How To Get Rid Of Scorpions | 11 Ways To Keep Scorpions At Bay

Some species of scorpions are potentially lethal, especially the Arizona bark scorpion, so learn how to get rid of scorpions at home before you find yourself in a survival situation.

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Get Rid of Scorpions with These Tips and Tricks

Tried and Tested Methods on How to Get Rid of Scorpions

It’s July and in my home state of Texas, scorpions are making their presence known once again. I’ve had three scorpion encounters in the last two weeks inside my house!

After the third scorpion, which I almost stepped on with my barefoot, I referred to the internet to research the steps I can take to keep them from entering my home.

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To get rid of scorpions, you have to get rid of what attracts scorpions, first. I also found natural ways to repel them with lavender oil, cedar oil, and other natural methods.

Here are my findings:

1. Eliminate Excess Moisture

Scorpions enter homes looking for water so, keep floors, corners, closets, and crawl spaces dry and free of leaks. Refrain from allowing water to stand in puddles or containers near the exterior of your home, too.

2. Get Rid of Other Insects in Your Home

Scorpions feed on insects, so if you have an issue with roaches, ants, or other bugs in the house, you’ll need to deal with the problem first before the scorpions will go away.

Here are a few good ways to keep the insect population down in your home:

• Clean up crumbs and wash dishes promptly so bugs don’t have a food source.
• Sprinkle borax around the baseboards and under the sinks in your home; this natural substance kills insects.
• Keep the insect population down outdoors as well, since scorpions prefer to live outside.

3. Remove Scorpion Shelters

Scorpions like to hide in dark places, especially during the day. Get rid of structures in and around your home scorpions use as a convenient hiding place.

Take the following measures to keep scorpions from hanging around:

• Store cardboard boxes on shelves instead of the floor.
• Don’t keep clutter around your home or under the beds.
• Keep your closets and bedrooms neatly organized because scorpions like to hide in shoes and piles of clothes on the floor.
• Trim back bushes and foliage where scorpions might hide under.
• Get rid of piles of wood, rocks or yard clippings.
• Trim back vines and other potential hiding spots.

4. Keep Your Home Sealed

Scorpions can slip through an opening as small as the size of a credit card. Sealing your home is an important method for keeping them from invading.

In order to make sure your home is secure, take the following measures to seal the doors, windows, and foundation:

• Use caulk to fill in holes and cracks in your walls, baseboards, or the foundation of your home.
• Make sure your windows are closed tightly and the screens are sealed so scorpions can’t climb in.
• Get door seals to prevent scorpions from coming in under the doors.

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5. Keeping a Watchful Eye – *Use Extreme Caution*

The best way to get rid of scorpions as fast as possible is to hunt for them at night when they’re most active. It’s not for the faint of heart, but killing them one at a time is a good way to reduce the scorpion population around your home, fast.

To hunt scorpions, you need a black (ultraviolet) light. They glow in the dark, so you’ll be able to see them clearly by using a black light to search them out.

You also need a flashlight or headlamp with a black light bulb. Now, arm yourself with a tool you can use to kill them.

In parts of Arizona, long-handled tweezers used to break the scorpions’ exoskeletons are the weapons of choice. You can also use a long knife or wear a pair of heavy boots to step on them.

To hunt them outside, look on exterior walls, at the bases of walls, fences, under bushes, and other foliage. Also, look under rocks and other outdoor cracks and crevices close to your home.

Shine your black light in all of these areas to set scorpions aglow. You might also want to check indoors in your attic, along baseboards, and in many other areas where you’ve seen a scorpion.

6. Lavender Plants or Lavender Oil

Planting a lavender bush around the perimeter of your house or in a pot by your door can help. You can also use 10-20 drops of lavender essential oil mixed with about 2 cups of water or apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle.

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Spray this mixture around the perimeter of your doors, windows, or the inside of your home.

7. Cedar Oil and Other Cedar Products

Cedar is a highly aromatic wood and carries oil which is also fragrant and repels scorpions.

Make this homemade scorpion repellent by mixing about 10-15 drops of cedar oil in 2 cups of water or apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle, then spray around windows, doors, and inside your home.

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Another option is to add cedar chips to the flower beds around the perimeter of your house. Any cedar products like flower pots or boxes placed near the doors and windows should also help.

8. Diatomaceous Earth

Use diatomaceous earth and sprinkle it around the perimeter of your house. This destroys the scorpion’s underbelly.

It is also an effective pest repellent to pests other than scorpions, so with bugs gone so are scorpions too which feed on bugs.

What Is Diatomaceous Earth? It is a chemical composition made up of a fossilized group of microalgae used for various industrial purposes. This includes the manufacture of metal polish and toothpaste, soil for potted plants, and trees, pest control, and others.

9. Cinnamon

Ground cinnamon is a scorpion repellent, so if you have some on your cupboard, it could help. Sprinkle ground cinnamon around the perimeter of your home.

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Sprinkle it in dark areas, baseboards, and windowsill to keep scorpions at bay.

10. Citrus Oils

Another natural scorpion repellent is a citrus and citrus essential oil. If you have orange or citrus plants growing in your place, it’ll help.

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If you have none, you can use and spray citrus essential oils around the doorways and windows.

11. Introduce Predators

Spiders and birds are predators to scorpions, so don’t mind the spiders and create a bird-friendly environment in your place.

Professional pest control services are expensive, so with these practical tips and tricks to get rid of scorpions, you can have one less bill to mind. You have to put in some effort, though.

One repellent’s effect may not last long, so you might have to try two or more and even all of these scorpion prevention tips to totally get rid of these potentially fatal threats.

Which of these tips to help get rid of scorpions did you try? Let us know about it in the comments section below!

Up Next:

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on July 18, 2016, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.