Mediterranean Scorpion

Where it lives

Under stones, in rubble walls, wood piles, behind loose render, in cellars and beneath skirting in older properties. Comes indoors seeking cool humidity in high summer.

Signs

• Small dark scorpions found in bathrooms, cellars and ground-floor rooms at night
• Sightings under stones, plant pots and stored timber
• Increased indoor sightings during very hot dry spells
• More common in older stone-built and rural property

Risks

• Sting causes local pain, redness and swelling similar to a wasp sting
• Allergic reaction is possible though uncommon
• Distressing to occupants, especially with young children
• Presence suggests gaps and harbourage in the building envelope

Prevention

• Fit brush seals to external doors and mesh to air bricks and vents
• Keep firewood, stone and plant pots away from the walls of the house
• Seal cracks in render and gaps around pipework
• Shake out shoes and towels left on floors in summer

Treatment

Control is mainly exclusion: we identify and seal entry points, then apply a targeted residual treatment to thresholds, wall bases, cellars and harbourage areas. We also reduce the insect prey population, because scorpions follow their food. Ongoing perimeter treatments through the summer keep numbers down in rural properties.