Finding just one scorpion in bed is enough to make you frantically start researching how to prevent scorpions from getting in your bed. Because you need it to never happen again.
Your bed is your sanctuary and the last creature you want to be bedmates with is one with fierce pincers and a venomous stinger.
So how do you make sure scorpions stay away from your bed and home forever?
Well, you learn the art of scorpion prevention. They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. They say a lot of things. But when it comes to scorpions, I have to say that I agree with them (whoever they are.) The best way to deal with scorpions is to not get them in the first place.
But if you live in scorpion country – a place with high heat and low humidity, along with a plentiful supply of other bugs to keep them fed – keeping scorpions out of your bed can be easier said than done. But the good news is that it can be done.
To understand how, first you need to know what attracts scorpions to the house. After all, they can’t get into your bed without first gaining access to the house.
Why Do I Have Scorpions in My House?
Ah, that age old question pondered by all those who are both lucky and unlucky enough to live in dry, hot regions: why are there scorpions in my house?
To understand this important question, try to put yourself in the head of the average scorpion. A scorpion may ask itself: How did I get here? It may seem a strange thought exercise, but it’s important to learn how and why scorpions find their way into our houses in the first place.
Because at the root of things – scorpions have needs, just like us. Here are the main things scorpions are seeking when they sneak into your home.
Food, aka Insects
Scorpions follow their food source, so if you have insects like ants, crickets, roaches, spiders, and beetles in the house, your home is like a buffet for a hungry scorpion.
The solution: You can kill two birds with one stone by using a pesticide like Cy-Kick CS to get rid of the insects that are attracting scorpions. The most effective scorpion pesticides are also effective against a wide variety of pests so you may be able to take out scorpions along with other creepy crawlies.
Water and Humidity
Like all living creatures, scorpions need water to survive. And it’s not just water. Despite the fact that scorpions tend to live in dry climates, they like high humidity and tend to be attracted to moist, damp areas.
The solution: So do your best to limit any unwanted moisture around your house. This means leaky pipes, standing puddles of water, dripping air conditioners, overwatered lawns, and moisture leaking through from the outside and so on.
This will only serve to attract nasty little critters on the lookout for a drink. Not just scorpions, but other insects that might make for a tasty meal for a hungry scorpion. Take action to eradicate pests around your home for this reason: there’s always a bigger fish.
Also look for areas that tend to leak or flood during wet weather and use silicone caulk to plug any cracks or splits in flooring or walls.
Dark Hiding Places
Scorpions tend to be found in very hot, arid climates – there’s a reason you almost always catch stock footage of a scorpion in every Western movie ever filmed. But despite this, they are nocturnal creatures who prefer the dark.
So you can imagine why a human home makes the perfect place for scorpions to hide. Dark, hidden corners. Cabinets and shelves that are rarely opened. Storage closets that don’t get much light. There are an abundance of places for a wary scorpion to rest during the day.
The solution: There’s little you can do about the dark places in your home but you can take advantage of them. These are the best places to leave scorpion sticky traps. They’re non-toxic, child and pet safe and make an effective tool for capturing both insects and scorpions when placed in corners and dimly lit areas.
A Messy Lawn
Scorpions don’t travel far in their lifetime so if you’re finding scorpions in your home, they’re mostly coming from the immediate outdoors: your lawn.
Keep in mind that scorpions usually hide away from the sunlight until it’s dark, which is why their favorite outdoor hiding spots tend to be around logs, stones, yard equipment, as well as litter and trash left outside in these types of environments. These places offer plenty of small burrows and crevices for a scorpion to hide from the sun.
The solution: Keep your yard and exterior in good condition – don’t let logs, leaves, mulch and so forth accumulate near the home as this is basically a five-star all expenses paid hotel for the nomadic scorpions in your neighborhood!
Cracks and Crevices
Even if your home has plenty to attract a scorpion, they won’t be able to get in unless there are openings. And most human homes offer plenty of these, especially for the nimble scorpion.
