Arizona woodworking and scorpions

[peter Joseph]

I kill spiders in my shop with a propane torch.
I leave the charred remains in place for 24 hours, just to send a message to the others.
Seems to be working thus far.

[Matt Przybylski]

I kill spiders in my shop with a propane torch.
I leave the charred remains in place for 24 hours, just to send a message to the others.
Seems to be working thus far.

A fine approach! I'm also looking for any serious answers

[Myk Rian]

Just like in Australia, everything in Arizona wants to kill you.

[Erik Loza]

I've never lived in AZ but have been here in CenTX for over 12 years and also have family in Mexico that deals with scorpions all the time. Also, I was a biology student in college, so appreciate all the earth's creepy-crawlies.

Basically, you have nothing to worry about. Here in TX, the population density is a lot higher than you would ever see in the desert. It is generally untrue that scorpions exist in "hidden colonies". True, you might find groups of them sheltering in cool dark places such as caves, basements, etc. but it's not like that all come creeping out at night to do their bidding, LOL. A significant group would be maybe half a dozen individuals and you might see only one of two. My advice would be to just work smartly. Handle lumber with gloves and and just watch where you grab. Also, scorpions are there because of food (other insects). If you remove the food, they go someplace else. I don't personally spray for instects around the house but if you did, that would eliminate a lot of it right there. I'm around scorpions all the time and personally, much more worried getting mobbed by fire ants, a wasp sting, or brown recluse bite than a scorpion sting. Hope this helps,

Erik

[Matt Przybylski]

Thanks Erik. I will also have to worry about brown recluse and black widow bites now as well so that's a whole lotta fun!

[Erik Loza]

Thanks Erik. I will also have to worry about brown recluse and black widow bites now as well so that's a whole lotta fun!

blackscorpionBritishHS.jpg

"Filmed on location in Arizona!"

[Glenn de Souza]

How do you kill them? Can you just step on and squash them like spiders? Or is there a special way of killing these guys? What's the best way to pick one up (with what tooling, I'm def not trying to pick it up with my hands) if I find one in my shop in a place where I can't kill it easily?

Matt,
Yes, just kill them like you would kill a spider or cricket. Step on it, smack it with a slipper or rolled up magazine. If you're in the shop, smack it with a piece of MDF or whatever is handy. They're not as indestructible as you might be led to believe. Exoskeleton or no exoskeleton, they're still just bugs (of the arachnid variety).

[phil harold]

diatomaceous earth sprinkled around in the wood pile will take care of spiders and scorpions

[Matt Przybylski]

diatomaceous earth sprinkled around in the wood pile will take care of spiders and scorpions

I've heard a few people say this so I researched DE. It seems that its a flour like substance and my question would be how often do you have to reapply it? Also it sounds like if it gets wet it becomes ineffective? Things like morning dew could cause it to be ineffective and I know AZ is dry but I imagine there is still dew in the early morning.

[Wes Ramsey]

I don't spray, but I spread diatamacious (sp) earth (bought at pool supply stores) along the perimeter of my fence. They won't cross it so that keeps them out. I don't put it near the house because of my dogs. Since I had a lot of them I go out at night with a black light and kill all the ones I find.
I hadn't heard of Cy-Kick so I talked to my exterminator and he said he knew of nothing that would work on scorpions unless it is applied directly to the exoskeleton. However, I'm going to look into that stuff more.

Diatoaceous earth is harmless to people and pets. It is not poisonous and you can in fact eat it, though I'm sure it has no nutritional value Lots of gardeners use it to protect against all kinds of bugs. It has a high silica content so small critters get cut trying to crawl over it - at least that's how it was explained to me. One way or the other most small critters will avoid it. I don't know that it would hurt a scorpion, but they may choose to avoid it anyway. Rain or dew will not dissolve it, but it can wash it off grass blades and mix with soil making it less effective.

[Brice Rogers]

Matt, If you find them on a hard surface and are wearing shoes, just step on them.

If you find them on a soft surface like a carpet, just take a pair of scissors and cut them in half. After cut in two, they can't run and can't sting you. Then just pick up the pieces with a paper towel. We get them in our house on rare occasions and when I see one, I run for the scissors.

[Jim Colombo]

Matt,
I use the wire end of a fly swater and squash them. If I can't reach them with the fly swater I spray them with a product made be Terro called "Scorpion Killer". It works but it takes some time for them to die. I put the diatomaceous earth out in the springtime and it's good for the year.

Hope this helps,
Jim

[Dave Kelley]

Scorpions aren't in every neighborhood like what's been said before. Ask your new neighbors if they are in your neighborhood.

My my house was built in 83 and I don't have them but my land used to be cotton. Across the major road was citrus and they have scorpions. From what I've been told, cotton = no, citrus = yes

[Ole Anderson]

Another reason to live in Michigan...brown recluses are few and far between and our only poisonous snake, the massagua rattler, is very non-aggressive and sticks to wetland areas. I have never seen one in the wild. And of course, no scorpions.