Scorpions are a type of pest related to spiders, ticks, and mites. They give painful and potentially life-threatening stings. Scorpions become pests when they enter homes or yards looking for food, shelter, or water.
Scorpions begin their lives as eggs incubating inside their mother. After anywhere between 5 months to 1 year, live young are born inside semi-transparent egg sacs. They will then climb onto their mother’s back for protection and stay there for several days.
After their first molt, they leave their mother and go out on their own. Scorpions become fully mature after about one year but can sting and become pests soon after birth. Scorpions live between three and five years, depending on their species and environment.
What Do Scorpions Look Like?
Every type of scorpion has two pincers, eight legs, and a long, slender tail that arches over the back. At the end of the tail are venom glands and a stinger. Depending on the species, they can grow to be between 1/2 inch to more than 7 inches long and be a variety of different colors.
Where Do Scorpions Live?
Some scorpions can live in grasslands, forested areas, and even caves, but most prefer desert climates. In the U.S., scorpions are commonly found in some southwest and southern states.
Scorpions are nocturnal, so they are most active at night and typically hide during the day. They like to hide under things like rocks, wood, and trash.
In houses, scorpions often live in basements, crawl spaces, attics, or between walls. They can be attracted to moist or damp areas for the water. Scorpions have been found in bathrooms, kitchens, and around pipes, air conditioners, and condensers.
What Do Scorpions Eat?
Scorpions are predators that eat insects, centipedes, spiders, and even other scorpions. Depending on the scorpion’s species and developmental stage, they can survive for up to two years with no food or water.
Types of Scorpions
Worldwide, there are more than 1000 different scorpion species, and over 40 live in the USA. Most species aren’t harmful to humans.
The only truly dangerous scorpion in the USA is the Arizona bark scorpion. Adults all grow to be between 2 and 3 inches long, but can be many different colors. Some are pale tan, and others have darker stripes or checkered patterns on their bodies.
Why Do You Get Scorpions?
Scorpions usually only come inside because their natural habitats have been destroyed or disrupted. New houses can sometimes have scorpion infestations because the surrounding construction destroyed their native habitat.
They can also move indoors while looking for food or shelter from rain or wet outdoor conditions. They get inside through cracks in the building.
Do Scorpions Bite?
Scorpions don’t bite but do sting. They have a flexible tail with a stinger on the tip. Beside the stinger are two glands that hold venom. When a scorpion stings you, it injects venom under your skin.
Are Scorpions Dangerous?
Except for snakes, scorpions kill more people than any other animal globally, but very few types are dangerous to humans. Out of about 1,500 scorpion species worldwide, only around 30 are harmful to people.
In the USA, dangerous scorpions mainly live in deserts in the southwest. The most dangerous species is the bark scorpion which lives mainly in Arizona, but can also be found in surrounding states.
Most stings aren’t serious, and less than 5% will need medical attention. Death from scorpion stings is very rare in people over 6 years old.
If your symptoms become worse in the 2 to 4 hours after being stung, you are more likely to have a poor outcome and should contact your healthcare provider immediately.
Health Risks of Scorpion Stings
Scorpion stings can cause mild to severe reactions. Most scorpion stings symptoms usually go away within 48 hours. Children under six years old are more likely to have serious reactions. Some common scorpion sting symptoms include:
- Redness and burning or stinging sensations
- Extreme pain when the area that was stung is touched
- Muscle spasms
- Convulsions or seizures
- Seeing double
- Stomach pain or cramps
- Nausea or vomiting
- Itchy nose or throat
- Slurred speech
- Feeling like your tongue is thick
- Drooling
- Restlessness
- Staggering or unsteadiness while walking
- Rapid or difficult breathing
- Increased or irregular heartbeats
- Stiffness, numbness, or paralysis
How to Treat Scorpion Stings
Most scorpion stings from species in the USA don’t need special medical treatment. If a scorpion stings you, take the following steps for the best possible outcome:
- Stay calm and relaxed. Staying still can help prevent the venom from spreading.
- Call your healthcare provider or the poison control center for medical advice and care instructions.
- If it is safe and possible, try to catch and contain the scorpion for identification.
- Thoroughly wash the sting with soap and water.
- Take off rings and other jewelry in case of swelling.
- Don’t put your entire limb in ice water, but do apply ice directly to the sting. Leave the ice on for 10 minutes, then remove it for 10 minutes. Repeat as needed.
- Don’t take sedative medications, but Benadryl (diphenhydramine) can help relieve mild symptoms.
How to Get Rid of Scorpions
The best way to keep scorpions away is to block up any cracks or crevices around your home and remove any potential scorpion habitats from your yard. Some DIY tips include:
- Caulking or sealing around doors, windows, roof eaves, and pipes
- Placing weather-stripping around windows and doors
- Plugging holes in brick veneers with pieces of fine mesh, scouring pads, or nylon
- Keeping window and door screens free from holes
- Getting rid of clutter from your garage, basement, crawl space, or attic
- Keeping the grass around your home mowed
- Removing trash, wood, rocks, brick, or other potential hiding places from around the outside of your home
- Storing garbage in elevated frames to keep them off the ground
After completing the above steps, consider using an insecticide designed for scorpions to create a temporary barrier around the outside of your home. Treating the soil around your foundation, house siding, porch, and other places where your living space touches the ground can help keep scorpions out.
Spray a band of insecticide 3 to 4 feet wide on the ground around your home's foundation. Spray the outside walls about 2 feet up, and don’t forget to treat window wells, weep holes, or other cracks. Spray generously, until the insecticide begins to run off any walls or foundations.
Inside your home, you will need to treat the following areas:
- Attic
- Basement or crawl space
- Baseboards
- Spaces between walls
- Underneath any furniture
- Inside any interior cracks or crevices
Make sure to follow safety and usage instructions on the label, and keep insecticides out of reach of children.
If you have many scorpions or a serious infestation, contact a professional exterminator to help you get rid of them.