How to Deter Scorpions from Your Yard

Scorpions are arachnids renowned for their unique shape. With six legs and two claws, scorpions are most famous for their tails, which possess a venomous stinger. They use their stinger to subdue prey and to defend themselves.

90 scorpion species can be found in the US, however, bark scorpions are the scorpions in the US with a strong enough venom to cause serious harm to people. Having this creature in your backyard or home around the ones you love is not comforting at all. So, the question becomes: How can you get rid of scorpions?

And how can you prevent them from coming into your home?

The Most Common Scorpions in the US

Depending on where you live, you’ll find only certain types of scorpions in your yard or home. Generally, they’re found in warmer areas. These are common scorpions found in the United States, with bark scorpions being the deadliest (and most common!):

• Arizona bark scorpion: Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Nebraska, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kansas, Illinois, and California
• striped bark scorpion: Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Arkansas, and Arizona
• Baja California bark scorpion: southern Arizona; southern California; western New Mexico; and Baja, California
• stripe-tailed scorpion: Arizona, southern California, and western New Mexico
• northern scorpion: Arizona, California, and parts of New Mexico
• giant hairy scorpion: Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and California

A bark scorpion sting causes severe pain, numbness, tingling, and vomiting in adults lasting up to 72 hours! Because scorpions cause immense pain with a single sting, it’s especially important to keep them away from your yard.

How to Get Rid of Scorpions

The best way to make your home and garden less inviting to scorpions is to reduce or eliminate the conditions where they thrive. Scorpions prefer to find shelter in dark spaces. In your yard, that means places like under logs, in caves, and in holes. Within the home, scorpions often hide in cabinets, closets, and under the bed.

If you’re wondering what gets rid of scorpions, start by making them feel unwelcome with these helpful tips!

7 Natural Ways to Prevent Scorpions

1. Keep piles of wood at least 30 feet away from your home. Wood piles provide easy shelter and hiding places for scorpions.
2. Eliminate standing water. Standing water provides needed moisture, and also attracts other insects, which make up a large part of what scorpions eat.
3. Keep mulch and yard debris leveled and clear to make sure scorpions cannot bury themselves and make a home. It’s also a good idea to trim any trees and shrubs to reduce excess debris.
4. Seal holes and spaces beneath doors and floors. Some scorpions can fit anywhere a credit card can fit.
5. Replace your outside light with a yellow bulb to prevent insects from coming up to the house. With less insects coming up to the house at night, scorpions will be less attracted to finding a meal near your home.
6. Check dark places on a regular basis to prevent an infestation. Any dark, out-of-the-way spot can provide a perfect shelter for scorpions. Make sure you check these areas regularly to prevent any problems from getting out of hand.
7. Control any pest that may have access to your home. Crickets, roaches, ants, and other insects are a tasty treat for scorpions.

If you see a scorpion in your home, don’t panic, and safely remove the scorpion by sweeping it into a dustpan, or using a vacuum, and then removing it outside.

Natural Scorpion Deterrents

In addition to deterring scorpions by making your home and yard less inviting, you can also try using a natural scorpion deterrent. One way is to make a spray with lavender, cinnamon, cedar, or peppermint essential oils and spray it along any window and door openings. Scorpions don’t like these scents and may avoid the area.

If you’re wondering how to prevent scorpions in your yard, you can also try planting some of these same scorpion-repelling plants. Lavender, mint, artemisia, and cedar all make wonderful landscape plants that can do double-duty as natural scorpion deterrents.

Call Us for the Best Scorpion Defense

For the ultimate scorpion control, your local Mosquito Squad can protect your home and yard by targeting scorpions’ favorite hiding places every three weeks with a protective barrier spray. Our Squad Home Shield service is the best option to target sneaky pests like scorpions outside your home. Our service will kill scorpions on contact and deter them from breeding and making a home in your space for up to 21 days.

Call your local Mosquito Squad at (877) 332-2239 or contact us for a free quote.