How to Get Rid of Scorpions: 7 Steps to a Sting-Free Home

While beneficial in nature by helping control pest populations, even the most fervent nature lover probably doesn’t want these arachnids in their home. Fortunately, there are many ways you can make your home less attractive to scorpions and get rid of them for good. 

As with other types of pests, it's best to take proper safety precautions before removing them. If you decide to proceed with this DIY, put on long sleeves, pants, high socks, boots, and gloves first to help protect yourself. If you have an infestation or aren’t confident in your DIY pest control skills, it’s best to hire a professional exterminator who can get rid of the scorpions safely for you instead. 

1. Diagnose Your Scorpion Issue

Wait until it gets dark to see just how bad your scorpion problem is. Most types of scorpions love to feast on crickets and other bugs, which are attracted to porch lights and other shining objects in your yard at night.

If you want to see what you’re dealing with, shut off your outdoor lights and wait 20 minutes. Then, proceed around your yard with a UV flashlight. Scorpions will glow a neon blue color under UV light. This can help you figure out where they’re hiding and if you have a large problem, which enables you to come up with a game plan to get rid of them.

2. Seal Cracks and Reinforce Screens

Like other pests, scorpions take advantage of opportunities when they’re presented. This could be a gap in your front door or a hole in your bedroom window. That’s why it’s important not to overlook these tiny entrances to your home—seal cracks and reinforce screens as needed and perform window maintenance.

Scorpions commonly enter your home through:

• Holes in screens

• Uncovered windows

• Large gaps underneath doorways

• Cracks in foundation or crawl space

• Gaps surrounding plumbing lines

They may also enter through boxes of firewood, potted plants, or secondhand furniture.

3. Clear Brush and Yard Waste

Scorpions like to hide underneath all sorts of yard debris, including rocks, leaves, sticks, and bark. These areas also house critters that scorpions prey on, like termites, beetles, and spiders. As a result, yard maintenance wards off scorpions in two ways: They’ll have fewer places to hide and less to eat. 

Once you’ve gathered up yard waste, you can:

• Compost it

• Turn it into mulch

• Dispose of it via curbside waste collection

• Donate it to a local landscaping company

If that doesn’t solve your scorpion problem, you can go a little further and clear brush as well, especially if it doesn’t serve a purpose in your yard. You can remove small, manageable brush with pruning shears, a weed whacker, or even by hand. You might need a brush grubber to remove large bushes, shrubs, or stumps—manual versions of which cost around $75 to $250.

4. Use Essential Oils

Scorpions dislike the scents of lavender, cinnamon, peppermint, and cedar—all of which can be found bottled as essential oils.

Once you know the areas where scorpions are frequenting, mix 2 cups of water with 10 to 20 drops of each of these oils and spray these areas as well as entry points around your home to help get rid of scorpions. Bonus: Essential oils repel spiders and mice as well, especially peppermint.

5. Set Sticky Traps

Sticky traps make it easy to get rid of scorpions, and you can put them in places where you suspect activity but can’t easily access on a regular basis: behind or under appliances like fridges and stoves, in bathroom or laundry room cabinets, and other spots you suspect these pests could be hiding.

Scorpion sticky traps cost $5 to $8 for a two-pack. Read the instructions on the label, then dispose of them after use.

6. Apply a Scorpion Chemical Spray to Hot Zones

Like other pest control substances, companies make scorpion-killing spray to help get rid of pests. It costs between $15 and $40, depending on the brand.

The most common scorpion deterrent products come as:

• Powder dusted in high-traffic areas

• Capsules distributed throughout yard/home

• Powder mixed with water to form a sticky residue

• Glue strips

Carefully read the instruction manual before use to ensure the safety of your family and pets. In most cases, you’ll be instructed to leave the product in areas you’ve seen scorpions and to clean it up or dispose of traps after use. Put on a mask, eye protection, and gloves before application. 

7. Use Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is another option for killing scorpions. DE damages the exoskeleton of insects by drying them out, and it’s easily applied in hot spots like the perimeter of your home, behind appliances, in cabinets and closets, and more.

Use food-grade diatomaceous earth only and apply in areas not frequented by pets or children. Wear gloves, goggles, and a face mask during application.

What Attracts Scorpions to Your Home?

Scorpions, though larger (and perhaps a little scarier looking) than other common household pests, are attracted to many of the same things that bring in other bugs and critters.

• Water sources: Damp basements, leaky pipes, water hoses, bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms

• Food sources: Termites, flees, crickets, roaches, beetles, spiders, centipedes, and even other scorpions

• Shelter sources: Fruit trees, palm trees, tree bark, rocks, wood, and floorboards

If you have large pest populations inside or outside of your home (or both), scorpions may find it an attractive place to set up shop. Consider talking to a pest control pro in your area to help you get rid of these pests if the situation is severe.

How to Know if You Have Scorpions in Your Home

If you’ve seen one scorpion, there’s a chance you’ll find more. While they can be elusive and tend to hide during the day, if your home has a lot of scorpion prey (crickets, roaches, etc.), you could attract scorpions.

Scorpions are most active at night. Here’s where they tend to hide inside your home and out:

• Holes in walls and floorboards 

• Behind curtains 

• Behind your fridge or other large appliances

• Inside decor like vases or bowls

• Under your bed or in your closet

• Inside shoes 

• Leaf and stick piles

• Near or in piles of trash

• Under logs or rocks

• Palm tree fronds

If you really want to see if you have a scorpion problem, invest in a UV flashlight ($10 to $15 online) and search at night. Since scorpions glow under UV light, you’ll be able to easily see them in the dark. But you can also simply check the areas where scorpions tend to linger—just put on long sleeves, pants, high socks, boots, and gloves first.

How to Prevent Scorpions 

Once you rid your home or yard of scorpions, there are some steps you can take to make sure they don’t feel welcome to return in a couple of weeks or months.

• Clear ground cover (remove rocks and grass clippings, rake leaves, and other debris)

• Remove moisture and standing water 

• Trim overhanging branches

• Trim palm tree bark 

• Remove damp piles of wood/leaves

• Keep wood/leave piles and compost piles off the ground

• Put boxes on higher shelves in basement/attic

• Mow lawn regularly

• Repair damaged screens

• Fill driveway cracks

• Avoid overwatering lawn or garden 

Still having problems? Call a local wildlife control expert to help send scorpions packing from your yard.

DIY vs. Hire a Pro

If battling arachnids isn't your cup of tea, a local pest control specialist can diagnose the extent of your issue and handle the situation. We recommend hiring a pro rather than DIYing if you’ve identified the culprit as the venomous bark scorpion, or if you’re experiencing an infestation. 

How Much Does Pest Control Cost?

Pest control costs anywhere from $50 to $500, though most people pay an average of $170. This price range fluctuates according to the type of pest in the home and the extent of the infestation. Some issues require multiple visits, which tacks up the price, and others require tenting and extreme protocols. 

If you live in an area known to house scorpions, many pest control companies will charge a monthly fee of around $50 to handle repeat invaders. A one-time scorpion treatment typically clocks in at $150 to $200.