Can you imagine a scorpion crawling into your bed at night? What about slipping on a pair of shoes only to find a scorpion hiding down inside? This might sound like the stuff of nightmares, but if you’re living in the Southwest, it’s often just part of your day-to-day.
Although they’re usually no more harmful than a wasp sting or spider bite, some scorpion stings can be life threatening to our children, pets, and the elderly. The bark scorpion, for example, which lives throughout Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Mexico, is the most venomous scorpion in North America.
Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about any of that, because you’re about to learn how to keep scorpions away from your lawn and out of your home, without resorting to poisonous pesticides!
1. DENY THEM SHELTER AND FOOD
Scorpions only enter our lawns and homes if they offer shelter, food, or water. Removing these attractants is the first step to controlling scorpions.
REMOVE THEIR SHELTER
Scorpions seek dark, cool places to hide. Limiting these potential hiding spots comes down to cleanliness and clutter—and can substantially decrease scorpion populations.
Firstly, lawn maintenance is key. Keeping your grass and shrubbery well-trimmed and off the exterior of your home is essential (scorpions use vegetation as bridges into our houses). Removing outdoor clutter like unused lawn equipment and organic debris, such as wood piles and brush, is equally important.
For best results, you’ll need to maintain a clean and clutter-free home too. Cleanliness matters because grime and food debris attract bugs, which are the primary food source for scorpions. Clutter—like piles of magazines, clothing, newspapers, and scattered boxes—matters because scorpions use these areas to hide and thrive inside your home.
REMOVE THEIR FOOD
If you want to thoroughly control scorpions, you’ll need to get rid of or limit the other unwanted bugs living in your lawn and home.
To kill and repel undesirable bugs outside, apply family and pet-safe Cedarcide Outdoor Bug Control twice the first month—two weeks apart—and then just monthly after that, or more often as needed. Apply starting first thing in spring and continue until freezing temperatures return. For best results, follow up by applying Cedarcide Cedar Granules throughout your lawn every 4-6 weeks for extra repellency.
To kill bugs inside your home, give them a quick spray with non-toxic Cedarcide Original. To repel indoor bugs, apply Cedarcide Original weekly to common insect trouble spots and entryways, such as door frames, window sills, baseboards, countertops, etc.
REMOVE MOISTURE
Scorpions are vulnerable to dehydration, so limiting moisture levels in and around your home can have a surprisingly big impact on their numbers. Deny them water by checking both inside and outside for sources of unnecessary moisture, like standing water, leaky plumbing, A/C units, hoses, faucets, etc. Removing or repairing these items will help considerably.
2. SEAL YOUR HOME
Surprising fact: scorpions can sneak into almost any opening the size of a credit card or larger. No wonder they’re so good at finding ways into our homes! Locating and sealing potential entry points is crucial if you’re ready to stop seeing scorpions inside.
Start by doing a slow and thorough check both inside and outside for possible entryways like cracks, crevices, holes, etc. Look closely at windows, doorways, baseboards, fixtures, outlets, foundations, basements, and attics. You might want to consider installing seals at the bottom of doors and garages, too. It might sound tedious, but if you’re struggling with scorpions, it could mean the difference between a scorpion-free home and enduring an extremely painful sting or a long summer filled with scorpion roommates.
If—or more likely when—you find any such openings, promptly seal them with caulk or another appropriate sealant.
3. TREAT YOUR YARD & HOME
Unfortunately, if you’ve seen a scorpion inside or outside your home, chances are there are dozens more hidden throughout your property.
TREAT YOUR LAWN
Now that your lawn is decluttered and free of debris, it’s time to spray it for scorpions. Start by spraying both your front and back yards, as well as all shrubbery, with Cedarcide Outdoor Bug Control to kill and help repel scorpions. Repeat this process again in two weeks, and then proceed to monthly applications after that. For best results, also apply Cedarcide Cedar Granules throughout your lawn and in a 2-3 inch thick barrier along your home's foundation. This barrier will help prevent scorpions from sneaking inside your home.
Because Outdoor Bug Control and Cedarcide Granules are plant-based and family-safe, no downtime is necessary. You, your family, and pets can enjoy your lawn right after application!
TREAT YOUR HOME
Traditional indoor bug sprays can fill your home with long-lasting poisons that could seriously harm the health of you, your family, and pets. In fact, these products usually do more harm than good, as you’re normally better off having the scorpions in your home than toxic chemicals. For killing and preventing scorpions indoors, we suggest plant-based Cedarcide Original, which can be safely sprayed all throughout your home, including furniture, fabrics, flooring, baseboards, countertops and more.
To kill any scorpions you find inside, simply give them a quick spray with family-safe Cedarcide Original. To help prevent them from coming back, also spray known entry points and hiding spots weekly. Repeat as needed.