Scorpions are not only creepy, crawling critters that make us shudder looking at them, but they also have intensely painful stings. If you have a scorpion problem, you may be wondering, how do I get rid of these scorpions, and how much does a scorpion exterminator cost? Currently, the national average for scorpion extermination is $250. Still, many factors can influence the pricing of scorpion extermination, which is just one thing we will cover in this cost guide.
| National Average | Average Cost Range | Minimum Cost | Maximum Cost |
| $250 | $200-$300 | $100 | $500 |
If trying to exterminate scorpions on your own becomes too challenging, we recommend Orkin, Terminix, and Aptive. These exterminators have some of the best-trained professionals that are able to use traps, baits, and other chemically treated solutions that are often more effective than standard DIY methods.
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What Influences Cost?
Severity
The more scorpions you have, the greater the cost of scorpion control will be. You may have only a few scorpions on your property, or you may have an extensive invasion of scorpions on your property.
Once on your property, scorpions will breed, which can significantly increase the number of scorpions in your home. On average, scorpions give birth to 20 to 47 baby scorpions at a time, which can rapidly increase how many scorpions are in your home. After a while, the baby scorpions will leave their mother and continue the breeding cycle.
Number of Treatments
Depending on your scorpion infestation, a single treatment may suffice to kill any scorpions on your property. Other, more severe cases may require multiple treatments to handle the problem entirely.
Another factor to consider is how common scorpions are in your area. If you live in warmer climates where scorpions thrive, you may require regular treatments during certain times of the year. Scorpions typically thrive between March and October. However, depending on your home’s climate, you may have scorpions year-round. Some species of scorpions are also present throughout much of the year. For example, it’s expected that the Bark Scorpion is present year-round.
Location
The location of your scorpion infestation can affect scorpion extermination costs. If you have scorpions inside your closet, there may be less work involved to get to the scorpions than the outdoors. Outside, spiders may hide underneath piles of debris, wood, or rock, which may need to be moved. Other cluttered parts of the home also give scorpions many places to hide and nestle, requiring more work to remove the clutter so that the area can be appropriately treated.
Methods Used
There are many types of treatments that can be used to exterminate scorpions. The type used will depend on the scorpion pest control exterminator and what they deem most effective for your home and situation.
Some scorpion exterminators will offer environmentally safe treatments or recommend scorpion preventative measures after the treatment is completed. Depending on your preference, a company may be able to use non-chemical methods like traps, caulking, or sealing entry points to prevent scorpions from entering your home. Sealing or caulking may also be recommended alongside chemical treatments to prevent further infestations, especially if you live in a scorpion-prone area, like Phoenix, Arizona.
Signs & Causes of Infestation
Unfortunately, scorpions do not leave clear signs that they’ve invaded your home. Unlike other pests, they don’t shed their skin, leave droppings, or damage your home’s structure, which can make it challenging to identify that you have a scorpion problem.
The primary way to identify a scorpion infestation is through finding scorpions in your home. If you’ve started to notice an increased scorpion population in your home, then you may have a scorpion infestation. Scorpions tend to live in dark, quiet areas of the house and come out at night to hunt for insects, such as cockroaches or termites. Scorpions commonly hide in closets, attics, and shaded outdoor areas. They may also live near open water sources or where many other insects are. If you have an insect infestation, scorpions may come into your home looking for their food source.
To identify if you have scorpions, try using a portable black light at night to find where scorpions are hiding. Scorpions glow green under black lights, so this will help you spot them quickly and identify if you have a scorpion problem.
Health Risks
According to the Mayo Clinic, scorpion stings can be incredibly painful, but they are rarely life-threatening to adults. Compromised adults, young children, and older adults are at the highest risk of complications from scorpion stings.
Typical symptoms from a scorpion sting include:
- Intense pain at the site of the sting
- Mild swelling
- Warmth in the sting site
- Tingling and numbness
It’s important to keep in mind that, like bee and wasp stings, some people may have severe allergic reactions to scorpion stings. Sometimes, these reactions are strong enough to cause anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal condition that can cause an individual to struggle to breathe. If an adult is stung by a scorpion, the Mayo Clinic recommends reaching out to poison control for advice. If a child is stung by a scorpion or an adult begins experiencing severe symptoms, like hives and trouble breathing, it’s recommended that you immediately seek medical care.
There is only one scorpion throughout the United States that presents a severe health hazard to humans: the Bark Scorpion, also known as the Arizona Bark Scorpion. The Bark Scorpion lives in Southern California, Southern Arizona, Western New Mexico, and adjacent areas in Mexico. They can often be found near water, looking for insects to feed on. Unfortunately, the Bark Scorpion is also the only scorpion that can climb vertically and press its tail up against its body, allowing them to squeeze into tiny entry points that most scorpions can’t enter through. Since they are on the lookout for insects and water, you will often find these nocturnal insects in bathrooms and kitchens.
Unlike other scorpions, the Bark Scorpion sting releases greater amounts of venom than other scorpion species and may cause fatality. Still, 85 percent of bark scorpion stings only cause local symptoms at the general sting site and don’t require further treatment. As a whole, if you are stung by a scorpion, it’s best to kill the intruder if possible and watch your symptoms closely. If they get worse, immediately seek medical care.
