scorpion question

[anthonyk]

I just finished construction on my new home, about 40 miles northwest of Houston.
When I was doing the final walk through, I found TWO small scorpions, about 2 inches long, light brown.
One was hiding in the gap between the carpet and the wall, and the other was behind a stack of extra tile.
Needless to say, I was unpleasantly surprised.
No idea how they got in, the house is practically airtight, and there's no food, it's completely empty.
Any suggestions for making sure my new home stays free of these nasty buggers?
Any and all help would be appreciated.

Anthony
Century 3647, 12 acres.

 

[Slamfire]

We've got black ones about half that size. We found several in the sink. I think they came up from the septic system before we started using it. Kinda feels like a bee sting when they git yah. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[RanchMan]

You can spray your yard and the outside walls of your house with pesticide. Ravap (cattle dip) always seemed to work pretty well for us.

During the Summer months, they will come up to the house in search of H20. (don't suppose you have that problem right now with your recent rains.) For those that you don't wipe out with the pesticide, just step lively and keep a big shoe with you. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

BTW, speaking of shoes, if you're having scorpion problems, make sure to check your shoes before you put 'em on in the morning - seriously.

 

[polecat]

!!!!!!!!!!!that's what it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THank u ranch man...when i used to live in alabama i bought a gallon of that stuff thinkin i would use it as insect repellent and it came back up here to maine with me and ($70) a gallon....had the original price tag when i bought it an old fellows flea mkt after he passed on} the original tag has been lost and the only thing i remembered is that the stuff was high $$$$$....now can i use this stuff on my horses for black flies/mosquito's and the like or am i jist holdin on to something thats no use to me as i don't have any cows?????
and what mixture as don't wanna kill my horses ...the stuff smells terrible......... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[mikim]

That's particularly common with new construction - Take steps to control 'em - keep a watchful eye for awhile - especially in the bathrooms - but you shouldn't have a problem next season - and like was said - dump your shoes before putting your feet in 'em.

 

[DAP]

Todd ... not sure a horse would take to that stuff the same way a cow would. I'd check with a vet first.

Everyone who has horses on their property already knows their aint a product made worth a bucket o water that can keep the bugs off the horses - at least not very good or without killin the horse. We've tried many of them products and were disappointed each time.

Our best remedy we could muster up is to add a garlic pill or 2 to their oats, use a fly mask and a fly sheet and have the tiger balm ready to put on any bites.

Down here in NY, in July, the horse flies carry FAA certification papers with em. At least those bombers are slow and dumb. One of my mares begs to have her hind quarters flogged when they're about. Normally, you play ring around the rosie just trying to lay a hand on her rump. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[RanchMan]

Polecat -

Yep - that's about the price it goes for. They don't give it away, that's for sure - but I've found it far more effective at killing scorpions (and cost effective too) than getting an exterminator out. Plus, it gets all the other "critters" that like to bite you while tooling around your yard (ticks, chiggers, etc.) I've never used it as a dip on horses and can't say if it is OK to do - checking with the vet like DAP suggested is probably a good idea - but using it on their premises should be fine. Here are some mixing ratios from the label where it specifically mentions spraying "horse barns" and the like for "premise use."

When spraying for scorpions around the house I just pour some in one of those hose-connected sprayers and spray the lawn and a little up the walls. Depending on the size of the yard you want to hit, it would probably take a pint or two to get a good coverage. (I always made sure to pin up the dogs for a few hours until it dried so they didn't get any directly on them while it was wet.)

As far as the smell, that dissipates after a few days after spraying.

Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[anthonyk]

thanks for the advice.
I spoke with a local expert and he's coming out with some stuff he guarantees can kill even low flying aircraft.
He did mentions something I found amazing:
If you wan't to find them, shine an old fashioned black light on them on the dark and they glow like flourescent bulbs!
I gotta try it just to see if that's true.

Well... off to check my shoes. Thanks again.

anthony

 

[Treed_in_TX]

Most insecticide remedies will work by killing the food source for the scorpions. We had them in Austin TX until we sold the house this month. We sprayed around the outside killing most of the scorpion's prey. We still got them in the house from time to time but not nearly as often as before the spraying.

 

[garchib]

I lived in Arizona for 5 1/2 years and an ASU professor was
doing research on scorpions and found that the bark scorpion
can be submerged in cyanide and will still live /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
There are very few pesticides that will kill bark scorpions, but
I hear that Diatamacious Earth dries them out and can kill them. They are evolutionary tanks that have survived just like the cockroach. I was stung in bed one night and never really slept that soundly again in AZ until I moved back to New England /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif