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Scorpions

schwlind - 5-9-2013 at 04:41 AM

We have found several very small (babies) scorpions in our house. The first one was actually found by our cats... but my husband found another one yesterday... Since they are very little I'm wondering if a mother scorpion has birthed many more in our house.

My major concern is for the well-being of our cats..

Recommendations from anyone with experience in getting rid of these critters without harming indoor pets would be sincerely appreciated.

Thanks,
Linda

JohnMcfrog - 5-9-2013 at 05:58 AM

Was sleeping in a cot at the north rim of the Grand Canyon this week. I did a dance when something was felt in my Crocs when I woke up. This guy saluted me with his tail. Most of them are not poisonous, but the testing is problematic.

htnfool - 5-9-2013 at 06:24 AM

We live in Mulege. Got plenty of scorpions around. I like to spray HOME DEFENSE around the entreways, window seals and any other opening to the house and garage. Spraying on them will kill them. I only use it til the end of November when they disappear. Gets a little to cold for them to be very active.

You can buy the stuff at any Home Depot or Lowes.

vandenberg - 5-9-2013 at 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by schwlind
We have found several very small (babies) scorpions in our house. The first one was actually found by our cats... but my husband found another one yesterday... Since they are very little I'm wondering if a mother scorpion has birthed many more in our house.
Thanks,
Linda

While building our house, we had lots of stuff in storage here in Loreto. Opening one of the boxes, I came across a full grown scorpion to go with litterally hundreds of little ones. Semmed to be a single litter. Found the second big one in the bottom of the box.
I do know that roach spray will kill them.

THAT creeps me out

Dave - 5-9-2013 at 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by vandenberg
Opening one of the boxes, I came across a full grown scorpion to go with litterally hundreds of little ones.

I would scream like a little girl...and run.

I'd still be running. :lol:

Bob and Susan - 5-9-2013 at 02:38 PM

here is what we use...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/51-UV-LED-Scorpion-Detector-Hunter-F...

it was $17 usa

scropions really LIGHT-UP!!!

we use both raid MAX and home defense in the spray bottle
home defense is available in all home depots in Baja
I get mine in Ensenada

light.jpg - 46kB

marv sherrill - 5-9-2013 at 03:19 PM

When we leave of house in BOLA, we just set off a couple of bug bombs - kills scorps, roaches and keeps the termites in check!!!

BajaBlanca - 5-9-2013 at 05:13 PM

Ohhhhh scorpions are a bad bunch. What we do is keep all window screens tightly in and have screen doors always shut.

Part 2 is to spray around the house, in your case, when you will be gone with your cats for a while.

Part 3 just like Marv - bombs away as you are leaving.

Now for a quick story: i always EMPHASIZE to our B&B guests, that they must keep the screen door closed or they WILL have scorpions inside their rooms.....one Mexican guest told me he got into bed and felt a sting on his toe. He said he remembered what i said and literally jumped out of bed. Only to look and find that it was a sticker! We laughed and laughed ....i have no idea how the sticker got in his bed, but i can imagine his fright!

vandenberg - 5-9-2013 at 05:22 PM

Also, if you find a scorpion in an enclosed area, like a box with stuff for instance, be aware that likely the mate will be there somewhere close. They do pair up.

Been stung a few times. Not bad, mostly like a wasp sting.
However, got stung on the tip of my middle finger and it felt like putting your finger on a hotplate on high. Fingertip was numb for months. :biggrin:

[Edited on 5-10-2013 by vandenberg]

DENNIS - 5-9-2013 at 05:45 PM

I had one of the small gray/brown ones in my shoe and he got me. Very little pain....more hot than hurt.
These guys are everywhere, but it's those dirty yellow guys you have to watch out for. They will ruin your day.

schwlind - 5-9-2013 at 07:42 PM

Thanks to everyone who responded. We didn't see any today, but they could be lurking in the walls. Our floors are tiled, but there is no baseboard in yet, so they can get into the walls where they join the floor.

I will get one of the products suggested and keep the cats confined in another area until it has fully dried.

Thanks again,
Linda

DENNIS - 5-9-2013 at 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by schwlind

I will get one of the products suggested and keep the cats confined in another area until it has fully dried.

Thanks again,
Linda

Amazon has blacklights for as low as 7 bucks.

Bob and Susan - 5-10-2013 at 05:24 AM

don't get the $7 ones...not bright enough...

the $17 ones are WAY nicer when "hunting the beast"

DavidE - 5-10-2013 at 09:15 AM

Found one hiding in a towel on a shelf in the shower.

Grabbed a can of RAID HOUSE & GARDEN aerosol and shook it up good.

Sprayed the critter until he was avalanched in white foam.

Looked at my watch.

