Click the play button on the video window to the right to see the storyCHANDLER, AZ -- They most often leave their hidden homes at night or early in the morning in search of food.
Scorpions are nothing new for Valley residents and pest control companies know to expect calls as the temperature rises.
"It gets really busy this time of year, we get a lot of calls," said Bill Stewart who owns
NaturZone Pest Control in Chandler and Phoenix.
Stewart says during the summer scorpions move around searching for a cooler place.
"Attics are a hot spot for scorpions along with the cracks and crevices around a home and within the walls in people's backyards," said Stewart while standing in the backyard.
While the Chandler resident admits he's been stung a few times, he has plenty of experience hunting scorpions on and off the clock.
"We live in an area that's heavily infested with scorpions," said Stewart. "I think I've pretty much eradicated them from within my home, but they're certainly still around in the backyard or neighbor's homes."
While many people hire pest control companies to spray for scorpions, Stewart says his environmentally friendly company takes a different approach.
"Most people who call us are trying to avoid exposure to pesticides and you really don't have to totally fight scorpions with pesticides," said Stewart.
Stewart's philosophy is to eliminate a scorpion's food source, which generally consists of cockroaches and crickets, with a can of over-the-counter pesticide.
"I spray into a crack or crevice and it's going to accomplish the same thing," said Stewart while spraying outside his home. "All of the insects are not on top of the concrete. One of the most effective means of controlling scorpions is go out with a black light, a can of Raid, hunt them down and spray directly where you find them."
Experts say if you do spray scorpions directly, act fast and be precise because scorpions can actually hold their breath for days, thus not ingesting the poison.
But the business owner says many people make a mistake when trying to kill scorpions inside their homes.
"They're (scorpions) are not affected by the pesticides they walk over," said Stewart. "They walk on pointed feet and they're not scavenging the ground for food, so they don't poison themselves automatically."
