Some facts about scorpions/spiders/snakes in Arizona. (most dangerous, health)

[kdog]

Originally Posted by ecloebl

Bats? We see them every night.

Nope, they weren't bats, although we see them as well.

[wit-nit]

Scorpions, especially the bark scorpion, are most dangerous to the elderly and children.
The bark scorpion is the most dangerous of the scorpion family. My neighbor years ago was partially paralyzed by one, and the pain misery he had for a few days was most unpleasant.
And yes some people have died from bark scorpions.
I believe this post about scorpions is way overblown by a lot of people fearing to move here because of them. Chances are about 10 million to one that you'll ever encounter being bitten by one.
I'd worry more about road rage than scopions or snakes.

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Do you have a picture of one by any chance, that would be the best way to ID. I could sit here and explain scorpion anatomy to help ID, but it probably wont do you any good. At 2" (tail extended and measured from "mouth" to tip of tail) Id venture theyre bark scorpions, but theres no way to tell except via photo ID. Most scorpions in AZ are pale/tan, to blend in with their xeric environments, so I cant base my ID off that aspect alone. Was the tail (metasoma) thick or really thin? Barks have a really thin tail and very slender pincers (chelae). Another common species in Arizona is the Vaejovis spinigerus, which is completely harmless and they dont get very big either. Google these names and see which they most closely resemble:

Vaejovis paysonensis
Vaejovis spinigerus
Hadrurus arizonensis
Centruroides exilicauda
Smeringurus mesaensis

Thanks to Steve-O and DML1651. Steve, I didn't take any photos - it would have just shown a squished bug, anyway. Here's a photo I found that looks the most like the scorpions I've seen. Arizona Bark Scorpion (broken link)
So if that's a good likeness (if these scorpions were particularly photogenic), then I guess the scorpions I've been seeing are the bark scorpions. We found about 4 in the house last year and had the house sprayed, but we didn't have a "scorpion treatment" done, since it sounded like that would be harmful to the birds, toads, rabbits and geckos we have around here. We thought we were rid of them, but my DH saw 2 outside a week ago. We got rid of some flagstone we had stacked - I'm sure that was an attraction, plus we live in a newer house at the edge of the subdivision across from a wash. Any suggestions on how to make sure the scorpions don't come back?

[joemomma]

Nitram, I'll second that. The roads are much more dangerous. The scorpions are civilized in comparison.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by nitram

I'd worry more about road rage than scopions or snakes.

LOL @ nitram . . . excellent point! ! ! ! !

[BillyBaroo]

Originally Posted by Gretchen B

Any suggestions on how to make sure the scorpions don't come back?

A long time ago I lived in an apartment complex that had a huge scorpion problem. It was so bad, the newspaper did a story about it. One thing they did was get rid of all the ground cover in the landscaping. I'm not sure what else they did, but the problem cleared up after they removed all the vegetation.

Is that a good way to reduce the amount of scorpions? Do the scorpions like to live in the ground cover or do they hunt for food in there?

I've been in Arizona for over twenty years and that was the only place I've seen them. My room mate got stung by one and freaked out. He called 911 and they told him to call the Poison Control Center. The PCC asked him what his symptoms were, said he was going to be okay, and told him to call back if anything changed.

I can remember seeing three Rattlesnakes. One was sunning itself on a trail at Canyon Lake. I couldn't believe it when my dog stopped and was standing right over the top of it. The rattler never moved and my dog never saw it. I saw a couple on golf courses, one sitting next to a tee and another that had tried to cross a road. The one in the road was just sitting there coiled up and kept striking at all the vehicles driving by. Then a dump truck ran over him.

I've seen a couple Gila Monsters, that was very cool. Lots of Bobcats, my friend got attacked by a rabid one a couple years ago. Hundreds of Javelina, you can usually smell them before you see them. And like someone said earlier, don't get between mama and her baby. I couldn't even count how many coyotes I've seen. One morning I was by myself and saw some big Mountain Lion tracks in a sand trap, that was kind of scary. Scarier than the time I actually saw a Mountain Lion because this time I didn't know where he was.

Funny, I haven't heard anyone say anything about Black Widow spiders and they freak me out more than anything. They're always in places where you can't see them hiding. Tarantulas are cool, I love seeing them. I saw one at church last Saturday night. A bunch of kids were playing football by it and I told them about it but they didn't care. One kid came over to look at it.

Best thing I ever saw was a pack of Coatamundi. A friend of mine saw them and thought they were monkeys. They were around for a week turning over trash cans and stuff, hanging around in the trees, and then they just moved on and we never saw them again.

If you're ever in Tucson, the Desert Museum is a neat place to visit and learn about the desert. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by nitram

Scorpions, especially the bark scorpion, are most dangerous to the elderly and children.
The bark scorpion is the most dangerous of the scorpion family. My neighbor years ago was partially paralyzed by one, and the pain misery he had for a few days was most unpleasant.
And yes some people have died from bark scorpions.
I believe this post about scorpions is way overblown by a lot of people fearing to move here because of them. Chances are about 10 million to one that you'll ever encounter being bitten by one.
I'd worry more about road rage than scopions or snakes.

The AZ bark scorpion is not even close to being the most dangerous of the scorpion family, not even remotely close. The most dangerous scorpions on earth are the Androctonus genus. The most dangerous scorpion on earth (based on LD50 charts) is the Leiurus quinquestriatus, commonly known as the "deathstalker" scorpion.

[BurtsBees]

The deathstalker is one crazy mofo...they even sell those damn things online!

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by BurtsBees

The deathstalker is one crazy mofo...they even sell those damn things online!

No big surprise on this one, BurtsBees

In fact . . . WHAT IS NOT BEING SOLD ONLINE NOWADAYS?

[RonAZAK]

I've lived in AZ for 15 of my 38 years and I've never been biten.