Scorpions! - Ventura,CA

You definitely need to get rid of them! Call American Scientific, they do a great jobs and what they use is safe & non-toxic.

I do not know how to get rid of them, but DO NOT SQUISH them!!! They carry babies on their back and they will scatter if they are there!!! Use a clear glass/jar cover them, slide or something under it, turn it over..they can not crawl up the glass. It will help you to ID them, you will have one right there to compare too. I use to put jars on the crib legs so they would not get in the crib! On the table too.

Lavendar oil is supposed to ward them off as well as the plant. I also found this on a forum

I've said this before, but use dimataceous earth around the outside of your house. This will not only get rid of scorps, but also the food that they eat. Get rid of other insects, and they won't have a reason to come back. Scorps like to live in dense vegetation or debris (leaves, pine needles, etc), so I don't know how effective using flower, herb or fruit scents can be. Dimataceous earth is basically ground up fossils, so it's natural and non-toxic to humans. It will dehydrate any pest that has an exoskeleton or hard shell. We started using it a few months ago, and we went from having hundreds of scorps around the house to none whatsoever. We used to find a few inside the house, and now we have absolutely none. My fiance found huge bags of dimataceous earth online for $80 (supposed to last 5 years or something).

Wow scorpions! Right up my alley ;) Where do you live? I may be able to alleviate your concerns if I know your region, possibly help you ID!

In the meantime, I will share with you what I share with participants in our scorpion "workshops" here in Southern-eastern California desert region, and that is because your boys are fairly young, the best course of action should someone get stung, is to watch them for an allergic reaction (if they're even prone) and take them to hospital/your doctor as a precaution. Although venomous, scorpions here in our desert (Coachella Valley, CA) are not life-threateningly dangerous for healthy adults. Very young children/babies and the elderly are always recommended to go to the hospital, again just as a precaution.

If you want to keep your boys aware, and not scared... scorpions happen to glow wonderfully under UV light, makes them easy to spot at night for safe removal. I'm not encouraging you try this with two young boys if you are dealing with bark scorpions though (AZ and now extreme south-east Cali). So proper ID is very important!

Keep us posted :) Most sincerely,
M. H.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_bark_scorpion

See if these pictures look like them. Then get an exterminator that guarantees results. You don't want your boys getting stung. Not deathly, but very painful.
H-

ohhh, I lived in AZ for a while and hate hate hate scorpions. They are about as harmful and painful as wasps. They are most likely to sting curious pets. I don't know what kind live here, but I would get sprayed for pests for sure. I put up with a lot of insects where I live, but I would bite the bullet and spray for scorpions. If they get stung call poison control and they will tell you what signs signify a need for medial attention.

Hi A. - if you live in So. Cal or Arizona & they are straw color, they are most likely Bark Scorpions. I would have your house sprayed inside and outside every three months to help with these guys not coming back into your house. I have found three in our house (upstairs only) usually in the bathroom or shower near water.

Hello A.. You can try diatomaceous earth. I went to get it at The Home Depot about a year ago. I believe I found it in the garden area, next to the pool supplies. It was about $20.00 for a huge container about a year ago, not sure what the price is now. Good luck!!

Try to capture one and call the pest control company so they can determine what the best solution is. YUCK and I'd be concerned too.

What part of LA do you live? Just want to make sure they aren't near me! Right now, I have a spider problem!

I would call a pest control company right away.

Scorpions (Snakes and so) are highly toxic, venomous. Call an Extermination company, reputable and that can guarante the job. Mention to them that you have children.

If you see another one capture it in a glass jar like someone else suggested then call a local pest control company. Their inspectors are trained to identify these things. I would call em now and see what they say as far as spraying and controlling these things. Good luck!

I saw in a movie once that they had bunches of lavender in baskets near all the windows and doors. Don't know how effective this is but I would try this before spraying pesticides. That being said, we had a bug problem when we moved into our house last year (many varieties) and had it sprayed once, much less bugs this year.

I agree with calling a pest control company. I understand not wanting to spray. Since you live in Ojai (I clicked on your name and it told me) consider Ecola, the have numerous ways that don't involve pesticides. And I understand that they deal with many differnt pests. They are located in Ventura. www.ecolatermite.com. And no, I am not affiliated, but I figure they are worth a call.

Hi A. -

You don't say what area you're in & this covers a big territory. Assuming you're in Southern California, I'd say the scorpions you're finding are venomous but not necessarily deadly. My dad grew up in the high desert - Yucca Valley & 29 Palms. He was stung a couple of times and got sick, but not terribly. I don't know if we have any really lethal scorpions in SoCal.

The above is said so you won't feel too panicky. But my advice is for you to call your local Vector Control office right away to see if they can come out and help you. You must have a nest or something near your home. If you're not sure how to find them, you could possibly start with the county listings. They're government run & will do things like come out & get rid of wasp nests for people. I would think they'd know what to do about scorpions.

All the best,
Colleen