Twelve minutes later it was still crawling around with tail raised.

This impressed me

But WINDSHIELD DE-ICER kills them instantly. Like playing a blowtorch on them.

vandenberg - 5-10-2013 at 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by DavidE

WINDSHIELD DE-ICER kills them instantly.

Available anywhere in Baja. :biggrin:

RnR - 5-10-2013 at 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DavidE
WINDSHIELD DE-ICER kills them instantly. Like playing a blowtorch on them.

So does a shoe. And with less mess. :tumble:

Osprey - 5-10-2013 at 12:42 PM

You people are sick. Scorpions are living things just trying to survive. What would you do to dogs or cats if they had little stingers to protect themselves? How about bunnies, pandas, the Geico gecko?

You make me wanna buy some spray that's deadly to squeamish white and brown people who live in the desert. Sheesh. I can't handle this any more. I'm gonna go feed my rattlers.

Bob and Susan - 5-10-2013 at 01:19 PM

Ospreys prey on rodents, rabbits, hares, amphibians, other birds, and small reptiles. NOT scorpions

he does eat bunnies...well sometimes

where you live there should be NO scorpions no matter what it takes
but...if one speaks to me...then I may change my mind

DavidE - 5-10-2013 at 02:07 PM

"Stay Your Step! Human!"

With that I would stop "berry picking" south of Real de Catorce in the autumn.

Neighbors raced to their toddler as a scorpion approached him and stung him in the thigh with no provocation whatsoever. The beach house I was living at has a huge, quarter-size wolf spider living in the wall. One day I woke up to a bite on my shoulder. Whatever fairy-tale some folks want to live in is fine with me. But when I am barefoot in my house and I see a scorpion advance with tail raised, I close the chapter detailing "Insects Are Human Too' and slap the sucker with the book.

grace59 - 5-10-2013 at 05:31 PM

I, too, purchased the 17.00 51 LCD light blacklight flashlight from Amazon.com I check under beds etc. with it to make sure no scorpions are hiding in waiting. I also go outside and look for them. When I find one (they light up light yellow glow sticks), I spray them with a can of what looks like Raid, but has a Scorpion on the can (found it at El Centro Home Depot). We also spray around the outside of the house with Home Defence. Lucky to say we have not yet found one in the house.

mulegemichael - 5-10-2013 at 05:40 PM

grace; what part of washington state.....and...you WILL eventually find one in the house...it's a matter of time...we're in sequim.

Lindalou - 5-10-2013 at 06:23 PM

A couple of nights ago I found one in my hallway. The cats had found it first. I too worry about them getting stung.

grace59 - 5-10-2013 at 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mulegemichael
grace; what part of washington state.....and...you WILL eventually find one in the house...it's a matter of time...we're in sequim.

Hi Michael, We live between Tenino and Rainer, but I work in Lacey. I've been to Sequim...the dry spot of Western Washington. :lol:

I know that eventually we WILL find a scorpion in our home in San Felipe. It is just a matter of time! That is why I am pro-active and go out looking for them before they get into the house. Since I am a teacher, I spend my summers in Baja when all the creepy crawley singing, biting things are out! Do you have a home in Mulege? It has been many years since I have been there, but it is on our list when we move full time to Baja.

tjsue - 5-10-2013 at 07:48 PM

I'll be moving to TJ in the fall. Should I buy the light and some Home Defense as a precautionary measure against scorpions? I have two cats, and they probably wouldn't even look at them.

I lived in Tucson at one time, and never saw a scorpion, but I saw lots of tarantulas.

sargentodiaz - 5-12-2013 at 06:07 PM

You folks are truly cruel. Scorpions have been around for millenia and play an important part in nature. They mainly eat insects and are especially fond of ants, roaches, and others.

Indians got along with them for thousands of years so why can't you?

:saint:

rts551 - 5-12-2013 at 06:44 PM

I have them in Tucson and Abreojos but seldom see them. I usually have to search them out. Having been stung by one before, it packed less of a punch than a wasp or bee. From what I have read, the common bark scorpion found in Baja is not dangerous unless you are allergic to insect bites.

KaceyJ - 5-12-2013 at 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob and Susan
here is what we use...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/51-UV-LED-Scorpion-Detector-Hunter-F...

it was $17 usa

scropions really LIGHT-UP!!!

we use both raid MAX and home defense in the spray bottle
home defense is available in all home depots in Baja
I get mine in Ensenada

SO , ONE has to ask ( at least this one ) , why and how do scorpions "glow" when exposed to UV??

They're nocturnal, nighttime hunters , hide in the day, don't want to do anyone any harm except their prey yet will sting if provocked.

