First scorpion of the year this morning

[Mike 03]

This morning I found a three-inch scorpion in the shower. I scooped it up in a plastic cup and put it outside. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't bother posting about something like this, since scorpions are not an uncommon sight in Arizona this time of year. But in light of our COVID-19 situation I had a couple of thoughts about this:

The last place anyone should be right now is an emergency room or clinic, especially for an avoidable circumstance.

As a dog owner, another place I don't want to be is an emergency veterinary clinic or a packed veterinary waiting room. (At that hour--3:00 AM--if my dog had been bitten we'd have to have driven about an hour to a 24 hour veterinary ER in Mesa).

So I decided I'm going to put a pair of shoes next to the bed along with a flashlight and try to avoid any close calls.

Just thought I'd share that. Scorpions have a habit of turning up where you least expect them. Last year I stepped on a little one in bare feet. Luckily, neither one of us were hurt.

Be careful and stay healthy my fellow Arizona DUers!

[Ptah]

1. Shake out the shoes before putting them on.

[MontanaMama]

2. Yikes. Scorpions.

Similarly, This time of year, I keep a big spotlight by my back door to look for bears and raccoons before I let my dogs out after dark. I’d take a bear over a scorpion any day. 😳

[2naSalit]

4. Same here...

I lived in a desert for a summer and all the morning chores started with the scorpion search. And shoes/boots were hung up off the ground to keep creepy crawly things out of them. I was told it was an old cowboy trick.

[Kali]

6. except the Centruroides are wall/ceiling crawlers

and of course, our most dangerous species (still not that bad if not allergic, just painful as hell but not deadly)

[SWBTATTReg]

3. Also shake out your pants good too, if you wear pants, to shake out any critters that may have ...

crawled in there during the night. We did this too, in extreme SW Missouri too, for scorpions too (besides the shoes too). I didn't know that they bite (scorpions), but I do know that they sting.

[Kali]

5. LOL

we don't count the first scorpion of year, we count the first sting. no need for emergency care unless you have a really bad reaction since there isn't anything they can do anyway. antivenin not available anymore as far as I know.

shoes are dangerous too, don't forget to shake them out. get a black light flashlight, best way to find the bastids in the dark.

hospitals are probably pretty safe now with everybody trained and used to new protocols, even vets for that matter. bars or restaurants? hell no!

[marybourg]

8. Aren't we getting antivenin from Mexico now?

Haven’t seen a scorpion in 7 years. Never want to again.

[Kali]

9. I don't think so.

its possible but last time I looked it up, no longer available. argh gonna make the anal retentive in me go searching!

[Kali]

10. well seems something might be available

http://www.anascorp-us.com/

website dated this year, but links and info I looked at so far are all old so

[42bambi]

7. To date, here in San Antonio, I have killed 17, and most were inside, walls, floors, shower, even

several in a light globe. Last year while cleaning our hot tub I was stung by a bark scorpion...it was on the handle of the leaf net, what a shock! My hubby made a paste of water and meat tenderizer and applied on my hand to draw out the poison. The pain lasted nonstop for over 24 hours! Still have a scar. You better believe I now check everything I touch ... in and out. I have had the house sprayed twice so far this year! Our cats are good little scouts too ... whenever I see them staring at the floor I take notice, and sure enough they have spotted one! Most critter crawlers they like to play with, BUT NOT SCORPIONS. LOL.

[DesertRat]

11. Do you have a blacklight?

My husband likes to go scorpion hunting at night. They glow a creepy iridescent green in the blacklight.