What you need to know about scorpions in Arizona homes

Living in Arizona has a lot of benefits. The weather is chief among them. While much of the United States is dealing with polar vortices and bundled up in heavy coats, Arizona residents can still be outside in shorts and short-sleeves. There’s a reason the baseball teams from the Midwest choose to have their spring training in this state.

However, the heat and dry temperatures in Arizona do bring some issues. One of them is the fact that cities like Phoenix, Tempe, and Scottsdale have to deal with scorpions. Like many humans, scorpions prefer the hot dry weather, and this state is their indigenous home.

Western Exterminator pest specialists know all about scorpions because we’ve been here for years, too. If you contact your local Western Exterminator office we can help you get rid of scorpions on your Arizona property. However, there are a few questions we find being asked again and again, so we’ll take a look at the answers to these common scorpion questions below.

Can scorpions swim?

One of the most essential things homeowners in Arizona need to survive the heat is a pool. When the temperatures climb into the three digit range, having a pool near or on your property is a great way to cool off. However, as you have most likely already guessed, you may have to look out for scorpions, too.

Scorpions are not natural swimmers. However, they can move in water if they find themselves there. In fact, the nature of a scorpion's body and internal organs allow them to be submerged for up to 48 hours without any harm.

The good news is that most scorpions are not looking for water. They prefer to be hidden away on rocky surfaces. The Arizona bark scorpion will prefer to be hiding on nearby trees. However, just to be safe, you may want to check your pool and pool filter for scorpions from time to time.

It's also good to check for some native Arizona spiders, too. Tarantulas are also notorious for ending up in pool filters.

Can scorpions climb?

Scorpions are arachnids just like their spider cousins. They are also related to ticks, mites, harvestmen and solifuges. If you are familiar with any of those pests, you know they are infamous for climbing walls, trees and other surfaces. The same applies to scorpions. They are very good climbers, in fact.

Scorpions have tiny pincers on the ends of their legs or feet which are known as ungues. These tiny pincers allow them to grip onto rough surfaces. Remember, in nature, scorpions prefer to climb around in rocks and on trees. However, they can also climb the walls of your home if there is sufficient rough surface for them to grip.

Scorpions are not capable of climbing glass or even smooth metal. These materials don't provide anything for their little pincers to grab onto.

Do scorpions bite?

Scorpions do have mouthparts, known as chelicerae. They resemble tiny pincers, used to grip and break apart their intended prey. Once they've immobilized their prey with these pincers, the scorpion will often sting to knock them out or kill them. Once the prey is no longer a threat, they use the chelicerae to break apart the meal and feed it into their mouths. Scorpions may also use their pincers to just break apart their intended prey with their pincers and chelicerae. They do not always use their stinger and venom. However, scorpions do not generally sting or bite people when they are trying to defend themselves. The chelicerae are too small and won't do much damage. This is why scorpions come equipped with their fearsome "tail," complete with a stinger on the end.

The scorpion’s tail is not really a tail at all. It's part of the body known as the metasoma. What separates it from the tails of other animals is that the scorpion’s tail is not actually an appendage used for balance of movement.

The scorpion’s tail has the venom. Thus, if a person is near a scorpion and feels pain, it's because the scorpion felt threatened and uses its stinger to deter the potential threat. There is a good chance envenomation occurred as well, although most Arizona scorpions are not a serious threat to people unless they have an allergy to insect stings. The exception to this, of course, is the Arizona bark scorpion which is quite venomous and might pose a health risk.

Western Exterminator can help get rid of scorpions

Getting scorpions in your home is not a pleasant thing and certainly, no one wants to be stung. This is why finding Arizona scorpions inside your home or anywhere on your property is cause for concern. Trying to get rid of scorpions on your own can be risky due to the risk of stings.

Western Exterminator pest control specialists are trained to find the hiding places around your property which could be hiding scorpions. We also know the places where scorpions may be getting inside your home or building.

Western Exterminator specialists can offer you treatments for your Arizona home to get rid of any current scorpion infestation. Our inspection process will find the scorpions, our treatments will get rid of them, and then our specialists will offer solutions to prevent scorpions from returning.

If you are finding more scorpions around your property than you'd prefer, contact your local Western Exterminator office today.