How to keep scorpions and snakes away from your home, garden and rest house

1. Why do scorpions and snakes come near homes?

Scorpions look for shade, moisture and food — small insects. So they’re drawn to places with plenty of insects, and hide under stones, bricks and stacked wood, in cracks and gaps around walls and fences, and may enter the house through gaps under doors.

Snakes usually look for mice, rodents and small birds, and for shelter and shade. So they come near places with many rodents — fodder stores, bird pens and piles of waste. Removing the prey is a key part of keeping snakes away.

2. Clear the surroundings

• Remove piles of stones, bricks and building waste from the yard and garden.
• Keep firewood and timber away from walls, and off the ground if you need to store it.
• Cut long grass and dense shrubs right next to the house.
• Don’t leave cardboard and old belongings piled in the yard or on the roof.
• Clean under annexes and outdoor stores regularly.

Every dark, damp, quiet spot near the house is a potential hiding place — the aim is to have as few as possible.

3. Close entry routes

Scorpions can get through very narrow gaps, so it helps to fit seals at the bottom of outside doors, fill cracks in walls and floors, seal openings around pipes and services, and fit mesh on drain and ventilation openings. Check the doors of annexes and outdoor majlis rooms in particular, as they’re opened often.

For snakes, make sure walls have no large gaps at ground level, gates close properly, and drainage openings in the wall are covered with suitable mesh.

4. Reduce insects and rodents

Because scorpions feed on insects and snakes on rodents, reducing this prey makes your home less attractive to them. Controlling cockroaches and insects around the house, controlling rodents in stores and pens, closing bins and not leaving pet food out in the yard all help.

On farms and at rest houses with bird pens or fodder stores, regular rodent control is one of the most important steps in preventing snakes. Read about rodent control.

5. Lighting and water

Strong outdoor lights near doors attract insects at night, and insects attract scorpions. So it helps to place lights a little away from doors and switch off unnecessary ones. Leaks from outdoor taps and air-conditioning units and over-watering provide moisture that draws scorpions and insects, so fix leaks and manage watering.

Also watch planters, small fountains and drinking spots for birds and animals in the garden — they provide water and moisture that attract insects, and then scorpions. That doesn’t mean giving up your garden, just keeping it clean, keeping dense plants a sensible distance from the house walls and doors, and keeping the area right around the house open and dry where possible. A clear strip between garden and wall makes it harder for scorpions to approach and easier for you to see anything that moves near the door, especially in the evening when children play outside.

6. What to do if you see a scorpion or snake

• Move away calmly and keep children and pets away.
• Don’t try to catch or kill it by hand or with a tool — that’s what causes most stings and bites.
• If it’s inside a room, close the door and block the gap under it with a cloth if you can do so safely.
• Watch it from a safe distance if you can until the specialist arrives.
• Call a specialist pest control company, or the relevant authority in your area depending on the situation.

7. If someone is stung or bitten

If someone is stung by a scorpion or bitten by a snake, seek medical help immediately by calling the Red Crescent or going to the nearest emergency department. Keep the person calm and as still as possible, and don’t try to treat the sting or bite yourself.

If you can, remember what the scorpion or snake looked like, or photograph it from a safe distance without approaching it — this may help the medical team. Children and elderly people especially need prompt medical care.

8. How pest control companies help

A licensed company inspects the surroundings to find hiding places, entry routes and the insects and rodents that attract scorpions and snakes, then proposes a plan that may include perimeter treatment of walls and garden, insect and rodent control, and advice on sealing and clearing.

Some companies also offer safe snake capture and removal — ask about it. This site gives no product names or spraying methods; that’s specialist work. Read about scorpion and snake control.

9. Rest houses and closed homes

Rest houses and village homes left closed for weeks or months are more likely to have scorpions and snakes settle in, because quiet and lack of movement make them good shelter. So it helps to ask for an inspection and perimeter treatment a few days before use, especially before family gatherings with children.

When you arrive, check shoes, blankets and cushions before use, open and air the rooms, and look in corners and gaps behind furniture. Teach children not to put their hands into cracks or under stones.

10. Daily habits in at-risk areas

• Shake out shoes and clothes left on the floor before putting them on.
• Don’t walk barefoot in the yard or garden at night; use a torch.
• Raise beds and mattresses off the floor at rest houses and camps where possible.
• Don’t leave outside doors open in the evening.
• Teach children to move away and call an adult if they see a scorpion or snake.

These simple habits, with clear surroundings and sealed gaps, reduce the risk a great deal without needless worry.