Paul Wylie
2004-04-19 23:10:17 UTC
Last Sunday, the wife encountered her first live scorpion since we moved
into our house in October. I was at a Suns game with my brothers, so she
called her dad to come over and kill it. His method of killing the
scorpion left no evidence to show a pest control guy (he wadded it up in a
paper napkin, which he then took outside and lit on fire).
I've been promising to contact a pest control company since then, but
didn't get anything accomplished last week.
Sunday morning, I was awakened because she had found a second live
scorpion. It was in the kitchen sink, where minutes before, she'd been
doing dishes.
Following the previously-received advice of friends, I taped it down using
clear packing tape (I've heard duct tape is even better but I couldn't
remember where it was stored quickly enough, so I used the clear stuff).
I smashed it dead and then peeled the tape up, sealed the other side with
more of the same tape and threw the whole assembly into a ziploc bag,
which I hung in the garage for the eventual pest-control specialist who
will tell us if it's a dreaded bark scorpion. The damn thing's about the
right size, but to me, it looked darker than everybody's always said they
were. The wife, naturally, found pictures on the Internet that looked
suspiciously like the damn thing, so I'm not certain.
Which leads me to my question: I desperately need to find somebody who
will be able to kill as many of the suckers as possible as often as
possible without harming us or any future pets or children. I know the
big companies like Terminix and Truly Nolen are an option, but I'm really
looking for info on people's experiences here.
Also, due to an error in reading the label on my pool filter (which uses
Diatomaceous Earth), I recently bought 75 lbs of DE instead of the 7.5 lbs
I needed, so I've got scads of that stuff I can spread around the house.
Is it true that it kills most hard-shelled pests, but is virtually
harmless to people and pets?
ISTR reading that DE contains silica and is considered a hazardous
material in many locales because of the risk of silicosis, etc.
I need to do something fast. We're fast approaching the due date of our
impending Happy Event, and she's worried sick that a bark scorpion will
kill our first born when he's crawling or toddling. I'm equally worried
that an excessive application of hazardous materials will stunt him or
put him at higher risk for Who Knows What, but I do need to make sure no
more of those damn things get into the house again any time soon.
So. Recommendations, please?
--Paul
** Note "removemunged" in email address and remove to reply. **
into our house in October. I was at a Suns game with my brothers, so she
called her dad to come over and kill it. His method of killing the
scorpion left no evidence to show a pest control guy (he wadded it up in a
paper napkin, which he then took outside and lit on fire).
I've been promising to contact a pest control company since then, but
didn't get anything accomplished last week.
Sunday morning, I was awakened because she had found a second live
scorpion. It was in the kitchen sink, where minutes before, she'd been
doing dishes.
Following the previously-received advice of friends, I taped it down using
clear packing tape (I've heard duct tape is even better but I couldn't
remember where it was stored quickly enough, so I used the clear stuff).
I smashed it dead and then peeled the tape up, sealed the other side with
more of the same tape and threw the whole assembly into a ziploc bag,
which I hung in the garage for the eventual pest-control specialist who
will tell us if it's a dreaded bark scorpion. The damn thing's about the
right size, but to me, it looked darker than everybody's always said they
were. The wife, naturally, found pictures on the Internet that looked
suspiciously like the damn thing, so I'm not certain.
Which leads me to my question: I desperately need to find somebody who
will be able to kill as many of the suckers as possible as often as
possible without harming us or any future pets or children. I know the
big companies like Terminix and Truly Nolen are an option, but I'm really
looking for info on people's experiences here.
Also, due to an error in reading the label on my pool filter (which uses
Diatomaceous Earth), I recently bought 75 lbs of DE instead of the 7.5 lbs
I needed, so I've got scads of that stuff I can spread around the house.
Is it true that it kills most hard-shelled pests, but is virtually
harmless to people and pets?
ISTR reading that DE contains silica and is considered a hazardous
material in many locales because of the risk of silicosis, etc.
I need to do something fast. We're fast approaching the due date of our
impending Happy Event, and she's worried sick that a bark scorpion will
kill our first born when he's crawling or toddling. I'm equally worried
that an excessive application of hazardous materials will stunt him or
put him at higher risk for Who Knows What, but I do need to make sure no
more of those damn things get into the house again any time soon.
So. Recommendations, please?
--Paul
** Note "removemunged" in email address and remove to reply. **