Scorpions?!? (Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler: lease, landlord, extermination)

[asufan]

Originally Posted by acrylic

So basically, I shouldn't be stressing about them getting into the house?

As far as I know, the house is pretty well sealed...

I would think if you have a real problem, they will find their way in through any openings they can find. Good seals around your doors will probably go a long way, and I would imagine sliding glass doors would seal better than french doors that always have gaps.

Based on where you live, I'm wondering if they are from that area along McQueen Road that was just torn up for road widening (like the Lantana Ranch area), or if you are in Kerby Estates, that subdivision backs to a canal, so that area may always have scorpions. Or it could just be a hot spot for scorpions for some other reason.

[landbox]

Pendorosa,

Thanks for your personal story, advice and experience.

I think that we have different level of tolerance. My family all agree that I am the biggest coward of all - especially when it comes to pain. Maybe after the 2nd sting, I might just get use to it. And I don't think that I can take my kids screaming in pain and my wife's curse. (By the way when we live in "inside" Peoria, did not see any scorpions but now at the edge of the desert and mountains it is different but more beautiful including the skyline with all the stars at night. My neighbors have seen them too.) Yes there are bigger issues in our lives and we do and enjoy quite a bit of landscaping work even in this heat - there is a lot of life in the dessert and it is beautiful out there.

"I got stung in the head once while sleeping one off on the floor."

[acrylic]

Originally Posted by asufan

I would think if you have a real problem, they will find their way in through any openings they can find. Good seals around your doors will probably go a long way, and I would imagine sliding glass doors would seal better than french doors that always have gaps.

Based on where you live, I'm wondering if they are from that area along McQueen Road that was just torn up for road widening (like the Lantana Ranch area), or if you are in Kerby Estates, that subdivision backs to a canal, so that area may always have scorpions. Or it could just be a hot spot for scorpions for some other reason.

I'm about 3/4 of a mile away from the construction and I'm not all too close to the canal. Maybe it was just a random occurrence. I won't worry about it unless it starts happening more frequently.

[LocoAZnative]

I agree scorpions are the most over hyped thing around here. I'm a native and have only seen a scorpion once and that was while hiking Papago. I've never have one in any placed I have ever lived. I have never called an exterminator. People are just paranoid go worry about something real.

[phoenixscorpiogirl]

This is why I live in the city. Yes, we still have some pest problems but folks that live further out and/or by mountains seem to have lots of problems. If I saw a scorpion and could catch it and release it I would do that rather than kill it, but I would prefer just not to deal with them at all! I'll go hiking and accept I may run into scorpions or snakes out there, but I sure do not want to live with the critters.
My sister lives out in Gilbert by Chandler Heighhts/ Higley area (or as we call it-the booneys) and she told me they get these" wolf spiders" that are big run and get into her house sometimes .
When I spend the night out there-which isn't often...I always worry about those things going on me!

[twiggy]

Just stating: I for one have sympathy for anyone who has to deal with the Scorps! Just putting that out there!

[azliz129]

We just moved to the zip code 85020 and its worst than we thought! In one night we killed 20 bark scorpions outside the house and by "WE" I mean my husband. I have been living in AZ for 20 years and this is my first time seeing a scorpion. We are freaking out. We have two kids, a 7 yrs old and 11yrs old and both of them are asthmatics healing from mold exposure. What should we do? We just hired a pest control company but I've heard that scorpions are very hard to get rid off!

[cjs123]

Originally Posted by phoenixscorpiogirl

This is why I live in the city. Yes, we still have some pest problems but folks that live further out and/or by mountains seem to have lots of problems. If I saw a scorpion and could catch it and release it I would do that rather than kill it, but I would prefer just not to deal with them at all! I'll go hiking and accept I may run into scorpions or snakes out there, but I sure do not want to live with the critters.
My sister lives out in Gilbert by Chandler Heighhts/ Higley area (or as we call it-the booneys) and she told me they get these" wolf spiders" that are big run and get into her house sometimes .
When I spend the night out there-which isn't often...I always worry about those things going on me!

I had a wolf spider move in (at the time it seemed big enough to have it's own suit case) when I lived in a 2nd-floor apartment in Tempe. Road workers had dug a deep trench and I think they unearthed all kinds of critters who had been living--and growing--there for years.

After dealing with it (I'll spare you the gory details) I decided I'd better spray the balcony, and I was so flustered that I grabbed the hairspray by mistake. I have since heard that's a good way to slow those hairy critters down!

[johnp292]

Originally Posted by azliz129

We just moved to the zip code 85020 and its worst than we thought! In one night we killed 20 bark scorpions outside the house and by "WE" I mean my husband. I have been living in AZ for 20 years and this is my first time seeing a scorpion. We are freaking out. We have two kids, a 7 yrs old and 11yrs old and both of them are asthmatics healing from mold exposure. What should we do? We just hired a pest control company but I've heard that scorpions are very hard to get rid off!

Spraying may help by reducing the population of other bugs, depriving the beasties of food sources. I've heard anecdotally that hunting them like your husband did may help if done regularly, but I don't know how true that is. I may try that this season myself to see if I get any results. Our exterminator places glue traps in the garage. While they catch a ton of bugs, I've yet to see a scorpion in one.

Last summer we had several desert spiny lizards take up residence in our yard. The bug and scorpion population was greatly reduced, so I'm hoping they come back this year.

We live right up against a desert area and I probably kill 5 or 6 a year inside, mostly during the spring and summer. We've been here 4 years and my wife was stung the first year. It hurt but she was fine. No other stings so far. We have a child with serious medical issues for whom a sting could be a major problem, so I understand your concerns but will still advise not to get too panicky about them. Shake out shoes before sticking your feet in them. Same with clothes. Don't leave wet towels around, they like the moisture. Try not to reach into places where you can't see. Don't allow bedding to touch the floor. Some will advise not walking around barefoot. That's probably good advice, but I tend not to follow it myself and no problems so far, although I did have a close call one night when I got up to use the bathroom

[kent_moore]

I believe there's a scorpion in every household.

I moved to a new house last year (85048) and left it empty for 2-3 months since I went overseas. When I got back, I've seen 2 scorpions in different occasion in just a week.

For those who have kids, if you left the house for long time, get an exterminator, protect your kids by wearing thick socks and educate them about the scorpions. You can buy something like a long handled spatula and kill that damn scorpion.