The bark scorpion is a common sight in ArizonaArizona | (air-i'-ZON-u') | The State of Arizona comprises the extreme south-western portion of the United States. It is bounded on the north by Utah, on the east by New Mexico, on the south by Mexico, and on the west by California and Nevada. | , but it's sting is NOT life
threatening to anything over 20 pounds. (If your baby is stung, take him/her
to the hospital. Otherwise, take an aspirin.) Myself and friends of mine
have been stung by bark scorpions. The result is discomfort bordering on
pain, numbness near the stung area, and a general sick feeling. It only
lasts about a day or so. If you're really worried about these things, get
a cat, or get several. In the 14 years I've lived in this house, (next
to a large span of desert) I've seen literally hundreds of dead scorpions,
and only dozens of live ones. I attribute this to my cats, and their love
of hunting small critters. I've watched my cats get the scorpions from
time to time, and they seem to have no problem whatsoever killing them.
If you can't have an animal patrolling your house, then your only recourse
is to properlly seal your house, and it will not be perfect. Black lights
(ultraviolet) work wonders, and in a dark house scorpions can be VERY easily
seen. Even nests can be lightly seen through walls, or in our case, a brick
fireplace. Scorpions are in your house looking for a nice temperature,
darkness, and water, nothing more. (They seem to be partial to wood. Piles
of dry wood are scorpion apartment complexes.) They will only sting you
if they feel highly threatened (I.E. you slap at them), or if you are a
cricket.
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