Some facts about scorpions/spiders/snakes in Arizona. (Phoenix, Tucson: work, hospital)

[DML1651]

I've seen post about people refusing to move to Arizona or otherwise terrified about moving to Arizona because of the scorpions, spiders and snakes.

These fears are WAAAAY overblown.

Here are some facts about the native creepies.

All scorpions sting, usually a bit worse than a bee sting. The only one to be concerned about is, oddly, the most common scorpion, the bark scorpion.

That said, they are NOT a life threatening critter. I've been stung by bark scorpions… several times.

The bark scorpion causes an electric shock kind of pain and an odd numbness/tingling that can progress up or down the entire extremity that was stung. Pain, in the worst cases, can last out to 24 hours but is at its worst for 8 hours or so.

A very small percentage of people have some significant neurologic involvement. Very small children, and the very old and infirm, are more prone to some of worse symptoms.

There is an antivenin available called Anascorp which is highly effective but rarely needed.

Scorpions, even the bark scorpion, just aren't as bad as people think. Only one death from the Arizona bark scorpion (C sculpturatus) has been reported since 1964. That said, you don’t want to take up being stung by a bark scorpion as a hobby, but they just are not as bad as urban legend reports… and neither is the black widow, for that matter. If needed, and most people do not need it, an antivenin is available for the black widow spider bite as well.

As far as the brown recluse spider is concerned, the true brown recluse (Loxosceles Reclusa) does not exist in Arizona, despite what anyone tells you. Click the link below and see the distribution map of the true brown recluse.

Brown Recluse Spider

The true brown recluse spider bite CAN be a very damaging spider bite, although it doesn’t have to be. The bite of the true brown recluse spider can result in a painful, deep wound that takes a long time to heal. Arizona DOES has a relative, called the Arizona brown spider (Loxosceles Arizonica). The venom of this spider is necrotizing (tissue destroying), like the true brown recluse, but typically does not produce anywhere near the same degree of tissue damage as does the true brown recluse.

Rattlesnake in your yard? Just leave it alone and call the Fire Department. They will remove the snake and release it. Better than 85% of those people seeking treatment for a rattle snake bite, upon presentation to the local emergency room, are drunk. Get drunk and mess with a rattle snake, its likely you will be bitten, but guess what, antivenin is available. The Mojave rattler is the most toxic of all Arizona rattle snakes, but all should simply be avoided. Don’t mess with them, and they won’t mess with you.

Arizona also has the coral snake, a beautiful, non threatening yet venomous snake. The coral snake’s jaw is so small it is likely only to be able to bite and transmit venom if a finger is presented and struck.

We also have the non venomous king snake which looks much like the coral snake. One way to differentiate these snakes is this old axiom. “Red on Yellow will Kill a Fellow”. This refers to the coral snake and refers to the color of the encircling bands touching each other. There is a very effectiven antivenin available for the coral snake bite, but I can't recall the last time it was needed.

“Red on Black, Venom Lack” refers to the nonpoisonous king snake.

Tarantulas in Arizona? Yep, but they are generally very, very timid and will not bite unless provoked. I've never heard of a tarantula in a person's home. Ever. While I prefer cats and dogs, some people have kept Tarantulas as pets for 20+ years, and never been bitten. Even so, a bite is not a life threatening emergency but should be treated as a puncture wound. Ya go to the emergency room, get a tetanus immunization, an Rx for some antibiotics and a bandaid.

Using common sense will keep you safe from most of the creepie crawlies inhabiting Arizona, but if you are bitten or stung by anything aside from snakes, there is no need to rush to the local emergency room. Relax, remain calm, and call the Phoenix Poison Control Center (602) 253-3334. They will be happy to help you and provide further information - I know, I used to work there.

If you are bitten by a rattle snake, again, remain calm. Is getting all stressed out somehow going to help matters? Nah.

MANY rattle snake bites are “dry bites”, meaning no venom is even injected.

Don’t try to ”capture” the snake, and don’t apply a tourniquet. Simply apply a loose dressing to cover the bite and go the hospital. If you are completely freaked out, call 911 but the paramedics will simply start an IV (maybe two) and possibly splint the affected extremity as well as give pain medication if needed.

Now, if you see a bee hive, stay away. I'm very familiar with the bugs and snakes of Arizona... and I'm not afraid of any of them... but I am wary of the bees. I guess I should be a bit more specific.

Avoid the bee hive. This is where the presumed Africanized bees might become a bit testy. And know an individual bee is no more toxic than its domestic European counterpart. Their power comes in their predilection to swarm.

All bees in the southern half of Arizona should be considered Africanized. These bees, if Africanized, will swarm and attack with little provocation. They might perceive a red tee shirt as provocation. They might perceive a running lawn mower as provocation. They will attack en masse, and following a running victim for a mile. I had a bee hive under my front door arch last summer. As soon as I noticed it, I just called an exterminator and 3 hours later, the concern was no longer one.

Don’t mess with bees, just note their location, keep the kids and pets away, use an alternate entry/exit and call an exterminator.

That’s it.

As far as venomous critters go, Arizona is pretty safe. The snakes won’t bother you unless you bother them first… and most of the rest are just annoyances.

[LordBalfor]

Great post. You are definitely at much greater risk of car accident (or probably even of a flash flood) than of any of the critters.

Thanks for putting things in perspective.

