How to Get Rid of Scorpions

Scorpions are common household pests. These arachnids are typically found in the southern United States, with the largest varieties dwelling in desert regions. Scorpions prefer to stay in dark spaces during the day and come out at night to find food and water. You can get rid of them by hunting them at night, removing their sources of food and shelter, introducing predators, and using sprays. Read on to learn more about how to get rid of scorpions.

Things You Should Know

Scorpion-specific insecticides, synthetic pesticides, and sticky traps can help you catch and kill scorpions.
To prevent scorpions in the future, seal up cracks and holes, reduce excess moisture, get rid of other bugs that scorpions will want to hunt.
When you spy a scorpion around your home, kill them with a knife, ant spray, tweezers, or just the bottom of your shoe.

Part 1

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Using Traps, Insecticides and Repellants

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Spray an area 6 feet (2 yards) wide around the exterior of the house. Spray up to a height of 1 foot (.3 yards) on the foundation wall. Apply insecticide around the windows, doors, and baseboards inside the house. Spray basements, garages, and closets with insecticide. Apply insecticide to any stacked materials where scorpions may hide. Before spraying inside the house, make sure it is approved for indoor use. Also, consider children and pets safety guidelines.^{[1]XResearch source}
These substances will kill scorpions before they are able to enter your home. Spread pesticide dust and wettable powder around electrical outlets and plumbing fixtures, and in attics. Fill in cracks with pesticide dust.^{[2]XResearch source}
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Sticky traps designed to catch insects or mice work well for trapping scorpions, too. Set them out around sources of water and in dark corners of your house. When you catch a scorpion, throw the trap away and set out another one.^{[3]XResearch source}
Cinnamon oil is a natural scorpion repellant. Sprinkle it in dark areas, windowsills, and around your baseboards to keep scorpions away.
If you continue to have problems with scorpions, call a professional pest control agency.^{[4]XResearch source}
Some cats like to hunt scorpions, so having one around can really help to keep the population down. Chickens, too, enjoy eating scorpions, so consider getting an outdoor chicken coop. Both of these animals can be stung and wounded by a scorpion, which can lead to large vet bills for treatment. ^{[5]XResearch source}

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Removing Food Sources and Sealing Your House

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Scorpions enter homes looking for water. 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.^{[6]XResearch source}
2
Get rid of bugs in your house. Scorpions feed on insects, so if you have an issue with roaches, ants, or other bugs in the house, you'll need to solve that problem before the scorpions will go away.^{[7]XResearch source} Here are a few good ways to keep the insect population down in your home:^{[8]XTrustworthy SourceUnited States Environmental Protection AgencyIndependent U.S. government agency responsible for promoting safe environmental practicesGo to source}
- Clean up crumbs and do dishes promptly so bugs don't have a food source.
- Sprinkle borax or diatomaceous earth around the baseboards and under the sinks in your home; these natural substances kill insects.
- Consider spraying insecticides around your home to kill insects. Do research and approach this method with caution, since some insecticides are poisonous to humans and pets.
- Keep the 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 that could be used as a convenient hiding place by a scorpion. Take the following measures to keep scorpions from hanging around:^{[9]XResearch source}
- 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. Scorpions like to hide in shoes and piles of clothes on the floor.
- Outdoors, trim back bushes and foliage that scorpions can hide under. Get rid of piles of wood, rocks or yard clippings. Trim back vines and other potential hiding spots.
4
Seal your home.^{[10]XExpert SourceSamuel Ramsey, PhD
EntomologistExpert Interview. 20 January 2021.} Scorpions can slip through an opening 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:^{[11]XResearch source}
- Use caulk to fill in holes and cracks in your walls, baseboards, or the foundation of your home.
- Make sure your windows close 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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Hunting Scorpions

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1
Get the right equipment. 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 the following equipment:
- 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. Get a flashlight or headlamp with a black light bulb.^{[12]XResearch source}
- 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.
2
Search around your property for scorpions. Look on exterior walls, at the bases of walls and fences, under bushes and other foliage, 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.^{[13]XResearch source}
- Scorpions don't normally reside in grass, so you probably won't find many there.
- You can also look indoors in your attic, along baseboards, and in any other areas where you've seen a scorpion.
Use long-handled tweezers, a knife, or the bottom of your boot to kill the scorpions. Then put them in a trash bag, tie it up and discard it with your regular trash.
4
Use another hunting approach. Hunt at night with a UV flashlight and Raid ant and cockroach spray. Spray each scorpion directly with the spray. This spray has the fastest activation.
- If the scorpion is high up a wall or on the ceiling, spray with Raid wasp and hornet spray to reach.

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Question
Where do scorpions like to hide?
Samuel Ramsey, PhD
Entomologist
Dr. Samuel Ramsey is an Entomologist and a researcher with the United States Department of Agriculture. Dr. Ramsey has extensive knowledge of symbiosis and specializes in insect disease spread, parasite behavior, mutualism development, biological control, invasive species ecology, pollinator health, and insect pest control. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Entomology from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Maryland. Dr. Ramsey’s research on bees has enabled researchers to develop targeted control techniques to restore honey bee populations worldwide. He also hosts a YouTube series called “Dr. Buggs.”
Samuel Ramsey, PhD
Entomologist
Expert Answer
They typically live inside of boroughs, so they generally hide in dark, secluded spaces, like basements, dark corners, under beds, and inside of shoes and slippers.
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How do scorpions get inside?
Samuel Ramsey, PhD
Entomologist
Dr. Samuel Ramsey is an Entomologist and a researcher with the United States Department of Agriculture. Dr. Ramsey has extensive knowledge of symbiosis and specializes in insect disease spread, parasite behavior, mutualism development, biological control, invasive species ecology, pollinator health, and insect pest control. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Entomology from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Maryland. Dr. Ramsey’s research on bees has enabled researchers to develop targeted control techniques to restore honey bee populations worldwide. He also hosts a YouTube series called “Dr. Buggs.”
Samuel Ramsey, PhD
Entomologist
Expert Answer
Scorpions are often able to enter homes through breaks in door sweeps at the bottom of the doors. Replacing door sweeps and looking for other areas where pest entry points are possible is important to prevent their entry into your home.
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Tips

Shake out bedclothes and shoes if you live in scorpion-prone areas. These are common places for scorpions to hide inside the house.
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Outdoors, if you see one scorpion, then there's often another one close by. More times than not, they're not too far away from a buddy of theirs.
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One of the most common places to get stung is in the shower. Check bathtubs in the winter as scorpions are known to crawl up drains. An easy solution to avoid a catastrophe is to simply check beforehand and let the water run for half a minute before entering the shower.
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Warnings

Scorpions may sting if they feel they are being attacked. The sting of most scorpions found in homes is approximately as strong as a bee's or wasp's. Although most scorpion stings will not cause serious injury, see a doctor if you have been stung by a scorpion. It is particularly important to call a doctor if a small child has been stung.
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Wear a mask and gloves when spraying or spreading insecticide.
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