Scorpions... (house, rent, art)

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Pippi333

We also had TONS of black widows. TONS. Mainly in our garden shed, but also a multitude underneath the wooden door in the ground that covered the sprinkler controls. Every time my husband would open that thing, there were probably at least half a dozen of them. Which is weird, I thought, because I'd never seen more than one black widow at a time....I didn't know they tolerated being in close proximity with each other. I guess they do!

They might have been Kukulcania arizonica spiders, they look remarkably similar to black widows (Latrodectus hesperus--western widow), but devoid of the tell-tale hourglass.

[Artliquide]

Great story. That's cute that you adopted a scorp as a pet. We get lots of spiders too, though mainly outside, and in our back room, which doesn't have A/C. We found a big one out there once, with huge mandibles. We looked it up, as we do whenever we find something we're not familiar with. It didn't turn out to be poisonous or aggressive, but it was definitely creepy looking. Just goes to show that not all creepy crawlies are a threat. Actually, they can be quite useful for getting rid of other pests. A friend of mine loves to hunt and catch black widows. She has a system for catching them. I won't go near them. I've never been bit, but when I was a child, I did see one run by my head, chasing her mate (they eat the males), and I've had one chase me up a broom when I was destroying her web. Luckily, they're easy to spot thanks to their messy, sticky webs.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Artliquide

Great story. That's cute that you adopted a scorp as a pet. We get lots of spiders too, though mainly outside, and in our back room, which doesn't have A/C. We found a big one out there once, with huge mandibles. We looked it up, as we do whenever we find something we're not familiar with. It didn't turn out to be poisonous or aggressive, but it was definitely creepy looking. Just goes to show that not all creepy crawlies are a threat. Actually, they can be quite useful for getting rid of other pests. A friend of mine loves to hunt and catch black widows. She has a system for catching them. I won't go near them. I've never been bit, but when I was a child, I did see one run by my head, chasing her mate (they eat the males), and I've had one chase me up a broom when I was destroying her web. Luckily, they're easy to spot thanks to their messy, sticky webs.

All spiders are venomous (spare some ultra-rare species). Its just their particular venom is not potent enough to be cause for concern.

[tnp]

Originally Posted by Pippi333

The spiders we encountered in Kingman were so numerous, and so icky, my skin crawls just thinking about them.

Yeesh! I hope that's not the norm for Kingman. If it is, I think I've just made up my mind between Kingman and Eloy, lol! I'm used to a few spiders here and there, but I'm terrified of them. Don't think I could cope with that many! The only spider I'm not as afraid of are tarantulas, but all of the others totally creep me out.

[kdog]

We've haven't seen an inordinate amount of spiders. Relatively few, really. We have seen a few tarantulas. I dig 'em.

I should mention we do have an exterminator service spray around the house once a month. We get very few bugs in the house that way.

[blueeyz911]

Originally Posted by ms973

Steve-O you officially scared the s*** out of me!!
How do people sleep peacefully after they find a scorpion in their house???

it's not easy! I just got stung by a scorpion over the weekend for the first time and I have lived in AZ for 28 years. The scorp was in my bed! I was really afraid to go to bed after I was stung. So we bought a black light flashlight and will be checking the bedroom out every night. I just posted a long post about my recent experience in the "facts about scorpion, snakes and spiders in Arizona"

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by blueeyz911

it's not easy! I just got stung by a scorpion over the weekend for the first time and I have lived in AZ for 28 years. The scorp was in my bed! I was really afraid to go to bed after I was stung. So we bought a black light flashlight and will be checking the bedroom out every night. I just posted a long post about my recent experience in the "facts about scorpion, snakes and spiders in Arizona"

Been there (more than once). You'll be seeing them everywhere for a while. First time I got stung, I went out and bought a black light and went looking for them around the house. Never did find one that way. You have to be almost on top of them before they glow enough to distinguish them from the background. And they hang out in corners of furniture and places they are very hard to spot. I quit worrying about them and got stung again a couple years later. Took that one more in stride. It's been several years since I have been stung. I've learned to pay attention to my cat. He is on to them very quickly; better than a black light. Just remember, they see you even if you don't see them (thanks to Steve-o for that one). LOL

[Felipeamy]

[quote=irwin;534913]Of all the problems in Arizona, scorpions are the least of your worries.[/quo


What is the biggest problem in Az? I do not like any little creature and I have four very interested children who like to explore new creatures. They like to dig in the dirt and find bugs, mainly worms. I have not had to worry about the scary ones.

[blueeyz911]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Been there (more than once). You'll be seeing them everywhere for a while. First time I got stung, I went out and bought a black light and went looking for them around the house. Never did find one that way. You have to be almost on top of them before they glow enough to distinguish them from the background. And they hang out in corners of furniture and places they are very hard to spot. I quit worrying about them and got stung again a couple years later. Took that one more in stride. It's been several years since I have been stung. I've learned to pay attention to my cat. He is on to them very quickly; better than a black light. Just remember, they see you even if you don't see them (thanks to Steve-o for that one). LOL

Actually my dog did find the first one. But this last time, he was sleeping and did not notice it.

We are being very extensive with our blacklight search. It has to be better than nothing. Also I am no longer sleeping on a brown sheet since they blend in with that too well. Hopefully I will not get stung again anytime soon.

[Cyanna]

Reading all these posts about scorpions and other creepy crawlies in AZ is making me homesick. We don't often get this kind of "bug excitement" in the UK!

Steve-o, I remember you telling us all about the scorpions in the UK. Just two days ago a family here in England uncovered a scorpion's nest in their garden. They were so freaked out that it made the national news!

I plan on bringing my cats and dog back to the States with me so I will have pretty good protection against scorpions in the house, I hope.