DIY Pesticides

Scorpions

Scorpions are common in many areas of the United States and can deliver a lot of pain and discomfort.

It used to be that they were only considered a "southern pest", but in recent years have been found in many northern states too. This is probably due to them being transported on nursery plants.

Scorpions present a hazard both in the yard and in the home. They love to reside where it is moist, so irrigated lawns and landscaping will naturally attract them. It is thought they are coming to eat the other insects. Once they are found in the grass and plant beds they will eventually find their way inside. For this reason it is important that you address outside populations on a regular basis. By keeping the outside populations in control, you can dramatically reduce the risk of any getting inside your home. This will help to reduce contact with people and will help to minimize the chance of anyone getting stung.

There are two types of preventive outdoor maintenance which should be done outside your home.

First, use a liquid pesticide around the edge of your house if you want an immediate effect.

Tempo SC is an excellent product for this type of application. Use it in a Hose End Sprayer. This is the type of sprayer that connects to your garden hose.

Just add the Tempo SC and the correct amount of water to the bowl, attach it to your garden hose, adjust the dial for the spray rate, and spray away.

Getting the grass, flower beds, and mulch areas soaked will insure you penetrate down to where scorpions like to hide. Be sure to spray the sides of your house with it as well. Direct the spray at the foot of the foundation and come up at least 3 feet. Scorpions will regularly climb up just about any building, treating the side of the house is important and should be done a regular basis. Just keep children and pets away when the application is done but they will be able to safely access the treatment sights once all areas are dry. This will usually be within an hour of the application.

Secondly, apply DeltaGard G Granules around the perimeter of your home quarterly. This treatment is to disperse the granules around all sides of the home effectively establishing a treated "band" or barrier. This treated barrier will stop scorpions from both nesting and crawling thus keeping them out of your home. Use a Granule Spreader when doing the application to insure uniform coverage.

These granules pose no hazard to people or pets when applied properly and will last 2-3 months per treatment. Be sure to treat at least a 10 foot wide area around the structure.

Be especially careful at night when walking around inside your home. Since scorpions are nocturnal, it is highly likely that you will encounter them when it is dark. Try to wear slippers, sandals or some other footwear to minimize the possibility of being stung when walking around. Stepping on a scorpion is one of the more common ways people get stung, so be careful at night!

For interior rooms, Drione Dust is a dry dust that is applied inside the walls.

Drione Dust acts as a repellent, so scorpions hate it and will avoid areas where it has been applied. For this reason, Drione Dust is better suited for the treatment of electric outlets, light fixtures and other routes of entry to living spaces.

Pest Control 101 > Scorpions

Scorpions