Scorpions are secretive. They prefer hiding in dark, damp places during the day to obscure their presence. Piles of clutter, debris, and wood or rocks create suitable hiding spots that attract them.
Most scorpions hide under logs, rocks, boards and clutter.
Because scorpions are attracted to water, eliminating any standing water inside or outside of your house is a good idea too. Sticky traps aimed at rodents can help catch scorpions before they get too far into your home.
Understanding Scorpion Habits and Habitats
Their favorite spots include areas that are cluttered, damp, and have an ample supply of their food, like insects and spiders. Therefore, houses with gardens, piles of rocks, or wood can attract them.
Essential oils like lavender, cinnamon, peppermint and cedar can be used to discourage scorpions at all of the potential entry ports listed above. Schedule a regular spraying in and around your house to give you peace of mind about scorpions and other pests becoming house guests.
What Do Scorpions Hate The Most? There is a trend in home pest control where people are turning to natural scents to deter pests. There are several smells that can deter scorpions, such as peppermint, lavender, and cinnamon.
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around areas where scorpions are likely to hide, such as cracks, crevices, and entry points. Apply just a light dusting. More is NOT better! Essential Oils: Certain essential oils, such as cedar oil, lavender oil, and citrus oil, are known to repel scorpions.
In fact, they're afraid of humans and will try to avoid us if at all possible. It's possible to unexpectedly disturb a scorpion when doing yard work like moving leaves or sticks off of your property. If you see the scorpion, proceed with caution.
Scorpions typically enter houses in search of three primary resources: shelter, moisture, and food. They may be attracted to your home if it provides cool, dark spaces to hide during the day, offers water sources (like leaky pipes or humid areas), or harbors insects and small arthropods that serve as prey.
Nomadic scorpions seek refuge in dark and concealed spaces, making it important to keep the bed away from the wall. Scorpions can climb walls, but can't climb smooth glass and won't be able to climb from the floor onto your bed using glass jars this way!
Scorpions are predators. They consume all types of insects, spiders, centipedes, and even other scorpions. Scorpions are preyed upon by large centipedes, tarantulas, lizards, birds (especially owls), and mammals such as bats, shrews, and grasshopper mice.
But there is one thing scorpions have a difficult time living without—soil. They are burrowing animals, so in areas of permafrost or heavy grasses, where loose soil is not available, scorpions may not be able to survive.
Finding a scorpion in your home is not just unsettling; it can also pose significant health risks. Scorpions are known for their painful stings, which can cause swelling, redness, and, in some cases, severe reactions such as numbness or muscle spasms.
In the U.S., scorpions are commonly found in some southwest and southern states. Scorpions are nocturnal, so they are most active at night and typically hide during the day.
Bright white lights are most attractive to scorpions and bugs. Installing yellow or amber lights that face away from your home can reduce this effect and help to keep them away from your home.
Scorpions primarily feed on insects, so properties with a high insect population will naturally attract scorpions. They are also known to eat spiders and small mammals, such as mice. Lights left on at night can attract insects, which in turn attract scorpions.
Needless to say, I started to look into different natural ways of keeping these particular creepy crawlers out of my life. I figured out the two things scorpions hate most of all, lavender and cedarwood oil! Makes sense that something that is so gross would hate two things that smell so sweet!
Scorpions do not have nests or colonies, but they can be found on the floor, wall, ceiling, drawers, clothing, and many more undesirable areas in the home. Scorpions are hunters and come out at night in search of prey.
Lavender, cinnamon, peppermint and cedar are all essential oils said to deter scorpions.
Use a Hygroscopic Powder and a Synthesized Pesticide Powder
If scorpions come into your house, these things will exterminate them. Chemical dust and absorbent powder should be sprayed near power outlets and sanitary fittings and attics. Insect dust can be used to fill in crevices.
Scorpions prefer to bed down in warm and secure spaces. Keep the area around your mattress clean and free of debris, like blankets and clothes. If you let your blankets, covers, or sheets pool around your floor, scorpions could climb inside and access your bed as you readjust your covers or remake your bedding.
This might sound a bit gross, but scorpion droppings are another clue. They look like small, dry droplets or sand grains. You'll often find them in dark, undisturbed areas—like behind your furniture or in storage spaces.
Scorpions dislike the scent of lavender and cedar, so spray diluted essential oils around entry points and foundations as a repellent. You can use a vinegar solution similarly.
Scorpions do not like heat and bright light. They lose some of what little water they have to evaporation. So they use their sensitivity to UV rays to determine if it's dim enough for them to crawl out and get to business.
Scorpions are good climbers that can fit in small gaps. They enter your home through cracks or vents. They usually stay in the walls but can exit through AC vents. To prevent scorpions, eliminate gaps and cracks inside your home.