the same way, you check your doors, windows, and bathroom caulking for cracks; you should check your garden wall.
In certain areas, such as Arizona, certain breeds of scorpions live inside these crevices. This is a popular place for them to burrow during the winter months. It’s essential to check your property’s walls, lest you find more than twenty scorpions there.
Come summertime, these scorpions will find their way into your home. It’s better to be safe from scorpions than sorry and stung.
5. Use A Professional Service
If none of the above methods sound like something you want to try, this option is for you! We don’t blame you – these pets can be terrifying, especially with young ones, older adults, or immune-compromised loved ones.
Hiring a professional is fool-proof, and they’ll ensure you return to a scorpion-free home! Your local pest control and removal company will be able to help you. No more worrying about a scorpion finding its way into your bed or your toddler’s crib.
What To Do If You Get Bitten By A Scorpion
Even from a venomous scorpion, a sting shouldn’t be too much reason for concern if you’re a healthy adult. Clean the bite mark properly and apply a cold compress. You may want to take over-the-counter pain medication, such as ibuprofen if you feel a slight pain where a scorpion was to bite you.
Monitor the development of any more severe symptoms, such as difficulty swallowing or breathing. If you struggle to swallow, you should avoid eating or drinking anything until you see a doctor. If you notice these symptoms getting worse, you should seek medical attention.
If a scorpion stings a child, an older adult, or someone immune-compromised, you should seek medical attention immediately. While the venom is slow-acting, it can have lethal consequences in these instances. Rest assured, scorpion bites are treatable!
Conclusion
Like spiders, scorpions are arachnids that also strike fear into our hearts! While scorpions can be fascinating creatures, they are less glamorous when found unexpectedly in your bed. If you find a scorpion or knock on wood, more than one, there are a few reasons that these creatures could be finding their way into your home.
From cracks and gaps in your garden wall to overhanging tree branches and air-conditioning vents, there are numerous ways these creatures can find their way into your home. Ensuring all cracks are sealed, even those as narrow as a credit card, will ensure that these critters can’t get in.
You may even be inadvertently feeding the scorpions, which keeps them on your property. Fruit-bearing trees that are not properly maintained can leave rotting fruit on your lawn. This, in turn, will attract scorpions who feast on the rotting fruit. From flies to mice common on your property, any other pests could also be attracting scorpions to your home. Dealing with these pests allows you to deal with the others.
If you’ve located the root of the cause, there are various ways to deal with your problem. You could hire a professional service, but it could hold you back. However, can you put a price on not dealing with the scorpions yourself?
If you’re more of a do-it-yourself type, many tried and tested methods of dealing with an infestation of scorpions (or just one!). Combining these methods is advised, as this will help ensure that you get rid of scorpions permanently, and whatever may attract them. This will also ensure that they don’t come back down the line.
Keeping your home free of scorpions protects you and your loved ones from these nocturnal creatures we can’t even spot in the dark. By scorpion-proofing your home and garden, you can get a peaceful night’s sleep every night!
Get FREE quotes from licensed pest control technicians in your area today. Whether you need spraying for ants, roaches, spiders, ticks, mosquitos, or bed bugs, We Can Help! All technicians are screened, licensed, and insured.
