Scorpions, Tarantulas, Snakes, Oh-My

[pstern0349]

Interesting that no one mentions fire ants. Hard to get rid of those little mothers. I battle them every year and I get them to move away from the house, but it's an annual battle to keep them away. When these suckers bite you it hurts like hell, like a fire burn. Then a white pus head appears at the bite site. Ice immediately is the best way to get rid of the fire sting and to keep swelling down. You can use the ice effectively for up to 48 hours. A little Benadryl cream can help after icing for those who have allergies to such bites, but the ice works great. I've seen people and animals with huge swollen areas from fire ant bites and the ants are voracious. I've seen them bite and take hold like a bull dog with their rear legs waving in the air! I'm serious, not a joke.

[austinnerd]

Originally Posted by pstern0349

Interesting that no one mentions fire ants. Hard to get rid of those little mothers. I battle them every year and I get them to move away from the house, but it's an annual battle to keep them away. When these suckers bite you it hurts like hell, like a fire burn. Then a white pus head appears at the bite site. Ice immediately is the best way to get rid of the fire sting and to keep swelling down. You can use the ice effectively for up to 48 hours. A little Benadryl cream can help after icing for those who have allergies to such bites, but the ice works great. I've seen people and animals with huge swollen areas from fire ant bites and the ants are voracious. I've seen them bite and take hold like a bull dog with their rear legs waving in the air! I'm serious, not a joke.

Yup, fireants are a pain, literally. I've found that generally my tolerance to them has improved. I still occasionally get the "whitehead" from their bites, but now I often don't. Bigger issue is my son, he does have a fairly strong allergic reaction. One bite is not a big deal, he will tend to swell up more than most folks, but it's manageable. Multiple bites though, now that's a problem. He was bitten twice on the foot a few years ago and his entire leg swelled up and we had to take him to see the doc. We ended up getting an epipen. He's had a similar reaction a couple more times since then, always two bites, not bad enough to use the epipen luckily. We're just waiting for the day when he gets 3 or more, that will not be a fun time methinks.

[jumpshelley]

I came to this site to see if bengal spray would help with the scorpions. I live at Lake
Whitney; they love this area, and so do the rattlers. My Golden Retreiver gets the snake shot every year. Last year he did get bit. We did not see the snake,but probably in our own yard. The fang marks were two inches apart, and right at the juggler. He is 115 lbs, so other than being a bit sick, the meds from the vet got him well again. For a while after that, you could say "snake" and he would look all around and sniff,but now he has already forgotten. Probably going to happen again. We have a beagle mix, she is too smart and fast to get bit, we don't even bother with the snake shot for her. We have snake shot in two pistols always. Believe me, the snake is there. You might not see it,but it is there. We have two outdoor cats. Sometimes we let the male in, but he is not a very good hunter. In the past an inside cat would catch the scorpions.The famale cat sprays, so she resides outdoors with the other nasty animals.
We also have a large population of roadrunners. Yea, they eat snakes. The coyotes and foxes roam around,so I do worry about the cats, but they go in the back, where the dogs will run off the preditors, in cluding cats they know do not live here. Talk about creatures from the devil, my husband killed a spreading adder in the back yard a few years ago. omg! they have horns and their hiss sounds like rattles. They are definatly the devil's son. Back to Scorpions, I HAVE seen one in a spider webb, so try not to kill the large ugly brown and white spider, lessn it's a brown recluse. Learn the difference! The little black hoppy ones leave a nasty sting and make you sick. Go to the doctor or hospital for antibac if you have any reaction to a bite. I spread sulfur pelets around my foundation and on into the yard. Snakes do not like it. And an added benefit, no ants in our yard.
AND WELCOME to TEXAS. Where most countys are still free roaming! Get a fence!!

