How to Keep Scorpions Out of Your El Paso Home
Nobody in El Paso gets to zero scorpions. We live in their desert, and they were here first. What you can do is make your house a lot less convenient, so the ones in the yard stay in the yard. Most of it is cheap, a little boring and done in a weekend.
The scorpion you're dealing with is almost always the striped bark scorpion: tan, two dark stripes down the back, two to three inches long. It hunts at night, climbs walls like it's nothing, and spends the day under rocks and boards. Everything below is aimed at that habit.
Walk the house at dusk with a flashlight
A scorpion can squeeze through a gap about as thin as a credit card. The easiest way to find those gaps is to go out right at dusk with the garage door closed and the lights on inside, then look for light leaking out. You'll find gaps you've walked past for years. Start with these:
- Door sweeps on every exterior door, including the one from the garage into the house
- The bottom seal on the garage door, which sand and wind chew up every spring
- Cracks in the stucco and gaps around window frames
- Weep holes and vents, which can take a fine screen
- Where pipes, cables and the A/C or cooler line go through the wall
Pull the rock back from the stucco
Rock landscaping is fine. Just don't let it touch the house. Pull rock and gravel back a few inches from the foundation so there's a clear strip nothing can hide in. Move the woodpile and that stack of leftover lumber off the walls. Trim palm skirts and any branches that touch the roof, and clear dead plants out of the rock beds. Keep the base of the block wall clean too.
Then go after their food. Scorpions eat crickets and roaches, so fewer bugs means fewer scorpions. Swap white porch bulbs for yellow ones, which pull in far fewer insects. Fix leaky drip lines and cooler drains that keep the ground damp. A general pest plan that targets crickets helps a lot, and getting roaches under control takes away the other half of the menu.
Stick piles along the fence are often pack rat nests, and scorpions love living in them. Break them up with gloves on, or have someone who handles rodent removal clear them. If you find droppings, wet them with disinfectant and wipe them up. Don't sweep them dry.
Shoes, towels and the bed six inches off the wall
Some of this is just habit. Shake out shoes, towels and clothes that sat on the floor overnight. Pull beds a few inches from the wall and keep the comforter off the carpet. Look in the tub before you step in. These matter most in summer and the week or two after a big monsoon storm.
Store-bought spray isn't going to do it alone, by the way. Scorpions have a waxy shell and can go a long time without eating. A quick spray along the baseboard may kill the one you hit and miss the dozens in the block wall, and some products break down fast on hot, dusty rock. Sealing and yard work first, treatment second.
When it's time to call, and if someone gets stung
If you're seeing scorpions inside every week, or you have small kids or pets, get a pro involved. A licensed tech can find entry points you missed, treat the hiding spots and set up a schedule. Some will do a night inspection with a UV light, since scorpions glow under blacklight. It's an eye-opener. Homes along the mountain on the Westside around Coronado and Kern Place, in Northeast El Paso near Transmountain Rd. and on the Horizon City mesa next to fresh grading tend to need it most. Scorpion control usually combines sealing with treatment.
If someone gets stung, wash the area and use a cold pack. Get medical help for strong reactions, trouble breathing, or a sting on a small child. Poison control is 1-800-222-1222. Dogs and cats get stung too, usually by pawing at one. Most recover, but call the vet if you see heavy swelling, drooling or trouble walking.
Questions We Get
Do scorpions really glow?
Yes, under ultraviolet light. A blacklight flashlight in the yard at night will show you how many are around the house.