Scorpions, Tarantulas, Snakes, Oh-My (Austin, Spring: hotel, allergies, move to)

[twange]

Originally Posted by edge_gordon

Anoles are great, they eat bugs! Molested, they will pinch a finger or do pushups at you.
Are the cute little greyish geckos still around?

In my (overabundance of) experience, scorpion stings are NOT like bee stings at all. They are much, much more painful, with aftereffects like a numb tongue & lips and nausea. Maybe I just had a bad reaction. I've been stung about three times, which is why I bought a sting extractor. The last time I got stung, I used the extractor promptly, and had no worse than an itchy bump later. Whew!

I love all beasts and critters, I escort jumping spiders outside with the glass and index card trick, but I kill scorpions without apology.

Glass and index card trick:
Get a clear glass with a no more than 4" mouth.
Grab an index card or other stiff piece of paper.
Place glass over critter, slide paper under. Deposit trapped critter outdoors, in neighbors' lawn, in garbage can, etc.

This is the best link on crawlies:
What's That Bug?

See ya'll soon,
edge

I'm glad you mentioned the Extractor! I've had one for years and have never needed to use it...glad to hear it works...I wonder if it works on snakebites as well as they claim...

[TexasGirl@Heart]

How does the sting extractor work?

[fun4mj]

Is there any part of Texas that doesn't have scorpions? Or at least less than other areas?

[Trainwreck20]

East texas has fewer scorpions, as does most of costal Tx...they don't like wet at all. Of course, there are more snakes and skeeters in the wet areas, so take your pick .

[PeacePlease]

Originally Posted by fun4mj

Is there any part of Texas that doesn't have scorpions? Or at least less than other areas?

I've never had any problems with Scorpions. I think I've seen one or two over the 10 years I've been living here. It is not like they are all over the place in front of you or trying to attack people. Scorpions are not a big deal. Fire ants.. oh my.. well.. they can bite and man they hurt. We treat our yard every year, and sometimes mid year for fire ants and that usually takes care of the issue.

Just outside of Austin there are peach farms. We go out there at least once a year to pick our own peaches and strawberries. Nice time... but watchout for the fire ants. While you're focusing on the peaches on the trees you can easily step into a mound.. and ouch. Our son, when he was 4 did that and....

Oh by the way, Benadryl Itch Stopping Gel works GREAT! even for mosquito bites. It is a must have.

[Phisch]

Originally Posted by manbehindthecurtain

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. - POST IT!

I know I should get unlazy and do it. But you might hear me squealing and it's not pretty.

[Phisch]

Originally Posted by twange

I looked it up: it is called an Anole(specifically a Carolina Anole). Here's a pic off of Wikipedia:


He can change colors depending on background and time of day but is not considered a true chameleon.

Those guys are so cute! I saw one on the stairs of our apartment when we were still there.

They sell those at California Petsmarts. If it weren't for them, I'd never know it was called an anole.

[Phisch]

Do we get chiggers in Austin?

[Trainwreck20]

There used to be chiggers when I was a kid, but I think they are pretty much wiped out except in the rural areas. Again, I HEARD that fire ants played a part in their demise, but I can't verify that. I can say that I have not had a chigger bite in years, and we go camping at least once or twice a year at Pace Bend, Palmetto St. Park, Pedernales, or Garner.

[Driftwood1]

Yes, virtually anywhere there's long grass..
Horrid little critters

Originally Posted by Phisch

Do we get chiggers in Austin?