Scorpion exterminator

I know this has been discussed before but I need a recommendation for someone that specializes in spraying for scorpions. We live out past Vista del Lago. I've been killing two or three a week, mostly in the rear bathroom, and would appreciate recommendations for a really good exterminator.
Chapala area would be preferable. Thanks.

Find out where they are coming in and seal it before you spray.

I have seen and killed a few in the shower stall but also on the bathroom floor.  Also in other parts of the house.  I keep the shower drain sealed.  I wouldn't know how they're getting in.  I have vacant wooded lots on both sides of my house and am close to the lake.

Buy a garden sprayer and some Cynoff from the hardware store. Spray in all the cracks and crevices, under beds and under couches,under and behind fridges and stoves and etc. The main thing is to keep them from getting into the house.
I feel better spraying for them myself. Worked so far (5years) .

Don't forget to spray the exterior of the house.

Yep, spray a 2 foot wide line around the entire house and around the windows and doors. Best to kill them before they get in. Also consider getting a good ole outdoor cat. They make good scorpion killers.

I would try using sticky traps placed in various places to catch then to try and point to where they are coming in.

Outdoor Mexican cat not gringo cat. Gringo cat might get stung. Mexican cat less likely. I can always tell when I see four cats in a circle... sure enough scorpion.

Z

If you have tile floors, check the grouting for deterioration. That's how they were parading into my house in Jocotepec.

Since you are finding them in the bathroom frequently, make sure the drains are sealed perfectly and check around the base of the toilet. They can slip in between the tiniest of spaces. Keep all bed linen up and not touching the floor as they can use it as a ladder to get into the bed. Toss the bed before getting in and check under the pillows too. Found one there in Joco one night.

Cats are a plus.

While on the topic of scorpions, I hear cats and chickens are the best to keep the numbers down. What effect do scorpions have on dogs? If a dog is kept as an outdoor pet, not allowed in the house, are they going to have problems with scorpions?

I have heard the same thing about chickens however being that scorpions tend to come out at night when chickens are sleeping I'm not sure how effective they would be. Cats are more night prowlers.

Supposedly the Aztecs kept chicken close by to eat the scorpions. Chickens are scratchers that move things around to find critters that are hiding.

Best way to keep their numbers in check without having to drench your house in poison on a regular basis is to buy a scorpion light. This is basically a flashlight with ultraviolet LED bulbs. Scorpions have a chemical in their shells that makes them phosphorescent - they literally glow in the dark! Look like little neon green alien monsters. I did perimeter checks of the stone walls around my garden at night, with light in one hand, can of Mata-Alacran in the other. As soon as they light up, you nuke the little bastards. I could get over 20 in one go. Plus, you are spraying into the rock crevices where they live, so you kill the nests, exterminate the next generation so reduces the numbers dramatically. I found this was the most effective method, and great fun as well. A wonderful hobby for the sporting-minded, get 2 lights and have competitions.

Any idea as to where to buy a flashlight like that?

otrocanuck wrote:Any idea as to where to buy a flashlight like that?

Amazon.com Read the reviews, some are better than others.

I keep a small ultraviolet flashlight that glows purple on my nightstand and always grab it at night or early morning before I turn on the light. They light up like a black light poster when you shine it on them. I'm sure most of you guys remember black light posters and lava lamps.

rzrbk wrote:I keep a small ultraviolet flashlight that glows purple on my nightstand and always grab it at night or early morning before I turn on the light.  They light up like a black light poster when you shine it on them.  I'm sure most of you guys remember black light posters and lava lamps.

Being stung by a scorpion is worse than any bad acid trip from your lost youth. I got it once, on a toe. He got immediately smooshed into oblivion but his memory lingered on for weeks. I didn't know anything could hurt so bad or that I could scream so long. The neighbors must have thought I was being murdered in my kitchen (might as well have been). Very intense pain, then eventually numbness in entire end of affected foot, made walking rather difficult.

This was a tiny & pale colored alacran, I hear they are the worst and I do truly believe it. Problem is, the big dark ones are easy to see from a mile away but the nasty little ones blend right in until you step on them. And they can squeeze in through a space that you can barely pass a paper through. Keeping them out of the house is damn near impossible. This battle calls for all-out offensive with the biggest guns you got. There is a company out of Arizona that came up with a solution, and for about $1000 they will apply glass strip with no joints all around the exterior of your house where it meets the ground. They can't climb up glass so they can't gain access to your inner sanctum. I am actually considering this as money well spent.

We are sticking to Cynoff or however ya spell it! You can't totally eliminate them if you have tile entries! We used the scorpion lady across from Lake Taco back in Jan, 2006, ever since we had our gardener spray 0nce a month, inside and out....more if necessary!

Another thing.......make sure your bedding is off the floor and no dust covers...

Jim is eight - Cynoff is the best. And doesn't bother the pets after it has dried.

Our dogs have the good sense to be afraid of scorpions, but I have heard of dogs being badly hurt by a sting.

Another tip. Use Fabulosa lavender scent. Lavender is what they use in europe.

Flamingo wrote:Jim is eight - Cynoff is the best. And doesn't bother the pets after it has dried.

Our dogs have the good sense to be afraid of scorpions, but I have heard of dogs being badly hurt by a sting.

People to Flamingo......Took Deb to Cruz Rojo for a double hit by a scorpion one night.....Thank You Dr. Sam!

I've used Cynoff and for the most part it has worked well, but I have a one bedroom apartment that I sprayed a few times but  I kept having problems with scorpions coming back, so I called Rosa, across from Pemex on the Libramiento.  She sprayed the entire apartment and she also used a 'fogger', and I haven't had any problems since.  And she only charged me 350 pesos.
She used to have a shop but that closed down but she lives right near there and she works out of her house.  Her cell phone number is 331 282 7510 and her hard line is 376 766 5409.

I don't like the thought of all those chemicals on my floors in the house as I have dogs. So I blocked access from outside as much as possible and use sticky traps to get those few scorpions that make it inside-maybe a couple a year.
Years ago I was stung-no big deal. My little dog used to kill and eat scorpions but she was stung a few times so she doesn't do it anymore.

The most dangerous ones in Mexico are of the genus Centruroides. You can't identify them by colour or size but by the shape of a plate on their belly. Of course it is difficult to check this if they are alive.