Like most creepy crawlies, scorpions tend to make their way into the house via plumbing and pipework for the most part, due to the dark and the moisture.
But keep in mind, that as a result of being spineless and boneless, scorpions can squeeze through any space the width of a credit card (around 1/16th of an inch!).
The solution: Seal up as many cracks, holes, crevices and other tiny entry points around your home as you can to really stop them in their eight-legged tracks.
If there is any gap where your door meets the door frame, get a sturdy door sweeper. Also invest in weather stripping so that all doors and windows can seal shut tightly.
How to Repel Scorpions from Your House
An easy way to prevent scorpions from getting in your bed is to make sure they don’t even enter your home to begin with. The best way to do this is by making use of the best scorpion repellents.
>>>What is the Best Scorpion Repellent? How to Keep Scorpions Away
Here is a quick snapshot on how to repel scorpions.
Diatomaceous Earth
It’s not just a winning Scrabble word. Diatomaceous earth is an effective pesticide that works against a wide variety of crawling bugs with no chemicals needed. And it’s probably the most effective natural scorpion killer you can get your hands on.
How do you use it? Diatomaceous earth – DE, as it’s known to its friends – works best when used as a physical barrier that will kill scorpions that try to cross it. You can do this by scattering an even layer of diatomaceous earth all around the baseboards of your house, where the walls meet the floor.
Pay special attention to the corners. This ensures that if and when a scorpion enters your house, the fine powder will get on its body and start doing its job of dehydrating the scorpion to death. The result? Any scorpion that enters your home is a dead scorpion and dead scorpions are much less likely to crawl into bed with you.
How safe is it? It’s harmless to humans unless you decide to eat a few pounds of it, which I wouldn’t recommend. That being said, it can be an irritant if inhaled so I would strongly recommend wearing a painter’s mask while you apply it. It usually comes in the form of a white powder, and until the dust settles, it can irritate the lungs. It won’t harm you per se, but it can make you cough and cause discomfort.
Boric Acid
Boric acid is another all natural way to kill and repel scorpions. Much like diatomaceous earth, it works in a roundabout way. It won’t kill a scorpion immediately. In fact, this is a slow process and can take several days.
How does it work? Once a scorpion makes contact with the powder, it damages their exoskeletons and leaves them vulnerable to dehydration. Boric acid is also poisonous if ingested.
So say, for example, the boric acid you lay out gets on crickets or roaches, which are then eaten by a scorpion. The boric acid can then poison them from the inside out. Same thing if a scorpion gets boric acid on their exoskeleton and then consumes the powder while self cleaning. It is a slow, but effective death.
How do you use it? One easy way to use boric acid is to mix it with water and then spray it in hard-to-reach cracks and crevices as well as dark, hidden-away corners. We recommend using it in dark, damp areas that are tempting for scorpions but rarely visited by humans or pets. That’s because…
How safe is it? Boric acid can be dangerous is ingested. For adults, you’d have to eat a lot of it for it to do harm but for small children and pets, even a small amount can be poisonous. This is why we recommend you only use it in areas that are well out of reach.
Cedar Oil
Cedar oil is an effective repellent for many bugs, including scorpions. I’m not sure why, because it smells amazing. But they really don’t like it.
Cedar oil is available in many different formulations, so you can experiment with what works best for you. A simple cedar spray might be all you need to keep your home to yourself.
And it’s not just cedar oil – there’s a variety of cedar products you can use as a gentle scorpion deterrent like 100% cedar wood accessories you can place in your closets and other dark nooks and crannies where scorpions like to hide.
You can even use cedar mulch to repel scorpions from your yard – that way, they don’t even get close enough to your home for you to have to kill.
Unlike diatomaceous earth, cedar is not a natural scorpion killer, mind you, but it can keep scorpions away which is even better, if you ask us.
Lavender
Add this to the list of smells scorpions can’t stand. In that way, as in so many others, scorpions have very little in common with your grandmother. They also bake terrible cookies; something to do with their pincers not being able to work the dough properly.
