Oh No, Not Another Scorpion Thread! (Phoenix: apartment complex, credit, custom home)

[hikernut]

Lived in PHX area for six years, sharing four different houses in Tempe/Ahwatukee/Chandler. Never saw one scorpion the whole time.

Recently purchased a place in Gilbert, in a neighborhood with irrigated lots of nearly one acre each. Never imagined there could be so many scorpions around. Been in the house for one month now. In that time, I've caught about 25 in sticky traps inside the house, plus personally killed an average of at least one per day inside the house. Dead ones found in the house... at least another 2-3 per day on average.

Blacklighting outside, depending on how much time I spend, 30-60 per night. There are fewer actually on the house than when I started, which is about the only sign of improvement so far. I've had a pest control company come twice to spray, both inside and out. I've also sprayed the foundation and gravel around the house with Cykick CS, and put DeltaGard granules in the gravel around the house.

I was foolish for not checking with a blacklight when we were house hunting. Can't deal with finding scorpions in the house every day over the long run, and can't continue investing 1-2 hours every day trying to control these beasts.

Flummoxed,

hikernut

[DellNec]

Originally Posted by hikernut

Lived in PHX area for six years, sharing four different houses in Tempe/Ahwatukee/Chandler. Never saw one scorpion the whole time.

Recently purchased a place in Gilbert, in a neighborhood with irrigated lots of nearly one acre each. Never imagined there could be so many scorpions around. Been in the house for one month now. In that time, I've caught about 25 in sticky traps inside the house, plus personally killed an average of at least one per day inside the house. Dead ones found in the house... at least another 2-3 per day on average.

Blacklighting outside, depending on how much time I spend, 30-60 per night. There are fewer actually on the house than when I started, which is about the only sign of improvement so far. I've had a pest control company come twice to spray, both inside and out. I've also sprayed the foundation and gravel around the house with Cykick CS, and put DeltaGard granules in the gravel around the house.

I was foolish for not checking with a blacklight when we were house hunting. Can't deal with finding scorpions in the house every day over the long run, and can't continue investing 1-2 hours every day trying to control these beasts.

Flummoxed,

hikernut

Your frustration and scorpion problem is one that is very common in the Phoenix area. There is a reason why there are hundreds of pest companies out there. In the end, you can never eradicate the scorpions outside of the home. They have been there for thousands and thousands of years. It's a never ending battle.

The solution that works is to design a home that is very tight. Meaning that the doors, windows, vents, walls, attic vents, etc. are super tight as to not allow them to enter the home. Unfortunately the homes in Phoenix are horrendous when it comes to sealing them. One can try and put better seals/gaskets on their current doors, install bug screes, but the scorpions can still come in through the walls, attics and bathroom vents.

All it takes is the width of a credit card and a scorpion can fit.

[Rick Lee]

Just found this guy and another in the yard tonight. Found another in my bedroom yesterday. Thank God for blacklights. Diatomaceous earth treatment begins at daybreak.

[DellNec]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Just found this guy and another in the yard tonight. Found another in my bedroom yesterday. Thank God for blacklights. Diatomaceous earth treatment begins at daybreak.

Is that a tree bark scorpion?

How old is your home? Have you inspected your door entry seals?

[Rick Lee]

Not sure what it is, but I don't want them around. House is 16 yrs. old. In 2.5 yrs. here we've found three in the house. Since I started looking around May, I've killed an avg. of about one per night in the yard. Just got done spreading DE around some of the perimeter of the yard inner and house outer walls. But it's too hot and I'm going to have to wait until dusk to finish the job.

[DellNec]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Not sure what it is, but I don't want them around. House is 16 yrs. old. In 2.5 yrs. here we've found three in the house. Since I started looking around May, I've killed an avg. of about one per night in the yard. Just got done spreading DE around some of the perimeter of the yard inner and house outer walls. But it's too hot and I'm going to have to wait until dusk to finish the job.

I have a buddy that lives in that area and he is so fed up with them he is thinking of selling his home and moving. He has to wear slippers at night because he was stung in the foot 3 times already while walking around at night in his house. I refuse to visit his home and hang out because he had guest get stung while they sat down on the couch. The brutal heat from this summer is making them populate like crazy and seek water and indoor shelter.

The scorpion issue is downplayed a lot as it is a black mark on newbies looking to move to the valley. If the reality of it was put out there for all to see, a lot of them would not move to the valley.

Another buddy of mine in Anthem would get them all the time. He called in professional companies and they couldn't stop them because they were coming in from the attic vents & soffits, which cannot be completely sealed because of code/venting issues. His daughter was stung in the foot and had to go to the hospital. He was also stung, twice. They have since sold their home and moved elsewhere. They get them in this home but nowhere near as often.

Make sure your health insurance covers these stings. It can get VERY expensive if you get stung and need to go to the hospital. On average in Phoenix, a rattlesnake bite will cost $175,000 to treat at a hospital. A scorpion sting (if you react badly or a tree bark scorpion). John C Lincoln was charging $16,000 per vile for scorpion anti-venom. Investigative reporters had a story on the high costs they were charging and since then the hospital dropped it to $12,000 per vile. It will take around 5 viles to treat a single sting, so you are looking at around $65,000 when all is said and done.

[Rick Lee]

Wearing slippers around the house is a good idea, no matter where you live. I always do. I was stung in my armpit as a child and, while it hurt, it certainly didn't require a trip the hospital. My mom and sister got it too. No big deal. I can't imagine going to the hospital for this, but then I'm not allergic to anything.

[deliz]

Ewwww ewww ewww. You can suggest us snow bunnies are crazy for hangin in the cold. Give me cute ugg boots and a snappy Parka any day. I just couldn't run the risk of happening onto one of these creatures.

[Grannysroost]

Originally Posted by DellNec

Another buddy of mine in Anthem would get them all the time. He called in professional companies and they couldn't stop them because they were coming in from the attic vents & soffits, which cannot be completely sealed because of code/venting issues. His daughter was stung in the foot and had to go to the hospital. He was also stung, twice. They have since sold their home and moved elsewhere. They get them in this home but nowhere near as often.

I hope there was a disclaimer in the sale of the house of your friend there for the people that bought that house? Don't you have some kind of poisonous spiders up there in your part of the state, like flesh-eating spiders that can get in your house because it's cooler? Rodents and diseases? Crickets, and you know what eats them!

[DellNec]

Originally Posted by Grannysroost

I hope there was a disclaimer in the sale of the house of your friend there for the people that bought that house? Don't you have some kind of poisonous spiders up there in your part of the state, like flesh-eating spiders that can get in your house because it's cooler? Rodents and diseases? Crickets, and you know what eats them!

Pretty much any and all of the homes in Anthem experience scorpion problems. They built the subdivision on a mountain and it is surrounded by rocky mountainous terrain, in other words, scorpion country. Then they used poor sealing techniques on the homes and you have a never ending problem on your hands.That is what gets me, you have homes close to and even over a million dollars, yet they couldn't built the home tight. The builders/Realtors rely on "eye candy" (granite, travertine, tall ceilings, etc). Nobody knows or really cares what is the walls or behind the drywall or how tight they built the home. Then you buy this home only to be plagued with scorpions.