How Can I Get Rid of Scorpions in My Backyard?

QUESTION: I never had scorpions in my backyard before and now I have loads of them. Where did they come from and how can I get rid of them?

ANSWER: Bark scorpions are common throughout Arizona and are usually more prevalent in newly built areas where the natural landscape has been disturbed. They’re also found more often in rocky, mountainous areas.

But scorpions can also be imported into your yard if you have a load of gravel, rocks or firewood delivered to your lot. They may even end up in your yard if you have a boxed tree planted there. Sometimes they live in those boxes. Once they arrive, they have a tendency to multiply quickly if you don’t eradicate them when you find them.

You’ll need to start by cleaning up areas where they might like living: piles of wood, gardening debris or clay garden pots. When you’re cleaning these areas, always wear leather gloves. It would be a good idea to seal and caulk the door and window areas where they may use cracks or gaps to enter your home. Trim trees and bushes away from the roof and walls of your home. All outside doors should be self-closing. Don’t store shoes outdoors.

You probably want to call an exterminator as well to work on the problem rather than trying to eliminate them all by yourself.

Q: Mourning doves are all over my yard and they make a terrible mess with their nests. How can I discourage them from nesting in and around my property?

A: There aren’t very many good mechanical devices that you can use to deter them, but some homeowners have had luck by sealing the areas under their eaves with plastic netting. You can also place rocks or bird spikes on the top of light fixtures. Any time you find a nest, remove it as soon as possible. Check online to find out more about bird spikes if you think you want to use them.

Q: Someone did an energy audit on my home and told me I needed to have the inside of my ducts sprayed with some kind of aerosol mixture to plug the leaks. It’s supposed to cost $2,600. Is that a good idea? Will it work?

A: I have very little confidence in the use of aerosol products with adhesive particles to seal ducts; it’s only good for treating ducts with very small air leaks.

If you have problems with your ductwork, a worker or two can probably accomplish a lot more with a few dollars’ worth of mastic sealer than with aerosols. It would be many years before you’d recover your $2,600 with savings in utility bills.

Q: I have some property in Vail where I have planted 55 trees that produce fruits and nuts. They’ve been growing well for some time, but now in the month of August, iridescent green bugs invade my trees and eat the apples, pomegranates and whatever else is bearing fruit. They seem to come up out of holes in the ground.

A: You can use insecticide, of course, on those holes in the ground, but probably you need to take a lot more decisive action. You ought to call the local agriculture extension service to get recommendations right now about how to take care of your problem so you can enjoy your crop to the fullest extent.