We found our first scorpion two days after we moved to Phoenix, AZ from Monterey, CA. They are a light-brown color and so it almost blended in with our light-brown carpet. Luckily, my husband saw it and killed it. More importantly, we learned very quickly that our house was infested with these little critters.
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Out of all the scorpions in the United States, the Arizona Bark Scorpion is the deadliest. At the end of its tail, it contains a venom sack that injects neurotoxins into its prey. It uses its stinger to either protect itself or to kill prey. And it's very effective.
Arizona Bark Scorpions are about 2-3 inches in length and can fit into the tiniest of spaces. They are the only scorpion in the United States that can climb up walls. And their babies are born live. The mother helps them onto her back, where they stay until after they molt the first time.
Arizona Bark Scorpion Sting Symptoms
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| The very first Arizona Bark Scorpion we caught! |
The first time my husband ever got stung, he was moving boxes around. In an instant, he was jumping up and down and yelling. It hurt! Luckily, all that happened was the pain (well, maybe not so lucky), a teeny-tiny bit of numbness and a bit of twitching in his arm. He sat down and we called the Poison Control Hotline to report the sting and ask if we needed to do anything. Here's the lowdown on a mild (or "normal")
sting and its sypmtoms.
Symptoms:
- some twitching and muscle spasms at the site
- some numbness
- pain
- tingling
- call the Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222
- Wash the affected area with soap and water
- If the pain continues, take an over-the-counter pain reliever
Very, very recently, a girl made the news here in Arizona. She had been stung on the foot by an Arizona Bark Scorpion and had had an allergic reaction. If her mother had not taken her to the hospital, she would have died. She is alive and doing well because she received the help she needed.
Little children, people who have weak immune systems and the elderly should be taken to an emergency room if they are stung, regardless. It is better to have them checked out to make sure they're okay than not to do so.
And if anyone exhibits any of the following symptoms, take them to the hospital immediately. Over 200 people have an allergic reaction to Arizona Bark Scorpion stings and it is life threatening. People have lost their ones because of them getting stung. Take it seriously. Here are the symptoms:
- Slurred speech
- Rapid breathing
- Sweating
- Vomiting
- Trouble breathing
- Seizures
- Frothing at the mouth
- numbness or tingling of extremities or face
- blurry vision
- muscle twitching
- roving or abnormal eye movements
- rapid heart rate
Remember that it never hurts anyone to be careful with their own or someone else's health.
How To Get Rid of Scorpions
Arizona Bark Scorpions are wily and small. And they can get into a lot of places. There is no limit to where they can go.
First things first, it is important to prevent stings if you have scorpions in your house. Here are the ways to do that:
- Never walk around barefoot at night. Scorpions come out at night.
- Always check your shoes before putting them on in the morning.
- Carry a blacklight around with you at night if it’s dark in the house and you have to get up. You’ll be able to see scorpions, because they glow a greenish-blue color under a blacklight.
- If you are worried about scorpions getting into your baby’s or child’s bed, put each leg of the bed inside a smooth, glass mason jar. Scorpions cannot climb up smooth glass.
- Be very careful with clothes you have lying on the floor. Make sure you shake the clothes out well before you put them on.
- Be cautious when putting your hands into a dark space, like a kitchen cabinet. Try to look before you reach.
- Scorpions love wet, damp places. Be careful in the bathroom or the kitchen areas. One time, there was a scorpion curled up on the inside of the shower curtain while I took a shower. Eeeeek!
Doesn't the whole shower curtain thing make you just want to get rid of them? Here are some things that helped us:
- Hiring an exterminator to come out and spray. We did this a few times and it didn't seem to help. And then I got concerned about the insecticides and the kids. So I hired an exterminator who uses natural and organic spray. It helped a lot!
- The natural exterminator also applied diatemaceous earth around the perimeter of the house, the kitchen and in the bathrooms. Diatemaceous earth is made up of crystals and cuts up the underside of an insect when it crawls across it. The the insect becomes dehydrated and dies. After doing this, we found a few crispy scorpions around the house.
- We bought some of our own diatemaceous earth and applied it. We got it from a garden supply store Online.
- The best thing we did is catch them at night, in our backyard, using a blacklight, a pair of tongs and a big glass jar. After we had a few of them in the jar, we released them into a nature preserve we lived close to. This was the most helpful thing and we caught over 76 Arizona Bark Scorpions in our yard and in the house during one summer. Now, there are none and we like it that way.
