We have been living in our current house for exactly one year this spring. This past June my children found an injured scorpion in our upstairs playroom (not sure if it got injured when my 5-yr-old son threw his bean bag chair on top of it – or if it was already injured and too slow to get out of the way before the massive bag landed on it). It was very disconcerting but wishfully hoped it was a singular occurrence (maybe it hitched a ride in a fed-ex box?).
I sent the little guy to NC State to find out the species. It was an adult male Centruroides Hentzi. Happily we did not see another till July and then some more in October and then again in November. Not sure if we are bringing these in (we were outside in the dark for a few hours enjoying the chilly weather by our pool.) I have called all exterminators in Wilmington and they have no experience with scorpions. Crazy thing is we found out our next door neighbors have seen a couple of dozen in their house over the last couple of years too. I do not know if we have the same problem!!! I am trying to contact the previous owners to find out – but I’m not sure if they’ll be honest with us. Any advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much. Sincerely, TK
If you read through our SCORPION CONTROL article, you’ll learn striped scorpions are common in the south and can be found from the southeast all the way to California. You’ll also learn scorpions like to live around homes where they can find shelter and food. Shelter for them is mulch or pine islands. They love living under rocks, pine straw and wood chips. And they’re mostly nocturnal so you wouldn’t expect to see them during the day. So just because you aren’t seeing a lot, it’s quite possible they’re active when you and the family are fast asleep.
For now, I suggest you start doing some pest control around the home. Start with the outside. Get a good application of XEMPT G applied around the home and spray down the turf and exterior of the house after the granules have been applied. This should really help especially since spring is about to hit and the local insect population will be getting active. Once the granules are in place, spray over the top with MAXXTHOR SC. This combination will take care of any living in these areas and with any luck, this is all you’ll need to do throughout the year.
Next, set out some SCORPION TRAPS inside the home. Set them out in living areas where you suspect scorpions might be active. Scorpion traps will really help identify key locations where they might be living or nesting if they’ve been successful moving into the home. It’s too early to tell if this has happened and I’m thinking you probably don’t have a major problem inside yet. The key word here is “yet”. I say this because if you don’t start treating soon, it will most certainly get worse.
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