Black Scorpion Facts & Information
Protect your home or business from black scorpions by learning techniques for identification and control.
Treatment
How do I get rid of black scorpions?
What Orkin Does
Your local Orkin Pro is trained to help manage black scorpions and similar pests. Since every building or home is different, your Orkin Pro will design a unique treatment program for your situation.
Orkin can provide the right solution to keep black scorpions in their place...out of your home, or business.
Behavior, Diet & Habits
Understanding Black Scorpions
Appearance & Behavior
The black scorpion (Heterometrus longimanus, of the family Scorpionidae), or the Asian forest scorpion, is a resident of tropical Asian regions.
Black scorpions typically live under logs and other natural debris. Most of the time these scorpions are above ground, preying on insects for food, but they might also burrow to some extent.
People often confuse black scorpions with Malaysian forest scorpions (Heterometrus spinifer). The two are surprisingly similar; they even share some features with the emperor scorpion, but they are actually distinct and individual species.
Black scorpions are not considered to be medically important scorpions; the venom is normally not considered lethal. However, compared to the Pandinus species, black scorpions are distinct for their stronger stings that equal that of a hornet.
A black scorpion is large, averaging over 10 cm in length, is known to have a medium to long lifespan (estimated up to 8 years) and is quite hardy. Under direct sunlight, the black scorpion's coloration is deep black with no tints of any other coloration, while the Malaysian species would appear to have shades of a greenish or bluish tint.
Additionally, black scorpions are known to be territorial, but they may also exhibit aggression towards members of their own species.