Will xeriscaping the yard help reduce our scorpion population?

[musicforme]

Originally Posted by Paladdin

I like the idea of putting the legs of the bed in glass jars, but what kind of jars would be strong enough where the weight of the bed wouldn't crack or break them? I've also heard that you should put the bed legs in cups filled with water....not sure if that works.

Go to Crate and Barrel, or one of the hobby stores. They should have some decent choices. You're looking for thickness at the base more than anything.

We have our girls' cribs legs in square and thick vases.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by Paladdin

I like the idea of putting the legs of the bed in glass jars, but what kind of jars would be strong enough where the weight of the bed wouldn't crack or break them? I've also heard that you should put the bed legs in cups filled with water....not sure if that works.

When the Panama Canal was being built, this was routinely done for hospital beds. Years later it was realized that the dishes of water became breeding grounds for mosquitoes, resulting in a large number of deaths from Yellow Fever.

[OnYourSide]

I believe your area has had a higher percentage of scorpion infestations. The best recommendation I could offer is to not skimp on professional help for the problem. Sometimes in the long run, it pays off, and hopefully you can sleep better at night.

[finnari]

I just found it funny your scared and you're wife is okay.

[MotleyCrew]

Originally Posted by rr72

Hi everyone,

Several weeks ago, I came on here asking for input about where to buy a house in the East Valley. My wife and I settled on west Chandler (85226) -- Village of Gila Springs, to be exact. Just south of the Kyrene & Ray intersection. The house is beautiful and the neighborhood quiet, but in three days we've already killed four bark scorpions in the garage and one in the downstairs bathroom. I can't sleep at night and I've had paranoid delusions of scorpions crawling on me in bed, sometimes even feeling stings that aren't real. My wife isn't nearly as fearful as I am, but when I wake up in cold sweats at every hour of the morning, kicking sheets off of me, she is also jolted out of sleep.

I don't know what to do. I fear going home every night and I want to sleep in a hotel. I've tried to push it out of my mind and just relax, but I have a hyperactive imagination when it comes to these kinds of things. No matter how I try, I cannot control my fears psychologically. I need absolute assurances that the scorpions are being kept out.

The yard is LUSH -- watered lawn, decorative rocks, plants everywhere, a wood shed in the back, and stacks of firewood. The green is nice, but if it's harboring scorpions, I want it out -- so on to my question -- will xeriscaping the yard reduce our scorpion population? I'm willing to do anything to help the problem.

I've read that pesticides aren't very effective, so I'd rather not go that route. Is paying a professional to seal your house worth it, or is it something I could do easily enough on my own for much less money? I don't want to tear up the yard if getting the home 100% sealed will spell the end of our scorpion visits, but on the other hand, I don't want to pay the money to get the house sealed if a landscape change (presumably less expensive) will stop the problem in its tracks.

Thank you to all who respond.

Tuck your sheets in very well. My neighbor was stung in bed and she now checks every night and tucks the ends in very well.