Queen Creek's Complete Guide To Effective Scorpion Control

It is no fun to have an encounter with a scorpion. While you can mitigate the risk of an encounter by following a few common scorpion prevention rules, such as always wearing gloves when you do yard work, wearing something on your feet when walking in your yard at night, and shaking pool towels before using them to dry yourself, it is best to not have scorpions in your yard. Today, we're going to give you a quick guide to help you reduce scorpions in your Queen Creek yard and keep them from entering your home.

1. Consider Exterior Lighting

Many insects are attracted to exterior lights. If you have lights on at night, not only will you attract scorpions, you'll attract insects that scorpions eat. This will have a double impact. We recommend replacing white lights with insect-resistant yellow lights to deter insects. If you don't have the time, money, or energy to do that, you can simply keep lights off at night. Be sure to also consider the light that comes out of your home through your windows and glass doors. Keep shades drawn at night.

2. Reduce Moisture

Moisture is an attractant for many insects, and scorpions are no exception. While they can survive in a dry climate, they need water just like all living things. They're also attracted to your home by the insects and invertebrates that come into your yard to get access to moisture and water sources. While it is impossible to keep your property bone dry (nor would you want to) it is quite possible to keep control of topical moisture. What is topical moisture? It's the moisture that lingers on your vegetation and surfaces after it rains, or after you water your plants.

• Remove weeds, grass, and other unnecessary vegetation from your landscaping to thin things out. This lets the air flow through and dry up moisture. Keep in mind that this will also make it more difficult for scorpions to use your landscaping to hide from the sun.
• Remove leaf litter and leaf piles. These trap moisture underneath and give scorpions ideal places to hide during hot Queen Creek days.
• Clean your gutters so that rainwater is channeled away from your exterior. This prevents oversaturation of the ground of your perimeter.
• Remove objects that capture rainwater and address conditions that allow puddles to form, such as compacted ground.
• Give your plants only the water they need, and consider watering your plants in the early morning.

3. Address Yard Clutter

There are many things that can end up sitting on the ground in your backyard. You might have a few bricks left over from a construction project. You might have some boards that you took off a fence or a deck. You might have campfire wood, or a brush pile you've created by collecting dead branches in your yard. You could have toys lying about. Scorpions hide under these and other objects. If you want to deter scorpion activity, it is a good idea to remove yard clutter. Consider anything that provides protection from the hot Arizona sun because you can be sure that scorpions will.

4. Seal Common Entry Points

It is impossible to seal every entry point a scorpion can use to get into your home, but it is well worth the effort to try. Scorpions aren't determined to get inside. They get in by accident as they explore your perimeter and exterior walls. Fewer entry points will result in fewer accidental entries.

• Seal cracks in your foundation slab.
• Seal gaps around your water main and wire conduits.
• Seal gaps around exterior door and window frames.
• Adjust double doors to make sure you have a good seal.
• Replace damaged screens and weatherstripping.
• Make sure all your exterior doors have working door sweeps.
• Get weep hole protectors if your home has weep holes.
• Seal gaps or holes in your roofline, eaves, and around roof penetrations. 

5. Remove Pathways

Some scorpions can climb. If you have bushes, shrubs, trees, or other plants that touch your home, scorpions can have quick access to entry points in your exterior. Trim branches and vegetation away from your exterior walls and roofline to deter them.