Anyway, if you’re not averse to the smell of lavender, you could try planting some lavender in your yard or planting it in a pot inside.
You can also grab some lavender essential oil and create your own DIY scorpion repellent spray. More details on this below.
How to Prevent Scorpions from Getting in Your Bed
Once you’ve turned your home into an impenetrable scorpion fortress, it’s time to secure your bed. Here’s how.
Your bed stands alone
The first step is to position your bed so that it doesn’t touch anything. Move it away from the walls and furniture. This isolates your bed from anything a scorpion may be able to climb.
Secure the legs
Once you’ve isolated your bed, the only way that a scorpion should be able to climb onto it will be the bed legs. Secure these by placing each bed leg in glass mason jars. Glass is one surface that is too slippery for scorpions to climb.
Another option is to get plastic bed risers to place below the bed legs. Plastic is also much too slippery for scorpions to grab and climb.
Bedding stays off the floor
It may be a bother, but to prevent scorpions in bed, you must always make sure that the bedding you use stays off the floor. Tuck your covers and duvet securely into your bed so that no scorpions can climb up from the floor via your bedding.
Place glue traps
For added protection, you can also make use of scorpion sticky traps. Scorpions don’t just randomly show up in the bed. They have to crawl to wherever they want to go so the chances are they are coming from someplace nearby. Perhaps under the bed. Or crawling up the walls and the falling onto the bed.
Tomcat Scorpion Glue Boards
You can rectify this by strategically placing glue traps for scorpions under your bed and in corners to effectively capture any scorpions that may be wandering around your room.
Use a scorpion repellent
One scent that scorpions hate is lavender. Luckily, it’s also a scent that most people like. If you want to go the extra mile and make sure scorpions won’t want to go near your bed, invest in some lavender essential oil.
With just that and a spray bottle, you can make a DIY scorpion repellent spray. Simple add 10 drops of lavender essential oil to 1 cup of water. Mix well and spritz all over your bed.
Always check the bed
Want to make sure you never have the unpleasant surprise of waking up next to a scorpion? Even when you are tired after a long day of work, it’s good practice to always check the bed before you get in.
Keep a UV flashlight handy as scorpions fluoresce under ultraviolet light. Pull the covers back and check in between the sheets before getting into the comfort of your scorpion-free bed.
FAQS
Here are some of the more commonly asked questions about scorpions in bed.
Why Do Scorpions Get in Beds?
Beds and bedding can make cozy places for scorpions to hide. The dark, isolated area under a bed provides the perfect spot for scorpions to hang out during the daylight hours. And since scorpions are good at climbing, they can easily latch onto clothes, blankets, comforters – anything that is hanging off your bed – to climb from the floor into bed.
Do Scorpions Climb Walls?
Most scorpions are able to climb walls and other vertical spaces, depending on the material. Porcelain, glass, and plastics tend to make it difficult for them, however, much like spiders getting stuck in the bathtub.
A scorpion is more likely to be hidden away somewhat rather than be exposed on a wall or other vertical surface for too long, though. That said, they’ve been known to make their way across ceilings…unsuccessfully. Which can be one way they wind up in the bed.
So again, it’s always worth double checking your bed before sleeping if you live in a scorpion prone environment.
Can Scorpions Live in Walls?
It’s not a pleasant thought for anyone to think about scorpions living inside the walls of their home. But that’s a common place they end up. These areas often have a large population of other insects such as spiders or even crickets that scorpions love to feed on.
Plus, with the moisture that condenses on the outside of water pipes and air conditioning ducts, a scorpion can live a happy life in these spaces where people never go.
The only good thing about a scorpion inside your walls is that it can’t do you any harm. If it’s not in your actual living space, the two of you may share a house and yet never meet, like that weird college roommate who always kept their door closed.
But there’s no guarantee that scorpions will stay put. And when they start showing up in the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom, it’s time to draw the line.