As the Austin area begins to see hotter spring temperatures, many homeowners are heading outside to begin work in their gardens. Before you hit the garden this year, take some time to familiarize yourself with the scorpion, a fairly common garden pest. If you aren’t on the lookout for them, startled scorpions may sting and put a serious damper on your gardening day.
Who’s Creeping and Crawling in Your Garden?
Scorpions have a bad reputation due to their nasty sting and frightening pincers. The scorpions found in Texas don’t cause severe allergic reactions in most people, but they can cause a great deal of discomfort. Of course, individuals who are sensitive to other natural toxins may suffer from more severe symptoms if stung by a scorpion. Thankfully, controlling these pests is easy so long as you can identify them and create a management plan for your space.
Identifying pests is the first step in management. While there are many types of scorpions, all have four pairs of legs, a pair of front arms with pincers and a segmented tail with stinger. Most homeowners can identify scorpions by their distinct shape. The striped bark scorpion is the most common in Texas. Adults of this species grow to about two and a half inches long and are a light to medium tan color with two thick, distinctive black stripes running down their backs.
Make sure that you aren’t confusing the vinegaroon, also known as a whip scorpion, with a true scorpion. Vinegaroons do pinch, but they are not considered poisonous. Of course, your pest control professional can help you eliminate vinegaroons and many other pests from your home and garden.
Controlling Scorpions in the Garden
If you’ve identified a scorpion problem in your garden, you don’t need to panic. A professional exterminator can help you create a pest management plan and can eliminate a scorpion infestation on your property. After your pest control specialist has taken care of an infestation, do the following to discourage scorpions from coming back to your garden:
• Eliminate stacked rock features where scorpions might nest.
• Clean up grass and garden clippings as soon as you’re done working.
• Move wood piles away from your home and garden.
• Clear out infestations of smaller pests such as crickets and ants, which provide a food source for scorpions.
It’s also essential that you keep the areas immediately surrounding your home clear of brush, dense bushes and tightly packed tree limbs.
No gardener wants to find pests hanging out with their plants and flowers. If you’re facing a scorpion problem, call the professionals at ABC Home & Commercial Services in Austin to schedule an appointment.