Last night, I was enjoying some cool fresh nighttime air out on my patio when all of a sudden something caught my eye. I thought maybe it was just a clump of dog hair moving across the patio. But, as I looked closer it was a............SCORPION!! About the size of my palm! I immediately freaked out as it started to move toward me but was between me and the door so I quick knocked on the patio door and DH came running. He grabbed a kleenex and the scorpion and threw it in the garbage. I was so scared!!

Anyway, I know they are nocturnal but I can't help but be nervous that there might be others or other equally critters in my back yard and when DS or any other DCKs are out there I don't want to have to worry about it. Plus, my two dogs are super curious and go after all those kinds of things..

Any ideas of how to keep my yard safe?

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Oh man! I HATE scorpions! I have a phobia of them. I've never seen one (besides in a pet store or zoo); so I would probably react the same way you did!

The best thing to do is to call a pest control company and get some quotes. They can spray your yard (some use kid friendly/eco friendly sprays) to get rid of certain types of pests.

OR go to Home Depot or Lowes and look in their garden section for pest control sprays. They also have insect control in the Home sections, but they may not be safe to use on grass or plants.

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Yeah...no scorpions in Wisconsin.

Mosquitos as big as your head, but no scorpions...

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No Scorpions here in Jersey - just annoying City Slickers. (Jersey shore anyone?)

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shudder I hope he killed it before he put it in the trash. We had them at the farm. I'm a firm believer in squashing those horrible things.

Funny story--at least it's funny years later. Hubby was on the roof putting up a new tv antennae (I told you it was a long time ago). Something started stinging his leg. At first, he thought it was fire ants, then yellow jackets. By this time, he's coming out of those britches up there on top of the roof. Turned out to be a scorpion running up and down his leg as he was swatting at it, stinging him like mad. Luckily, we lived way out in the country, so the birds and I were the only witnesses.

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I lived in Florida for several years and the bugs seem bigger there. Did get stung by a scorpion when I was a child. Not a fun experience. Its good you have pets since they always seem to take care of insects before we do. You live in Arizona so there are a lot of desert creatures there. A tarantula would freak me out way more.

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Good thing I live in Ontario!

I'd drop dead if I came close to a scorpion (or anything of the sort)!

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I thought scorpion stings were deadly?

I am with you- hate spiders- I would freak!!! I could take a broom to a scorpion if I had to but a spider- no way- prob no way to both

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Depends in the species. Most are like a wasp sting. Some spiders can be deadly like the funnel web and black widow depending on the victim's age and health and their proximity to getting help. Same with scorpions.

You wouldn't believe how fast a Tarantulas can jump when it goes after prey.

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I get hives just thinking about it

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You have black widows like crazy in CA!! UGH!! I don't mind FRIENDLY spiders - they eat mosquitos. In fact, I'm a little nuts about it - I won't kill a harvester spider, since they are one of the biggest eaters of annoying insects. I catch them and turn them loose outside.

But my daughter has been fighting off black widows. That would freak me out!

Never been around scorpions and don't want to. Lived in the hills here in WI for 10 years. Our neighbors found a 5 ft rattler under their porch! That would do some damage if you surprised it.

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After reading this thread, I had my own close encounter. Yesterday evening I noticed that the kids outside picnic table looked a little wobbly. I turned it over to see why and there was a yellow jackets nest under there. It was a new one, tiny, and just had 2 bees on it, but ugh! How the girls missed getting stung I'll never know.

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thats what I was thinking too.

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Scorpions...EKKKK!!!

So far I haven't discovered even one here at the house but when we move to Tucson....man....I really don't like critters!!

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We have alligators in the lake across the street. Not fun. Can't squash them. Just gotta learn to live with them.

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Breezy...my husband texted me a picture of a Bull Snake slithering on the front drive way...I have never come a crossed snakes or scorpions here in Mesa....I am really going to have to get used to the critters out there!

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Learn to live with them? I just assume make them my boots or luggage.

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We go outside every single night in warm weather with blacklights and spray cans.

At first, we were killing 6-8 a night. (mostly on the block walls) Now we are seeing one every other night.

You have to kill the crickets and other bugs on your property too, because the scorpions eat those...so, if you remove their food source, they will move to the neighbor's house.

The blacklights are $15-$30 a piece and the spray is $6 a can. (we have two of each) and it sounds expensive, but it's totally worth the price.

Look along the eaves of your house, and in the block walls. They like those pillars in the walls a lot. But, they are so thin, that they can fit between the blocks too.

They light up so well, that you can't miss em.

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My dog got stung last summer, and it cost us over $400 to get her all fixed up. She must have some sort of reaction to them, because she was really sick. She's a big dog too.

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Ick.

I just got shivers down my spine.

You keep your scorpions...the closest I want to get to scorpions is the ones I kill in Dungeons and Dragons Online...

I'm using chemicals on my lawn this year for the first time. SOME thing out there was eating everyone alive last summer...we're talking HUGE itchy bug bites/welts, and we never figured it out or id'd the culprit. Then in the fall we had a wolf spider infestation in the yard and I said, "that's IT" and hello chemicals...

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Thanks for the suggestions!!! Definitely going to put them to good use

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