Living in the desert whether it be Arizona, Nevada, Saudi Arabia, etc…, we have been unable to consistently and effectively control and or keep scorpions from entering our home or property. For some the occasional presence is not a concern but for others it only takes one to change the way they live in their own home for as long as they live there. At first the home was a sanctuary to them, a place of comfort, and security. Then all of a sudden its a place filled with hidden land mines. No more walking barefoot in their own homes, watching there every move, expecting to see one in a towel, on the couch, the bed, just about anywhere. Many have left there homes for this reason.
Scorpions have been around for a long long time, and for a long time it has been an extremely frustrating situation for many struggling with keeping them out of their homes. There not like an ant problem that is simple to eliminate. There has been no tried and true method in keeping them from our homes (until the introduction of the physical barrier system by Pest Borders llc.) . Those who have tried usually follow the same route of pesticide application or natural alternatives, without satisfaction the next choice is home sealing and or black light hunting, again without satisfaction. Many believe it is just impossible to consistently rid of them. Believe me the pest control industry would not want it any other way, they need to protect their interest in selling and reselling pesticides. The bible makes note of these creatures numerous times – and not in a good way. I am sure you have heard the old saying about cockroaches, even if we had a nuclear holocaust, cockroaches would be one of the few creatures left living, another would be the scorpion.
Fear levels of living with scorpions range depending upon the individual. I like to use 3 categories:
1. Fearless (Desert Warriors) – True outdoors people who do not care if there are scorpions present or not. Often these are people that have been born and raised in a desert environment. These individuals are not concerned with a scorpion sting. Conventional pest control might and might not be a practice.
2. Somewhat Fearful (Desert Week End Warriors) – These people definitely do not want to be the victim of a scorpion sting and are somewhat educated as to precautions and preventions of scorpions. Often there homes are treated on a regular basis with some concern as to the health risks involved in conventional pest control. But there efforts in creating a lesser attractive environment for scorpions can usually be improved on.
3. Frightened Silly (Desert Chickens) – It is o.k. to admit to be a Desert Chicken. A scorpion sting especially a Bark Scorpion sting can be a big problem for some of us and we do not know how much of a problem until it actually happens. Depending upon the individual and the sting, the symptoms can be anywhere from an annoying pain or burn, sometimes numbness or tingling, to all levels of pain, and muscle seizures. In some cases especially with the young and elderly it could mean a rush to the hospital for treatment, deaths are extremely rare, but it has happened. These individuals are usually pretty well educated regarding scorpion behavior, prevention, and precautions. Often there homes are filled with sticky traps, the doors not being used are sealed with tape. They hunt daily with a black light at night with a butane torch, or some other way to kill them. Needless to say these people are never at comfort in their own homes and leave inhibited with the constant fear of spotting a scorpion or even worse getting stung by one. They have and will try anything to eliminate these little creatures from their home. Conventional pest control is practiced both inside and outside of the home. Often home sealing has been applied, which is somewhat effective, but not a solution.
Scorpions are very tough little creatures. Classified as arachnids (like spiders). What really makes them tough is two things. One they have an exoskeleton, basically a hard shell for a body. Two, they walk above the ground without dragging there under sides. Needless to say they can go without food or water for an extended period of time. So why do we have so much trouble in preventing them from entering our homes? First I would like to say this posting is not about pesticides and the hidden covered up extreme dangers to all other life including and especially to humans. Today’s pesticides can and do kill scorpions, but, in order to actually make the kill, the scorpion must have a sufficient exposure to said pesticide, meaning if they are just to walk over a pesticide treated area, this will not kill them, as I stated before the scorpion walks with its body above the ground, the tips of there appendages being the only part of their body exposed the pesticide has no effect on them. If cracks or crevices around your home are treated, and a scorpion is either in that crack or crevice at the time of treatment or squeezes through and gets a good exposure contact to their bodies, there is a good chance that scorpion will die. So the scorpions that are walking through the rocks, come to your home, walk up the stem wall and slips into one of your weep holes, or walks up the wall and slips in a vent, or walks up to the roof and enters through the tile, or even the one that just happens to be waiting at the door, all of them whether they walk across a treated area or not can make it into your home successfully. So whether it be pesticides, lavender, diatomaceous earth, natural sprays or powders, sealing, hunting, none of these will bring real comfort to the home. Okay now the plug – see www.pestborders.com . The answer to this age old problem has always been the obvious, so simple, its not rocket science. In one way we have been doing it already – putting the legs of our infants cribs in glass jars. Third world country natives have been lining the bottom of there huts with glass bottles for decades. Scorpions among other pests are completely unable to climb up glass. Why do countries put up walls around their borders to tall to climb, or why did kings build moats around their castles with crocodiles, or electrified fences around areas that aren’t to be entered? Now why not put an un-crossable barrier around your home. No more poisoning your family, and the environment, and at the same time something that truly works. Please forward this to any one that might be living in discomfort due to scorpions in their homes.