[RomeandJill]

Originally Posted by jumpshelley

I came to this site to see if bengal spray would help with the scorpions. I live at Lake
Whitney; they love this area, and so do the rattlers. My Golden Retreiver gets the snake shot every year. Last year he did get bit. We did not see the snake,but probably in our own yard. The fang marks were two inches apart, and right at the juggler. He is 115 lbs, so other than being a bit sick, the meds from the vet got him well again. For a while after that, you could say "snake" and he would look all around and sniff,but now he has already forgotten. Probably going to happen again. We have a beagle mix, she is too smart and fast to get bit, we don't even bother with the snake shot for her. We have snake shot in two pistols always. Believe me, the snake is there. You might not see it,but it is there. We have two outdoor cats. Sometimes we let the male in, but he is not a very good hunter. In the past an inside cat would catch the scorpions.The famale cat sprays, so she resides outdoors with the other nasty animals.
We also have a large population of roadrunners. Yea, they eat snakes. The coyotes and foxes roam around,so I do worry about the cats, but they go in the back, where the dogs will run off the preditors, in cluding cats they know do not live here. Talk about creatures from the devil, my husband killed a spreading adder in the back yard a few years ago. omg! they have horns and their hiss sounds like rattles. They are definatly the devil's son. Back to Scorpions, I HAVE seen one in a spider webb, so try not to kill the large ugly brown and white spider, lessn it's a brown recluse. Learn the difference! The little black hoppy ones leave a nasty sting and make you sick. Go to the doctor or hospital for antibac if you have any reaction to a bite. I spread sulfur pelets around my foundation and on into the yard. Snakes do not like it. And an added benefit, no ants in our yard.
AND WELCOME to TEXAS. Where most countys are still free roaming! Get a fence!!

You are aware that there is no such thing as a "spreading adder" and that non of our venomous species hisses loud enough to be heard from any distance. What your husband more than likely actually killed was a highly beneficial and completely HARMLESS bullsnake.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by RomeandJill

You are aware that there is no such thing as a "spreading adder" and that non of our venomous species hisses loud enough to be heard from any distance. What your husband more than likely actually killed was a highly beneficial and completely HARMLESS bullsnake.

Excellent post. I think though that the so-called "spreading adder" is the hog nose snake. It is harmless and it is a shame that Jumpshelley's husband killed it.

Heterodon platirhinos - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by pstern0349

Interesting that no one mentions fire ants. Hard to get rid of those little mothers. I battle them every year and I get them to move away from the house, but it's an annual battle to keep them away

I don't understand why you are having any difficulty getting rid of them. We have had a few mounds pop up every year or so in the past, and sprinkling Ambro on the mounds always gets rid of them. I have not seen any in my yard for around 3 years.

[sloppymeg]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

I don't understand why you are having any difficulty getting rid of them. We have had a few mounds pop up every year or so in the past, and sprinkling Ambro on the mounds always gets rid of them. I have not seen any in my yard for around 3 years.

I use Amdro, then the ants appear relocate in the yard. They don't seem to have mounds either, so they're more difficult to find/treat.

Hopefully having a pest control company will help.

[RomeandJill]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

Excellent post. I think though that the so-called "spreading adder" is the hog nose snake. It is harmless and it is a shame that Jumpshelley's husband killed it.

Heterodon platirhinos - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thank you ! I thought about the hognose but when she said it was hissing I figured a bully. Hog nosed snakes do flatten out very dramatically and their upturned nose perhaps could be misconstrued as "horns." Either way, they are completely harmless and should be allowed to exist regardless of ignorance.

[mcstayusvi]

So I read as far as page 8 before I just couldn't read anymore..... Where we live now we have fire ants, roaches, sugar snats, scorpions and centipedes who will chase you to sting you so I can handle those pests. Snakes don't REALLY bother me(unless they are rattlers which FREAK me out!).

What I want to know is this. We have a cat who is indoor/outdoor here and will hopefully be the same after an adjustment period in Austin. He hunts basically EVERYTHING that moves. Do y'all think he will "understand" that snakes are bad and stay away? Is it ingrained in cats to understand danger? Is there a shot I can get him to protect him from snake venom?

On another note, do rattlers climb and will they lurk above my doorway or in trees waiting to drop down and eat me? Do I need to worry about snakes getting inside? Ok, so I am freaked about the snakes but I will woman up and deal with it if I have to.

We are hopefully living in Dripping Springs.

Thanks!

[hoffdano]

I have seen rattlesnakes in the wild and they have always been under something (like a tree with low branches or a rock ledge). I do not believe they climb.

As for cats, our cats have always been outdoor cats. Our male cats have often come home battle scarred - probably from fighting critters like raccoons. But never snake bit (that I know of) and certainly not dead. Our cats bring us their prizes (lizards, small mice, and birds) regularly.