An Orcutt family has been living in fear of scorpions showing up in their home.
Exterminators say parts of the Central Coast are prone to the poisonous spiders.
Homeowner Andrew Bouwmeester says combating scorpions in his house has been an uphill battle.
“Oh, my wife, she hates them. As soon as we saw them the other day, she said, ‘We have to move,'” Bouwmeester said.
Entomologist Fred Rozo with Western Exterminator Company thinks the scorpions may have arrived with the new construction of Bouwmeester’s neighborhood and non-native plants being planted.
“Some of the locations within this valley are prone to some scorpion activity but that has to do with potentially being there for a long time or being acclimated to the area but at one point or another they were brought in,” Rozo explained.
Rozo says the scorpions could be making their way into the home through the walls.
“Insects and other critters can get up into the wall areas and easily, if they find a road map by way of pipes or wiring, they go inside the house,” Rozo said.
In addition to sealing up potential entry spaces for spiders and other insects, Rozo recommends removing vegetation around the home.
“So providing a two feet clearance all the way around the perimeter of the building is helpful,” he explained.
Bouwmeester says he’s willing to try almost anything to make his family feel comfortable at home again.
“You get on edge for a good month or two, checking your shoes, checking around corners, making sure our son is safe. We don’t want our son to get stung by a scorpion and we don’t want us to get stung by a scorpion,” Bouwmeester said.
Rozo says there are at least 70 varieties of scorpions in the U.S. and all are poisonous.
While scorpions may sting people or pets by accident, their main source of food is bugs.
