One of the drawbacks of living in a desert environment like Las Vegas is having to deal with creepy-crawly pests. Thanks to their stingers, many homeowners say that scorpions are one of the most concerning. However, when you learn a bit about them, you’ll also find that they’re quite interesting.
Whether you’re intrigued by these arachnids or terrified of them, the following six fun facts can be a key to learning how to prevent scorpions.
1. Scorpions are Nocturnal Pests
Scorpions enjoy inhabiting tight, dark places. Regularly checking inside cabinets, closets, and other dark spaces can help you detect the presence of scorpions before they can multiply and create a full infestation.
While scorpions can also fit into extremely tight places, they will also take the path of least resistance. Sealing up cracks and crevices, caulking along windowsills, and adding weatherstripping along your exterior doors will help lower their inclination to get inside.
2. They Hide in Woodpiles, Brush, and Debris
Outdoors, scorpions prefer to spend their time in cool, dark places where they can escape the heat of the sun. You’ll often find them in piles of leaves, under logs, under large rocks, and inside cinderblocks.
Cleaning up the clutter in your yard will help eliminate potential hiding spots, encouraging scorpions and other pests to seek comfort somewhere else.
3. They Glow in the Dark
A scorpion’s exoskeleton has a protein that glows under a blacklight. If you’re looking for signs of scorpions in your home, conduct a thorough inspection in the dark, using a blacklight to seek out their bright bluish-green shells. If you find any, you can call a pest control professional to complete a more thorough inspection and discuss any necessary removal services.
4. They’re Carnivores That Eat Other Insects
Scorpions are nocturnal hunters that love to prey on insects like cockroaches, crickets, and spiders. Some will eat earthworms and grubs, while larger scorpions have been known to feed on lizards and even small rodents.
When learning how to prevent scorpions, it’s important to keep up with your pest control. Making sure your home is clean will also help minimize the insect population, eliminating a scorpion’s favorite food source.
5. They Can Survive for Months Without Food as Long as They Have Water
Keeping bugs out of your home can make it less pleasant for scorpions, but as long as they have a source of water, they can still survive. They also prefer damp places, such as under-sink cabinets with dripping pipes or rooms with excessive humidity. Eliminating drips and sources of standing water in and around your home can help keep scorpions at bay.
6. A Female Scorpion Can Have as Many as 100 Babies at Once Unlike insects, scorpions produce live babies and certain species can have as many as 100 at one time. After they’re born, newborn babies ride on their mother’s back, where they’ll be protected until they molt for the first time.
It’s easy to see how quickly a scorpion infestation can get out of hand. This makes it important to start implementing what you’ve learned about how to prevent scorpions right away.
Trust Progressive Pest Control for Your Scorpion Control Needs
If you encounter a scorpion in or around your home, you’ll want to proceed with caution. Not only are their stings painful, but anyone with allergies to bees or insect stings can have severe reactions to even the smallest scorpion sting.
Scorpions are generally slow-moving and non-aggressive, making them easy to trap. However, you may not want to take the chance of interacting with them yourself. Instead, give the pros at Progressive Pest Control a call! We’re happy to take care of all your scorpion and other Las Vegas pest control needs.