Ken

[Stumblina]

Phew! You've definitely eased my mind! Thanks!

[BillyBaroo]

Thanks for that information, best post I've read. I hope it can help a lot of people thinking about moving to Arizona.

[Bummer]

IMPRESSIVE POST, DML

As you clearly addressed . . . none of these little critters (except for possibly the bees) have any desires or intentions to attack a human being. They are merely protecting themselves and/or their "family" the way Mother Nature intended.

Thanks for the very informative post!

[jcs1956]

Thats DML you saved the day.

[Livewire]

Here are the facts. I wouldnt miss them if I never saw any of them!!!

[Steve-o]

Nice post, minus the bark scorpion tidbit about them not being too dangerous. True only one death (which is probably a gross underestimate) since the 60s, but only because of Dr. Boyer's anti-venin program at ASU. She has since retired and left the state with only a few years supply of AV. AZ is trying to procure some AV from Mexico (Anascorp as mentioned above), but the FDA has yet to approve it, last I heard. The ONLY reason there havent been deaths is because of AV, so to say the bark scorpion isnt dangerous is dead wrong, pardon the pun. Had AZ had no AV, deaths would be in the 100s, maybe more. In fact, in Mexico thousands (try and count that high sometime!) of people die each year from Centruroides stings (the AZ bark scorps' close cousins), mainly due to lack of AV in small towns. In 2004 while in AZ I picked up a Desert Advocate newspaper and a kid from Tramonto was stung by a Centruroides exilicauda and almost died. Newspaper quoted the doctor as saying "had the parents waited 5 more minutes to get him to the ER, he would have died." It happens to hundreds of children every year in AZ, most of it strangely doesnt make the news. Ive seen documentaries on the issue and saw ER footage of some Tucson kids who were stung, and it was quite scary!!!! I keep dozens of scorpions as pets and know then imside and out, and it never fails to amaze me when I hear people saying "bark scorpions arent that dangerous", etc, etc. A healthy adult will feel intense pain, sometimes for days, while the young, old and those with weak immune systems can suffer life-threatening symptoms, up to and including death. NEVER underestimate a bark scorpion sting, as it could very well be your last. Not trying to scare anyone, just trying to let people know that each person will react differently to its neurotoxic venom, some might be ok, others might need to spend the night in the ER, some might even be lowered 6 ft under. Be careful folks, especially those with children.

Also, it should be noted that a single bark scorpion sting can be potentially lethal, let alone multiple stings. When scorpions feel very threatened, they can unleash multiple, quick stings, injecting more venom than needed, just because they feel threatened. Here is a quick vid I took of one of my scorps delivering rapid stings in quick succession (click on pic to play):


Im sorry I dont have any pics of my AZ bark scorps on me, but here are 2 different species of AZ scorpions (Smeringurus mesaensis and Hadrurus arizonensis respectively) that are harmless:


DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

[DML1651]

^ Steve-o,

Great pictures!

Few things I wanted to mention...

You are correct in that Anascorp is currently on a trial basis, but I've seen it used and it is quite effective. For the Emergency Departments not taking part in the trial, the patient could easily be transferred to another local E.D. with Anascorp, or, the patient can be treated symptomatically with narcotic analgesics, benzodiazepines and small doses of atropine to dry excessive secretions. With my previous bark scorpion stings, had I progressed to the symptoms of a Grade IV envenomation, I would have opted for the symptomatic treatment myself.

As far as the physician saying "had the parents waited 5 more minutes to get him to the ER, he would have died." I think that might be a bit of hyperbole, but I will agree that several hundred people die, in Mexico, from the bark scorpion sting, but this is largely due to a lack of access to adequate medical care, either with or without the use of antivenin.

All this said, and as I mentioned, the effects of a bark scorpion sting are expressed more severely in the very old, or the very young. A 3 month old child with a Grade IV reaction to a bark scorpion sting is INDEED a very frightening sight to see. I absolutely agree.

You said "Not trying to scare anyone, just trying to let people know that each person will react differently to its neurotoxic venom, some might be ok, others might need to spend the night in the ER, some might even be lowered 6 ft under."

As the medical literature describes, 1 (ONE) person has died of a bark scorpion sting in the last 40+ years in the United States and this is not a gross understatement. A death by scorpion sting would be very well documented by the American Academy of Medical Toxicologists. Why? Because its just that rare.

You mentioned that a bark scorpion can sting multiple times in sort order. True, they sure can. Thankfully, the effects of multiple stings are not additive. In short, if one is stung 3 times one isn't 3 times more likely to have symptoms progress to Grade IV symptoms (Both cranial nerve and somatic neuromuscular dysfunction).

The factual reality, backed up by medical literature yields this inescapable finding. Many, many more people in the U.S. have died as a result of shark attack or bee sting than die as a result of a bark scorpion sting... matter of fact, more Arizonans die from hitting livestock with their car than from a bark scorpion.

In my 20 years experience as a health care professional working in the Emergency Department, I've seen many, many patients with scorpion stings, but very, very few have a significant problem, aside from the pain of the sting, which typically lasts, as I mentioned, for 8-24 hours.

[LordBalfor]

DML, Steve-o -

I have to say that this is a VERY interesting discussion involving 2 folks who really seem to know their stuff - but still have slightly different points of view. REALLY appreciate your posts.

Ken