Scorpions

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kragluver
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Scorpions

Post by kragluver »

I love living in a rural area but darn I hate scorpions!!! Just got stung on my middle toe while standing in the pantry. I've lived with these evil creatures nearly all my life and have been stung several times. It had been many years since the last one and we rarely see them in our house. I got complacent. A pox on all scorpions!!!
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Re: Scorpions

Post by GunnyMack »

While a kid, my family would spend a couple weeks a summer near south Lake Tahoe spending time with Moms side of the family. My uncle would catch a scorpion on occasion and then find the nearest red ant hill. Just get those ants riled up and drop that scorpion into the fray. Those ants would dismember that thing with amazing precision!
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TomF
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Re: Scorpions

Post by TomF »

The little guys sting good too. We have them in central Texas. I never go bare foot and always shake out anything before I put it on. They can climb walls and ceilings. I find them in the kitchen light fixture, bathroom trash can and under most any rock. If I ever get moved there full time, I plan to buy a bunch of guineas to help keep the creepy critter numbers down.

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crs
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Re: Scorpions

Post by crs »

Tom,
Good plan on the guineas; chickens do really clean out smaller critters up to and including mice, small snakes, insects, etc.
Bought a new house years ago in a development built in an old pasture; seeing one scorpion by my bed was all it took to put me on a mission to always wear shoes and be rid of the buggers. It took a while, but there was no stinging of adults or kids there.
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kragluver
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Re: Scorpions

Post by kragluver »

We've lived in this house for 14 years and have managed to keep the scorpions under control. We will usually kill 3-4 in the house each summer but that's much better than the 15-20 we used to kill in the house I grew up in (also in the hill country). The most effective thing you can do is put copper mesh in the brick weep holes and try to ensure all cracks are sealed up. They will still get in under door jambs though. Keeping their prey out of your house (I.e. Use Terminex or similar service) seems to help a lot.

I think I was just unlucky last night. Unlucky for the scorpion too because he died. We had a 3" rain Sunday night and I wonder if the weather change brought him indoors.
zoner
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Re: Scorpions

Post by zoner »

About ten years ago we bought a new single wide mobile home and set it up in a over 55 "resort" in Apache Junction, AZ. My in-laws had been there about 5 years before we moved in and the first thing my FIL cautioned me about was ti shake out your shoes real good before you put em on. Still haven't seen a scorpion there myself either inside or outside the house but am still shakin out the shoes just in case.
Bill in Oregon
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Re: Scorpions

Post by Bill in Oregon »

I'll be moving to Alamogordo, NM, this fall and will have to adopt the shake-out-the-shoes routine as well, I am afraid.
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vancelw
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Re: Scorpions

Post by vancelw »

I'll take a scorpion sting over a red wasp sting, cow ant sting, or spider bite any day!
Everybody is different I guess, but for me, putting ice on a scorpion stink stops the pain almost instantly.
A red wasp sting hurts for a week.

We used to have scorpions like crazy around here. I would find 3 o 4 a week in the house. That means there were dozens each week we never saw. Several years back, my daughter got some chickens and we let them free range. No more scorpion. I think I have found a total of 3 in the house in the last 6 or 7 years. Of course the chickens also wiped out the lizards (who eat scorpions and other bugs) and St. Augustine grass. Pulled up every last bit.
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kragluver
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Re: Scorpions

Post by kragluver »

Yes ice works very well.

I was thinking last night that the worst sting I've experienced was from a hornet that looked like a large yellow jacket. It was dead in the house and I went to pick it up with a tissue - grabbed the pointy end accidentally and stung myself. I got a full dose of toxin. That thing hurt like H&&&. Worse than this scorpion sting.
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Re: Scorpions

Post by missionary5155 »

GREETINGS
Used to get them in our house down here in Arequipa. Put rubber "sweeps" made from firm truck inner tubes on the outside of our exterior doors. No more scorpions in the house.
The villages I go to weekly the boys eat the little grey buggers that are up there. Pin then down with a stick and cut off the stinger. Pick them up by the tail inserting head first. The first one I tried they did not tell me to start chewing real fast as the pinchers get in the mouth. You cannot get your tongue out of the way.
Ours have no flavor. The bigger ones over two inches long I do not play with. If they are in the house or church area they get terminated.

