Some people in North Texas are seeing a lot of scorpions these days.
All you need to do is to go onto your neighborhood's Facebook page, assuming it has one, and you'll see the posts -- scorpions are everywhere, making their way into people's homes.
You can pin part of the blame on the brutally hot summer we're coming out of.
"They're seeking moisture inside of homes," says Jordan Pinnie with Signature Pest Management. "They're looking for water and shelter from that heat."
Those living in areas where there's a lot of home construction also run a greater risk of encountering a scorpion inside their homes.
Along with the construction disrupting the scorpions' natural habitat, the construction companies may be unwittingly bringing them in from other states.
"If they get some wood from Arizona (for example), Arizona has a lot more scorpions than the DFW area does," says Pinnie.
Treating your home with over-the-counter chemicals to prevent scorpions from coming in is a lot easier said than done.
"The biggest problem with scorpions is they have a really dense exoskeleton," Pinnie notes. "It's really thick, and it doesn't absorb a lot of chemicals very easily."
There are some pro-active steps you can take, however.
"Look around doors and windows, anywhere a pipe or wire would penetrate, any vent areas -- and make sure those areas are sealed," says Wizzie Brown, entomologist at Texas A&M. "You might need to get caulk or sealant, you might need to replace weather stripping, (or) you might need to put a screen over a vent area so that (scorpions) can't get in."
One thing you might not know about scorpions is that they glow in the dark.
"They will light up and glow in the dark with a black light," says Pinnie. "They're green in color and they are nocturnal, so they're coming out a lot more at night, whereas during the day they're hiding a lot more."
Pinnie says the best way to prevent scorpions from entering your home is using a professional pest control service.
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