I always relocate them when possible , just like I'd do for a snattlerake.

rts551 - 5-12-2013 at 06:56 PM

Scorpions Glow under black light because of proteins close to the surface of there skin. No on is quiet sure why, the best guess being they use the fluorescence to know when it is dark and feeding time. It is also believed that they are one of the first things (and few to survive) that crawled up and inhabited land.

grace59 - 5-13-2013 at 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by rts551
I have them in Tucson and Abreojos but seldom see them. I usually have to search them out. Having been stung by one before, it packed less of a punch than a wasp or bee. From what I have read, the common bark scorpion found in Baja is not dangerous unless you are allergic to insect bites.

This is what I have seen on-line about Bark Scorpions.
"Medically Significant Scorpion Species
Only one species of scorpion in North America, and about 20 others worldwide, have venom potent enough to be dangerous to human beings. The North American species, Centruroides exilicauda (formerly called C. sculpturatus), is found over much of Arizona and Mexico. It is also known as the bark scorpion. A small population occurs in extreme southeastern California, and a few records exist for southern Utah and small parts of Texas, New Mexico and Nevada.

The venom of the Arizona bark scorpion can cause

•severe pain and swelling at the site of the sting
•numbness
•frothing at the mouth
•respiratory difficulties
•muscle twitching
•convulsions

The sting is more dangerous to infants, small children and the elderly. Death is rare, especially in more recent years. In the past 20 years there haven't been any reported fatalities due to scorpion stings."

I remember seeing a special on tv about Bark Scorpion Stings and it's effect on children. They showed a child in the hospital going through extreme pain and seizures. The special was focused on the testing of an anti-venum developed in Mexico and being tested in Arizona.

rts551 - 5-13-2013 at 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by grace59

Quote:

Interesting, because I have been stung twice, once in Arizona and once in Baja Sur. Both times on the foot. nether time did I exhibit those symptoms. only mild pain and redness less than, but similar to a bee sting. But then again, some people react to bee stings as well.

BajaRat - 5-14-2013 at 11:13 AM

The symptoms mentioned are the potential of more severe reaction, and yes the more potent bark scorpion lives and thrives in the Sonoran (gulf ) region. On the Pacific side the Giant Hairy Desert Scorpion is more common and thankfully less potent venom. We are proactive and search for them at night around the pad. I scoop them up and relocate them in the day.
I've heard that a cinnamom powder perimeter will deter the Bark Scorpion. :cool:

schwlind - 5-20-2013 at 01:04 AM

Well tonight what I feared the most happened. One of my cats was stung by a scorpion. I had gone outside for a few minutes and when I returned I saw my cat hunkered down in the middle of the kitchen floor staring toward the bottom of the refrigerator. Then he began furiously rubbing his face with his paw... When I saw that, I knew he had probably been stung.

I moved a small cooler in the vicinity of where he was staring... and sure enough a tiny (probably less the 3/4") scorpion was there with his tail elevated prepared to strike...

I will apologize beforehand to those who may be offended but I killed it immediately with my shoe.

I've been watching my cat since this happened. I think it was a Bark scorpion... and they say, the smaller the scorpion the more potent the venom... I hope my boy will be okay... as we are far away from a vet.

DENNIS - 5-20-2013 at 07:05 AM

Bark Scorpions are serious stuff. What I find mostly around here are different...smaller, thinner and less dangerous.....more gray than tan.
I already explained about the one in my shoe.
Here's some Bark Scorpion info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_bark_scorpion

.

[Edited on 5-20-2013 by DENNIS]

DavidE - 5-20-2013 at 11:59 AM

When I visited Jason, a Hopi indigena in Eastern Arizona on a reservation, his daughter screamed from the bathroom, there was a bark scorpion hanging in the shower curtain. He knocked it to the floor and scrunched it with his boot. Guess I should look for a book to send him on how "Indians" are supposed to live in harmony with scorpions.

watizname - 5-20-2013 at 09:41 PM

I had a young Mexican man from the Puerto Vallarta area who was hired by the company I was working for years ago. One day we were talking at lunch and scorpions came up. He said he had been stung a few times when he was growing up, and when you feel like you have "ants in your belly, and nose", you need to get to the doctor. I've never been stung, and every time I see one, I try to keep the odds in my favor, by lowering their population by one. Same with buzzropes, or snattlerakes. :cool:

Bob H - 5-20-2013 at 10:33 PM

Very interesting info on scorpions... I have lived in San Diego since 1984 and I don't think I have ever seen any of them. Is this a Baja thing?

David K - 5-20-2013 at 10:46 PM

Had scorpions in our home on El Camino Real, in Rancho Santa Fe/ Del Mar area... back in the 60's... so yes, not just a desert or Baja critter.

