You don't forget it: you pull back the shower curtain or reach for a shoe in the garage, and there's a scorpion. We hear about it from families in McKinney, Allen, Frisco, Plano, Prosper, and Melissa, and the calls don't stop just because the weather turns.
Around here, scorpions are most active in spring and summer, so you'll usually see fewer as fall goes on. But as the nights cool, the ones living around your house look for a protected place to wait out the cold. Sometimes that place is your garage, your attic, or the inside of a wall. Here's what's going on, where to look, and what actually helps.
Meet the Striped Bark Scorpion
Texas has 18 species of scorpions, and the striped bark scorpion is the most common. It's also the one we see around Collin County. It's tan to yellowish, about 2 to 3 inches long, with two dark stripes down its back. It has slender pincers and a thin tail that curls up over its back and ends in a stinger.
A few things about bark scorpions explain why they end up indoors:
They hunt at night. You're much more likely to spot one in the evening than at noon.
They're good climbers. They can squeeze through a gap about as thin as a credit card.
They like shelter. Outdoors they hide under rocks, logs, and debris. Indoors they turn up in attics, garages, and walls.
Our occasional invaders page has more on scorpions and the other pests that wander in this time of year, and our scorpion control page goes into more detail.
Why You May Still Find Them Inside as It Cools Off
Scorpions slow down when it gets cold, but they don't go anywhere. They tuck into protected spots like rock beds, wall voids, and attics, and then come back out in spring. If one of those spots is part of your house, you may still find the occasional scorpion indoors on a mild fall evening.
A few things make a house more inviting:
Rock beds, landscape edging, and stone or block walls right up against the slab
Firewood, bricks, or lumber stacked on the ground next to the house
Gaps under doors, worn garage door seals, and open weep holes
Lots of crickets and roaches around the house, since those are what scorpions eat
It's also why we hear from so many families in newer neighborhoods. A lot of those homes sit on what used to be open land, and fresh rock beds and stone fronts give scorpions plenty of new places to hide.
Where to Check Around the Outside
Take a slow walk around the house, once in daylight and once after dark if you can.
Rock, mulch, and edging
Pull rock, mulch, and anything stored against the house back a few inches from the slab. A small clear strip between the beds and the foundation takes away one of their favorite hiding spots.
Firewood and lumber
It's firewood season. Keep the pile up off the ground on a rack, out in the yard instead of against the brick. Wear gloves when you grab a few pieces, and only bring in what you'll burn.
Doors, garage seals, and weep holes
Put door sweeps on your outside doors, including the door between the garage and the house, and replace a worn bottom seal on the garage door. Brick weep holes need to stay open so the wall can drain, so don't seal them shut. Weep-hole screens close the opening and still let the wall breathe.
Pipes, wires, and the roofline
Check where pipes, wires, and the AC line go into the wall, and look for gaps along the roofline. This is good work for the cooler months, while scorpions are less active.
Simple Habits Inside the House
Shake out shoes, boots, and work gloves before you put them on, especially ones kept in the garage or by the door.
Pull beds and cribs a few inches off the wall, keep blankets from draping to the floor, and shake out bedding before bed.
Check tubs and sinks. Scorpions come in looking for water and can't climb the smooth sides back out.
Get garage storage off the floor. Swap cardboard boxes for lidded bins, up on shelves when you can.
Here's a handy trick: scorpions glow under a blacklight. After dark, shine a UV flashlight along the baseboards, the garage, and the outside walls, and you'll get a good idea of where they're coming from. Sticky traps can help show where they travel too, but they won't stop a population.
If you're stung and worried, call your doctor.
When to Call, and What's Covered
One scorpion in the garage on a cool night doesn't always mean there's a bigger problem. It's worth a call if you're seeing them regularly, finding them in bedrooms or bathrooms, or spotting them on walls and ceilings at night.
Scorpions are covered on our quarterly plan. We start by inspecting the places they hide, like rock beds, edging, woodpiles, weep holes, door thresholds, and attic access. Then we treat the foundation, landscape beds, garage, and eaves, not just the open lawn. The plan also covers the crickets and roaches scorpions feed on, and we'll show you the gaps worth sealing. After the first visit there's a 30-day follow-up, then quarterly visits. If scorpions come back between visits, re-treatments are free.
We're a local, family-owned company here in the McKinney area, and we've been handling scorpion control in McKinney, TX and around Collin County since 2012. We serve McKinney, Allen, Frisco, Plano, and Melissa, and if you're looking for pest control in Prosper, TX, we're close by there too. The easiest way to get started is to request a free estimate online. If you'd rather, you can also call or text us at (469) 340-0200. We'll find a day that works for you.
Here's to a quiet fall and winter, with no surprises in the shoes.
John Around the Block Pest Control (469) 340-0200 | aroundtheblockpest.com