Scorpions in Surprise Arizona... and Trilogy Vistancia... and

Alisa- lol  Glad to be of help.  For the first year or so I had the heebie jeebies.  It gets better but that doesn't mean I will ever get used to having them in my home.  So, until I've gonemany months without seeing one with my blacklight I will continue the vigil.

Loren- My sister-in-law was stung by one when she was visiting us.  I was unaware my brother had gone into our garage and left the door slightly ajar for a period of time.  I think that is when it got into the laundry room and crawled into a box where she had dropped some of the kids clothes she was going to wash.  She reached in and it got her.  She said she has never felt anything like it before.  We called poison control and were told she should take over the counter meds and to ice the area for a period of time.  The pain radiated up her arm and she was in a great deal of pain for a few days.  It took about two weeks for all of the residual effects to go away.

Catherine - They gave me the creeps too.  Still do, but to a lesser degree.  Please know that while my pest guy does do a great deal of work in Sun City Grand and has seen them at some locations, there are many, many people who have never seen one in all the years they've lived there.  You tend to see them more in the rural areas that are closer to the desert (like Loren has experienced), newly constructed areas, and newer areas where they haven't been eradicated yet because they've found places they can make their home.  In our case it is the block wall surrounding our yard.  That is why I see them a bunch up in Trilogy.  I haven't personally seen any out in Sun City Festival but I have to believe they are there since Festival is in the middle of the desert with nothing around for miles.  Also, when buying a home in the state of Arizona homeowners are required to fill out a Sellers Property Disclosure Statement.  There is an area where they are supposed to disclose if they have had issues with scorpions.

Also, there aren't everywhere.  When my brother-in-law and his family first moved to Arizona they settled into a horse property about as far north as you could go in Scottsdale at the time.  You would certainly think this would be an ideal place to encounter scorpions.  For years my sister-in-law checked her shoes before putting them on and kept watching for them.  In the 20 some years they lived there they saw black widows but never a scorpion.

In answer to your question, there is a gas my pest guy has that he can shoot into holes/cracks that sends them running and kills them.  Then we have to seal the spots where they are getting in so they can't come back.  Getting rid of their food supply is the first step and that is predominantly crickets here.  The gas is not something he uses on a regular basis because it has no residual effect.  He only uses it when he knows there are problem areas.  The black light helped me to identify the area where they had found a new home.  The residual product he sprays around the property to keep it free of crickets and cockroaches can kill the smaller ones, but because of their hard shell/exoskeleton it isn't as effective against scorpions.  That's why a blacklight is so helpful.  You can see if you have any issues and then go on the offensive to eradicate them.

As a follow up... after I had called my pest guy and told him about my night time adventures with the unwanted visitors and told him where they were concentrated, he came over with his son, his blacklight, and some gas.  He found a few more in our back wall when he gassed some cracks that weren't sealed but he said it was my neighbors wall on the opposite corner that was the problem.  He gassed a nest of them and killed close to 65 of the ugly critters.

Catherine - A shorter answer to your question when encountering an individual scorpion is... you step on them wearing a heavy soled shoe.  If they are on a flat surface they squish very easily.  Actually with their exoskeleton it's more like a pop.  (Do I have you all squirming again?)

If they are in the loose gravel that is common in our landscaping, you have to step and grind them into and across the gravel.  Every once in awhile one will get away from me but it is usually just because they are close to a hole or crack in the wall where I can't get to them.

I want to reiterate.  MOST PEOPLE IN THE GREATER PHOENIX AREA HAVE NEVER SEEN A SCORPION.  We certainly aren't their food source so they aren't out to get us.  Some of us have just parked our homes right next to theirs and they are occassionally find their way in while looking for food and trying to get away from the elements.