CortezBlue - 5-21-2013 at 08:28 AM

Living in the desert most of my life, nothing kills scorpions, I.e., bug sprays, bug bombs etc. the best way to kill them is a cat, they are great killers. also DE, diamatasious earth, a powder used for swimming pool filters If you lay a thick layer around the outside of your foundation and they crawl through it, it will be sucked into the gills on the scorpions under side and kill them.

Also, the best way to kill is a good firm shoe!

I have been sting many times and never really had much more of a sting than a really bad bee sting, except once!

The last time I was stung, about a year ago, it was on my right thumb, at the bottom of my thumb nail area.

Wow, the numbness went all the way up my right arm to just below my shoulder. It was tingling like it was asleep. Over 3 days it gradually went back to normal.

schwlind - 5-21-2013 at 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CortezBlue
Living in the desert most of my life, nothing kills scorpions, I.e., bug sprays, bug bombs etc. the best way to kill them is a cat, they are great killers. also DE, diamatasious earth, a powder used for swimming pool filters If you lay a thick layer around the outside of your foundation and they crawl through it, it will be sucked into the gills on the scorpions under side and kill them.

Also, the best way to kill is a good firm shoe!

I have been sting many times and never really had much more of a sting than a really bad bee sting, except once!

The last time I was stung, about a year ago, it was on my right thumb, at the bottom of my thumb nail area.

Wow, the numbness went all the way up my right arm to just below my shoulder. It was tingling like it was asleep. Over 3 days it gradually went back to normal.

I do know a good firm shoe works great!
Wow is right!... Do you know what type of scorpion it was?...

My good friend and the caretaker for our property went to Ensenada yesterday and talked to a vet, who was treating a friend's dog, about our scorpion/cat problem. The vet told him to buy "Deltametrina" by Biothrine which appears to be good for a variety of pests. It is in liquid form and is mixed with water and sprayed around the perimeter of your inside walls. The vet said we should remove the cats and their food and water from the premises during the spraying and not return them until it has completely dried.

I have not seen any scorpions out in the middle of the floor, but always close to a wall or bottom of a cabinet. I doubt that it means anything, but that is where I've always found them.

Thankfully, I did not see any scorpions last night (it seems that is when they are most active), but I'm not taking any chances... the entire house will be sprayed today. I''ll report back as to its effectiveness.

Again thanks to everyone contributing to this thread... It is very interesting even hearing the anecdotal stories.

Kgryfon - 5-23-2013 at 08:43 PM

"Indians got along with them for thousands of years so why can't you?"

Well, just a guess but I'd be willing to bet any "Indians" squished them as well. I'm sure they didn't enjoy being stung anymore than we do.

fandango - 5-23-2013 at 09:32 PM

Schwlind: how is your cat? Do you think that he was stung? Did he suffer any affects from it?

schwlind - 6-2-2013 at 03:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by fandango
Schwlind: how is your cat? Do you think that he was stung? Did he suffer any affects from it?

He was stung but it was by a tiny one (who is no longer with us). Other than furiously rubbing his face with his paw for about 10 minutes he did not seem to be terribly affected.

I had bought something recommended by a vet in Ensenada, but had not seen any other scorpions after that until tonight which was about 3 x as large as the first ones we'd seen. These are the climbing variety.

Went into the kitchen about 3am this morning and both cats were on the counter, (which we do not permit) and staring up at something. I looked up and right next to a upper kitchen cabinet on the wall was this scorpion. I chased the cats away with a water bottle, confined the cats to another room, found the mixture recommended by the vet and soaked the critter. Then hit it with a fly swatter, upon which it fell to the floor. I scooped it up with the fly swatter and threw it outside.

So including scouring the floor, this opens up a whole new dimension of where they could be... which is anywhere. YIKES

Playing The Part Of EMT

DavidE - 6-2-2013 at 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by watizname
I had a young Mexican man from the Puerto Vallarta area who was hired by the company I was working for years ago. One day we were talking at lunch and scorpions came up. He said he had been stung a few times when he was growing up, and when you feel like you have "ants in your belly, and nose", you need to get to the doctor. I've never been stung, and every time I see one, I try to keep the odds in my favor, by lowering their population by one. Same with buzzropes, or snattlerakes. :cool:

Children Rapid uncontrolled eye movement. Adults Constricted airway, thick tongue, foaming at the mouth means a medical emergency.

A child weighing 30 pounds gets jabbed with 8-times the concentration of venom as a 240 pound adult, in my book.

schwlind - 6-2-2013 at 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DavidE

Quote:

A 13 pound cat would seem to have worse odds, but after close observation for the following 24 hours, he seemed to be okay... But will never know whether he got a full strike or not... he wasn't happy though, and think he now has a healthy respect for those type of critters. My little girl cat doesn't know though...