They’re also more likely to be active at night in the summer when they go out to eat insects and spiders. That’s when you can use an ultraviolet black light, which makes scorpions glow in the dark. Once you can spot them, you can destroy them. You also need to:

• Install weather stripping around loose-fitting doors and windows.
• Ensure that door sweeps are tight fitting.
• Caulk around roof eaves, pipes and other cracks in the exterior of your home.
• Avoid bringing in boxes from the outside or from the garage without inspecting them first.
• Don’t stick your hands into holes or boxes without checking for problems.
• Cut back tree branches and heavy foliage away from the side of your house.
• Clean off the bottoms of outdoor furniture and the bottoms of barbecue grills.

Many homeowners who have scorpions are advised to spread diatomaceous earth — basically broken-up sea shells — around the exterior of their homes. The tiny shards can pierce the scorpion’s body as they scuttle over it. “People usually don’t get the pest-control grade of diatomaceous earth; they don’t always apply it correctly to get optimal results, and it’s not a silver bullet by itself,” says Curtis Whalen of Blue Sky Pest Control in Phoenix. “It can be a helpful tool, but you have to buy the right formulations and use it in the right places.”

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originally post at AZCentral.com