DIY vs. Hiring a Professional
Nobody wants to walk around their home at night with a flashlight and shoes on in fear of being stung by a scorpion. So, getting rid of scorpions quickly is crucial for you and your family’s health and well-being. As a result, scorpions must be dealt with quickly. However, this can be tricky because scorpions don’t leave many signs of infestation, and they are masters at hiding in plain sight.
If you plan on doing it yourself, there are various scorpion sprays and products you can use to kill scorpions. Scorpions glow under black light, which can also help you to find these tricky, nocturnal pests. Before going on a scorpion hunt, we recommend wearing protective clothing to protect yourself from the stings. If you are immunocompromised, an older adult, or allergic to other stinging insects, we strongly advise against hunting scorpions yourself. Scorpion stings can be fatal, depending on the scorpion, or pose a hazard to your health if you are allergic to their stings or compromised.
However, if you choose to DIY scorpion extermination, a scorpion killer spray can be a perfect way to deal with your scorpion problem. You don’t want to get too close to these problematic pests, and a spray gives you the option to treat the scorpion from a distance. Many of these scorpion killer sprays are made from potent ingredients to control scorpions and other pests and have a residual impact that will help to kill scorpions and pests for an extended period of time, ensuring that more of your infestation is treated for. If you have children or pets, we strongly recommend discussing any insecticides you plan on using with your veterinarian and pediatrician to ensure that they are not harmful for your children and pets to be around.
If you choose to hire a scorpion extermination professional, they will begin by inspecting your property and going over the different treatment options they think will best treat your infestation. They may also advise you on preventative measures to prevent future scorpion infestations since prevention is always easier than treatment.
Many pest control companies offer scorpion extermination, here are just a few:
- Terminix offers scorpion service to achieve long-term relief from these pests. Many areas are prone to recurring scorpion problems, which is why Terminix offers ongoing scorpion care to get rid of scorpions and maintain a scorpion-free home.
- Orkin begins treating scorpions by inspecting your property and providing recommendations on different services they offer to reduce the scorpions on your property. This includes steps like reducing environmental conditions that scorpions thrive in, removing debris from around your house where scorpions tend to live, keeping your lawn mowed close to the ground, and doing recommended exclusion measures. Orkin’s scorpion exclusion methods include preventative measures, such as sealing and caulking areas under doorways and openings where scorpions may enter and replacing torn screens.
- Aptive Environmental provides their customers with a property inspection, then a pest-free year-round or four seasons protection plan, which offers ongoing services to ensure your property is aptly protected from scorpions. Aptive uses many environmentally friendly methods, and all of their pesticides are all-natural.
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What is the Standard Scorpion Extermination Process?
The standard scorpion extermination process begins with a call to your pest control provider. Once your pest control provider comes to your home for an initial visit, they will ask you questions about your pest problem. It may be helpful to take down some notes before your provider arrives. Take note of how many scorpions you’ve seen, the appearance of the scorpions, when you’ve seen them, where they have been in your home, and if you’ve noticed any other insects in your home. Other insect infestations may be present in your home if you have scorpions because scorpions typically search for their food within our homes.
After your pest control specialist has evaluated your home, they will closely examine your property and look for signs of scorpion infestation, especially in popular areas like the outdoors, closets, and attics. The trained technician will then explain what they discovered on your property and discuss the best ways to deal with your scorpion infestation. They will likely go over different ways to exterminate the scorpions, including types of chemicals, and also discuss ways to prevent scorpions, such as caulking and sealing entryways. Your technician may also give you personalized advice on how to avoid future scorpion problems, such as clearing clutter and preventing other insects from coming into your home.
During this process, it’s vital that you discuss any concerns with your technician, such as if you have kids or pets on your property or if the treatment plan includes a warranty. Many scorpion chemical treatments are not safe for children or pets to be around, so discussing this with your technician ahead of time is crucial if you have young kids or pets. Other chemical treatments are safe for kids or pets to be around once given enough time to dry, making these a better choice to protect your loved ones while ridding yourself of the scorpion problem.
Once a treatment is decided upon by the customer and technician, a free quote will be given to you based on the pest control cost and property square foot. Your technician will also discuss if you need bi-monthly or monthly services to keep your scorpion problem at bay. If you don’t require frequent services, a technician may instead recommend a simple follow-up to make sure the treatment is working appropriately.
Then, you will schedule your treatment appointment with your technician. On your appointment day, your technician will arrive to treat your property. Depending on the chosen method, you may need to remove your children and pets from the premises to prevent them from being exposed to the treatment. Once your technician has performed the treatment, they will go over any post-treatment care, discuss future treatments with you, and go over other preventative measures that you can take to prevent future scorpion problems.
Conclusion
Nobody wants to have a scorpion problem. Not only are scorpions creepy pests, but their stings can be incredibly painful and have adverse medical effects on our health. In the worst-case scenario, a scorpion sting can cause fatality through a very dangerous scorpion, like the Bark Scorpion, or someone experiencing an allergic reaction to a scorpion sting. If you are stung by a scorpion at any time, it’s vital that you monitor your symptoms and reach out for medical help or advice if you have questions or notice your symptoms are severe.
If you begin noticing an increased number of scorpions on your property, you may have a scorpion problem, and it’s best to reach out quickly to have your property inspected. Scorpions can breed rapidly and take over your home if not treated for.
Don’t hesitate to call your local pest control provider for scorpion extermination services. You don’t want to wait until you or a loved one are stung.
