Ok, so, this is weird post, right?!
Well, not if you live in an arid, dry, and/or sandy part of the country where scorpions simply thrive and love your home.
While I get the need for chemical insect repellants, I also know that we ingest plenty of unnatural ingredients in our modern world. So, yes, when natural works, I say, use it.
No matter what you try, scorpions do get into your home when you live in their habitat, and honestly, it is to be expected. Some years are more difficult than others to keep them out, and sometimes an abundance of rain will send them running indoors—at least in our part of the country.
I have tried a variety of different methods to keep them out, but honestly, the best options I have found are natural methods using essential oils. Since I don’t like having the chemicals sprayed in my home, these are my favorite choices.
Not even the smooth oil of the bug man could convince me that he was only spraying chrysanthemums where my young child was playing….Natural and organic bug care became my mission and thus, this idea was born.
What is wrong with bug sprays?
Nothing as long as you are not worried about chemicals.
Most bug sprays come from the chemical pyrethrum. Pyrethrum is derived from the chyrsanthumum flower and contains a natural mix of chemicals to kill insects. Sounds nice and natural, right?
Well, the problem is that natural is not always beneficial to people. To make matters worse, there is always someone out there trying to make God’s creation better, so the chemical pyrethoids was created.
And, if you have babies crawling on the floor, then you really have a problem.
It turns out that pyrethoids affect how humand nerves and brain function. If you get too much on your skin or on internally, you may experience the following symptoms.
- Numbness and tingling
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Nausea
- Severe convulsions or loss of consciousness for several days.
And, of course, it takes smaller doses to affect children, so the risks are higher for them.
What are scorpions?
Scorpions are actually of the insect class of arachnida. This makes them arachnids, the same categorization as spiders.
While this may be obvious, there remain some points about scorpions that help in both killing them and preventing them from coming into our homes. A scorpion bite can really sting, and actually can tingling in the lips if you are stung smartly.
Scorpions are classified as arachnids, which is a type of insect that has eight legs. Scientists classify them with spiders, mites and ticks. They hunt down other insects which makes them predators on a small scale.
While most know them to be desert dwellers, scorpions may also live in some rain forests as well. Most scorpions are not seriously poisonous to humans, however, some, like the bark scorpion, do pose a mild threat to people.
They love to live in cracks and crevices in many places, so finding scorpion repellents that work helps to keep them out.
What is the scorpion life cycle?
When you are trying to keep out scorpions from your home, knowing their life cycle helps. This way, you know where they may be nesting, or giving birth to babies.
Trust me, like all insects, they hide themselves to survive. And, killing the ones that get in is just as important as keeping them out.
Life cycle is an important part of finding scorpion repellents that work.
Eggs
The first step in a scorpion life cycle are the eggs. The mother scorpions, actually carry the eggs inside them until it is time to give birth.
She may actually carry her eggs for almost a year, depending on the scorpion species.
Larvae
When scorpions are born, they look like small white nymphs on their mother’s back. As they grow, they shed their skins and when large enough, they get off and go their own way.
According to Orkin Pest Control, this takes about two weeks. They then molt four or five times until they reach adulthood.
This is what they look like on the back of what appears to be a bark scorpion.
Adults
We all know the appearance of an adult scorpion. These are the ones we see and are stung by. Most scorpions live three to five years. But, some can live up to 15 years.
In my research on scorpion repellents
I found out that these things can reduce the number of scorpions hanging around your home.
- Cleaning up any piles of wood or leaves and other debris around the outside of the house helps.
- Sealing crevices and cracks around your home will help keep them out.
- Spraying the doors and jams will keep them from hiding in the doorway.
- Sweeping your porch regularly, or hosing it off, keeps them from making it to your windows.
- Spraying even the windows helps keep them out.
- Spraying nontoxic sprays like those below allow you to also spray in other places around your home if they cross the perimeter.
- Get a cat? They like to eat scorpions. Even the dogs will kill them sometimes.
The problem remains that will they die before you find one hidden under your newspaper or running across your kitchen floor in the dark?
Lavender oil works well as a natural scorpion repellent.
Planting a lavender bush around the perimeter of your house, or in a pot by your door can help.
However, most favorably, you can also use 10-20 drops of lavender essential oil (I am biased to Young Living, but I have used Plant Therapy and Edens Garden), mixed with about 2 cups of water or ACV in a spray bottle to spray around the perimeter of your doors, windows, or inside your home.
Further, if I am in a pinch and need something quick, I will definitely sprinkle my EO straight from the bottle on my door jams. Yes, it can be costly, but it really does work.
Another natural scorpion repellent is cedarwood oil.
Cedar is a highly aromatic wood, and carries an oil that is also fragrant and repels scorpions.
Mixing about 10-15 drops of cedar oil in 2 cups of water or ACV in a spray bottle and spray around windows, doors and inside your home.
- You can use cedar closet and drawer items which you can purchase on Amazon.
- Or add cedar chips to the flower beds around the perimeter of your house.
- Any cedar products like flower pots or boxes placed near the doors and windows should also help.
Sometimes I mix other essential oils in my spray to get rid of other insects around my home.
Need some more easy to use ideas?
- Use diatomaceous earth and sprinkle it around the perimeter of your house. This destroys their underbelly.
- Sprinkle ground cinnamon around the perimeter.
- If you are really adventurous, get a black light and hunt them down at dark so that you can kill them on the spot.
- Grow and spray citrus essential oils around the door jams and windows.
- Eliminate the scorpion food source, which is other insects, especially cockroaches.
- Save the spiders: they are predators to scorpions!
A special word about small pets and especially cats {and essential oils}.
Someone commented recently about cats and their susceptibility to essential oils. Cats are quite small and known to be sensitive to phenols which are found in oregano and thyme. Young Living particularly recommends using caution with the use of essential oils in cats. They are known to be adverse to citrus oils specifically.
Young Living also recommends using caution with all small animals, beginning with 3-5 drops of Young Living’s oils, which are usually much more potent than the other brands I listed above. If you want to find out more about animals and essential oils, you can read more at the Young Living Blog.
I think that when using essential oils in a home with cats, spraying when the cat is not around, and avoiding direct contact with your pet is the best practice.
Any of these are a win-win situation for everyone, except for the scorpions, of course;-)
However, if you do get stung, you can try these Natural Remedies to Treat a Scorpion Sting.
