# EEK--scorpions



## Sue Miller (Jul 21, 2009)

Does anyone have any ideas about getting rid of scorpions besides:


Getting rid of debris
Block access to yard
No standing water source
Exterminating their food source
Get a cat
Get a chicken
Haven't talked to the vet yet about what to do if one of the dogs is bitten--does anyone have any experience what to do for a scorpion bite. They are the poisonous kind.8-[


----------



## Anna Kasho (Jan 16, 2008)

Where are you, and what type of scorpion. As I recall the only deadly-dangerous species in in the southwest, Arizona and New Mexico sonoran desert. The rest are like a beesting, not too dangerous unless you suddenly happen to find out you are allergic.... Not that I have personal experience with the little yellow/brown buggers, I've only kept the pet trade Emperors and Asian Forest scorpions. They are fascinating critters.

In general, they are nocturnal, reclusive, eat little insects, get most of their water requirements fromtheir food and from the higher humidity in burrows. 

They don't bite, they sting. All have venom, not all are dangerously venomous though. They are not poisonous, a dog/cat/rat/bird can eat one just fine after smushing it and taking off the stinger. A lot of times they don't even bother taking the stinger off.

So yes on minimising debris, water doesn't really matter, blocking access to yard I don't think is possible, they climb well, though can't walk on vertical smooth metal, glass, or plastic... Good luck with exterminating their food source, there are ALWAYS bugs around... Spraying for bugs will kill scorpions too, but if the dogs get into bug spray that might not be too good either...

The one other interesting thing is they fluoresce in UV light, so you can hunt them at night with a blacklight. It is simply amazing to see them glow.

I rather like scorpions though, so please don't tell me how many you've stepped on or anything like that... :lol:


----------



## Sue Miller (Jul 21, 2009)

We've lived in Las Vegas for 10 years & have never seen a single scorpion until we moved 5 days ago. We only moved 10 miles away but it's like we moved to Australia. They are the venemous scorpions &there are also scorpion/spider hybrids called vinegaroons in the yard too.

I don't want to kill them--I just want them to *go away*. There are several undeveloped empty lots around us with desert growth perfect cover for scorpions. Looking on the internet, the best remedy is getting a chicken. I'm worried about our dogs if they are stung--we also have a puppy.


----------



## Julie Blanding (Mar 12, 2008)

okay... this post scared the crap out of me. I would buy a dozen chickens at least. Scary stuff.
I have a near death experience when I see a spider in my house.

Wishing you the best!
Julie


----------



## Carol Boche (May 13, 2007)

What about Guinea Hens? They are hardy and the ones we had actually banded together and taught the dog to leave them alone.....LOL that was funny....

(now with the Mals....forget it....can't have them around until distraction training is solid.....ha ha)


----------



## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

Vinegaroons (however you spell it) aren't really dangerous, they just smell nasty like vinegar if you step on them.
The scorpions to watch for are the tiny little clear ones, those are the nasties from AZ and NM someone else mentioned (we had them back home in AZ) as for if an animal is stung at best it swells up, at worst they get anaphylactic shock from it...from what I remember a bee-sting kit takes care of this with the epinepherine shot, so you might ask for your vet to prescribe an epi-pen in case of an emergency?

We put up corregated metal around our fence about knee high to keep them out, and for the most part it did.

Do they look like this? Some range from completely clear to a light green. At night you can find them using a black light, they illuminate like Anna said.


----------



## Anna Kasho (Jan 16, 2008)

Some fun facts and pics... 

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


----------



## Sue Miller (Jul 21, 2009)

Thanks for the link Anna--I'm going to wear boots as slippers & carry a black light with me at night everywhere I go. We were supposed to be moving to doggy wonderland but we wound up in an opening scene to Alien. I particularly liked the video of the lightning fast sting to the finger & this factoid about the scorpion:

_However, the poison does not say in the bite area. It roams around the whole body. As the poison spreads so does the pain and suffering. The _
_heart and lungs may feel threatened as the process moves into what I call restless agitation. Atthis point the victim hurts all over and no matter how they sit, stand or lay they cannot get comfortable, but will most likely be lying down by this time all agitated and painful. The acute symptoms usually last 12 hours or more and then taper for possibly up to 30 days._
_It's important to be aware that it makes a difference where we get stung. The worst places to get stung are where the nerve endings are close to the skin, such as the hands and feet (the most likely places to get stung); armpits are very bad also. If you get stung in a fleshy area like a leg or back the symptoms seem to be greatly reduced. These types of bites have felt to me liketwitching, like a scorpion running up and down under the victim’s skin. It is creepy, yes, but so much less suffering than a sting to the hands or feet. If untreated these symptoms usually last about 12 hours.._​​


----------



## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Be sure you shake out your clothes and shoes before putting them on. 8-[


----------

