Scorpion hotspot leaves Gilbert homeowner hunting 8 to 10 arachnids per night
Gilbert man hunts scorpions using black light
Scorpions can be an unwelcome pest to homeowners and tend to congregate in some areas more than others.
GILBERT, Ariz. - It's no surprise scorpions may be crawling around your home at night, you just can't see them.
Chad Fitzgerald, a homeowner in Gilbert has taken it to the next level by using a black light to hunt them when they come out at night.
Where are the scorpions?
What we know:
Scorpions are all over the Valley and this heat map really breaks down where scorpions are heavily populated.
Arizona scorpion map provided by Seal Out Scorpions
The darker the color, the more extreme it is, like places in north Scottsdale and the Mesa/Gilbert area.
"I see an average of anywhere from five to eight or 10 scorpions a night," said Fitzgerald. "When I go out, usually the later I go out, the more that I see."
Fitzgerald is no stranger to scorpions.
"I don't think I've ever been in a home where I've completely eradicated it. I've slowed it down by keeping the other pests, the roaches and the crickets and others under control. So by doing the pest control monthly, that does help bring it down some," he said.
At night, he hunts scorpions using a black light because scorpions glow under ultra-violet light, making them easy to spot.
Then he uses a strong Terro spray that can kill scorpions within a minute.
It's something he does routinely to keep them out of his home.
"I keep seeing them all the time and seeing them everywhere and worried that my kids or my wife is going to step on one or get stung or find one in bed," he said. "I try to take precautions."
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Local perspective:
So why exactly are scorpions heavily populated in specific areas around the Valley?
Laura Hackett, wildlife biologist at Liberty Wildlife, has that answer.
"Outskirts of our different cities, you know, have a lot more landscaping, a lot more trees and areas that are great for scorpions to live. Whereas when you come into the city, you don't have a lot of that natural habitat anymore. That being said, they still can live in all kinds of small crevices. So even in South Phoenix, we see them fairly regularly here at Liberty Wildlife," Laura said.
Seal Out Scorpions has the same take, saying bark scorpions cluster in areas with better microclimates often shaded by landscaping, block walls or building design.
Bugs also favor those spots.
"The bark scorpion is the one that's more known for being a little bit more aggressive, whereas the others have less of a potent sting and also are not known to be as aggressive with their stings," said Laura.
The other side:
Although it's not something you want getting in your home, they're working outside your home.
Their main diet consists of crickets and cockroaches.
"A lot of animals eat the scorpion, so they're really part of our delicate ecosystem here. So we appreciate them even though they kind of give us the heebie-jeebies sometimes," said Laura.