By Tony Gonzalez
With temperatures cooling off sooner than normal at night this year, there’s been a rise of Arizona Bark Scorpions found in homes across the Valley. These unwanted guests gather in large groups of 20 to 30 to nest in sheltering areas until the warmer seasons return. They can be found in and under bark, lumber piles, bigger landscaping rocks, wall voids, structural cracks, crevices, under concrete foundations, expansion joints, attic spaces and even inside the walls of your home. Scorpions can survive the coldest of temperatures and live for over five years.
These upcoming months are the perfect time to consider scorpion-proofing your home to eliminate encounters once the weather begins to warm up and scorpions become more active again. Here’re some tips to begin scorpion-proofing your home this winter:
1. Remove Items Leaning Up Against Your Home, Including Vegetation
It’s time to tidy up the yard! Get rid of any unnecessary items that are leaning up against your walls including vegetation, as these can help scorpions gain access into your home.
Think of anything in your yard that could provide scorpions with warmth. Clear out any nonessentials that could serve as a potential nesting spot.
2. Consider Replacing Garage and Front Door Weather Stripping
Doors are one of the easiest access points for scorpions to enter your home and maintaining its weather stripping can significantly reduce your home’s chance of scorpion nesting. Typically made of rubber or vinyl, weather stripping seals the barrier around doors as frames contract and expand during the seasonal changes.
3. Protect Your Home
To give your home the most protection, make sure scorpions cannot find a way inside your home. You can seal cracks and other openings on walls and foundations.
Another option is to ensure that scorpions cannot climb into your home. Slick Barrier offers a clear coating to be placed onto the bottom outside of your home that physically stops scorpions from climbing. If scorpions are physically stopped from climbing, they cannot enter your home. The product is available to homeowners to be painted on a home’s foundation or a few inches off the ground, or in any area that requires exclusion (like vents, small gaps, chimneys, etc.). The coating dries into a hard, smooth, and slick surface like glass, which prevents many crawling insects (including scorpions) from being able to climb. For more information, please visit slickbarrier.com.
No one wants to deal with unwanted critters around their home. Inspect your home and make adjustments as the weather cools down. You’ve invested time and energy into your space so protect your investment by taking preventative measures to avoid scorpion nesting this winter.