Kragluver said how I feel about hornets. 15 years back had one walk up my left arm just below the shoulder sticking me three times before I could mash it. Still hurts when my arm is cold or I sleep on it.
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Bill in Oregon
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Re: Scorpions

Post by Bill in Oregon »

One of the worst insect stings in North America is reputedly that of the tarantula hawk, a giant wasp that is the state insect of New Mexico:

Tarantula hawk wasps are relatively docile and rarely sting without provocation. However, the sting—particularly that of P. grossa—is among the most painful of all insects, though the intense pain only lasts about five minutes.[8] One researcher described the pain as "…immediate, excruciating, unrelenting pain that simply shuts down one's ability to do anything, except scream. Mental discipline simply does not work in these situations."[5] In terms of scale, the wasp's sting is rated near the top of the Schmidt sting pain index, second only to that of the bullet ant, and is described by Schmidt as "blinding, fierce [and] shockingly electric".[2] Because of their extremely large stingers, very few animals are able to eat them; one of the few animals that can is the roadrunner.

Here's the guy who developed the Schmidt pain index:

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-much ... fire-ant-1
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kragluver
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Re: Scorpions

Post by kragluver »

I just read the link. Those folks are insane. I wonder where he would rate a scorpion? He rates the yellow jacket a 2. Man, I must be a wimp or that was not a common yellow jacket that stung me several years back. That was pain that would not quit.
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vancelw
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Re: Scorpions

Post by vancelw »

kragluver wrote: Wed Aug 09, 2017 7:29 pm I just read the link. Those folks are insane. I wonder where he would rate a scorpion? He rates the yellow jacket a 2. Man, I must be a wimp or that was not a common yellow jacket that stung me several years back. That was pain that would not quit.
I don't know about yellow jackets (been too long) but a red wasp sting depends on how long it stung you as to how much it hurts. A quick hit hurts like Hades but sometimes they land and just sting, sting, sting until something brushes them away. Then it's Hades times infinity and beyond.
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octagon
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Re: Scorpions

Post by octagon »

Scorpions glow like crazy under a black light. I have a hand held light, as I live at ground zero for scorpions. I caught right at 50 of em in 7-8 nights within 20 feet of house. :shock: They get active about ten pm. I had 7 chickens that use to keep these numbers down, but I got tierd of em pelosifying my porches. Only sting worse is a bumblebee :o
Bill in Oregon
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Re: Scorpions

Post by Bill in Oregon »

Good to know about the black light.
I agree, a yellow jacket sting is worse than a honey bee by a darned sight -- or maybe I am getting allergic.
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Blaine
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Re: Scorpions

Post by Blaine »

octagon wrote: Thu Aug 10, 2017 7:24 am Scorpions glow like crazy under a black light. I have a hand held light, as I live at ground zero for scorpions. I caught right at 50 of em in 7-8 nights within 20 feet of house. :shock: They get active about ten pm. I had 7 chickens that use to keep these numbers down, but I got tierd of em pelosifying my porches. Only sting worse is a bumblebee :o
One of them big black and yellow fuzzy bastages nailed me on the knuckle once. Worst ever!!! I've been hit by scorpions once in Hawaii and once in Panama....not that big a deal.
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jeepnik
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Re: Scorpions

Post by jeepnik »

Personally, the worst was a black widow. But I have very few these days. My local little skunk just chows down on them. No snails or slugs either. For those that think skunks have no uses, just get bit by a black widow, then you'll import the skunks by the gross.
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Blaine
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Re: Scorpions

Post by Blaine »

jeepnik wrote: Thu Aug 10, 2017 3:08 pm Personally, the worst was a black widow. But I have very few these days. My local little skunk just chows down on them. No snails or slugs either. For those that think skunks have no uses, just get bit by a black widow, then you'll import the skunks by the gross.
Almost every meter vault I cracked open had a false widow in it...identical to black widow, but no red. Same pain, less poison. The hornet and yellow jacket stings were so common, I almost got used to them. :evil:
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vancelw
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Re: Scorpions

Post by vancelw »

octagon wrote: Thu Aug 10, 2017 7:24 am Scorpions glow like crazy under a black light. I have a hand held light, as I live at ground zero for scorpions. I caught right at 50 of em in 7-8 nights within 20 feet of house. :shock: They get active about ten pm.
I've always been afraid to try that....scared the wife will make us move!
octagon wrote: Thu Aug 10, 2017 7:24 am I had 7 chickens that use to keep these numbers down, but I got tierd of em pelosifying my porches.
I made my daughter get rid of her chickens for the same reason. Got tired to the deciding they owned the back porch and I couldn't work in my shop without getting invaded. I think it was years before I found the last egg (I hope it was the last :? ) high up on a shelf in my shop. I carried it out verrrrrry carefully.
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