Scorpions, Tarantulas, Snakes, Oh-My (Austin, Round Rock: new house, construction, moving)

[love roses]

That's what I always called them too (My sisters and I loved collecting the shells they'd shed)

[ohio2texas]

In Ohio we called them locusts, too. They came out once every 17 years.

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

OK, these ~4-4:30AM wake ups are getting old real quick. Got another scorpion on me last night, in bed, and on my neck just like last time. This is truly one way to NOT be awoken. Anyways, no stings this time, thankfully.

OK, so I really will get around to filling the weep holes tomorrow. I will also get some good clear concrete and outdoor caulking to insure I get all the obvious non weep holes filled in.

In the meantime, if I have more in the house, what can I do? My current extermination method in inefficient, and causes me to lose too much sleep.

[Adios Baltimore]

Ugh! That just gives me chills thinking about it.
I thought I was safe but my next door neighbor just found one on her pants last week in her bedroom. Now I'm seriously freaked out.
Are you just waking up feeling something crawling on your neck?!?
I know it's only a matter of time before I see one. I look in my bed every night before laying down and shake all my clothes out before putting them on. I'm sure one will catch me off guard at some point though.

[FromCalitoSteinerRanch]

Originally Posted by Adios Baltimore

Ugh! That just gives me chills thinking about it.
I thought I was safe but my next door neighbor just found one on her pants last week in her bedroom. Now I'm seriously freaked out.
Are you just waking up feeling something crawling on your neck?!?
I know it's only a matter of time before I see one. I look in my bed every night before laying down and shake all my clothes out before putting them on. I'm sure one will catch me off guard at some point though.

Basically, at that time, I am in REM sleep, so just concious enough, so yes I felt it and reacted. Two nights ago, I thought I felt something, but with the ceiling fan on medium, just figured it was a phantom breeze. I brushed my neck and changed positions.

I bet it was in the bed that night, and the next night it went roaming again. Anyways, I tried to find my Black Light Bulb that we have for halloween, but no luck, so I guess I have a shopping list for my Saturday.

[Driftwood1]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but while those attempts at sealing entry points to the house will help (a tiny bit) remember, and adult scorpion can get through 1/16" crack, and anyone who has seen the young ones knows that keeping them out is near impossible. You need to treat the house, the perimiter, etc etc. They are essentially territorial, and rarely wander more than 20 ft or so from where they start life. the faster you start to treat for them the quicker they will be gone for good, and that can take a while. We had 3 to 4 EVERY DAY in the house the first few months we lived here (hill country) We called exterminators, and now 7 yrs later we see maybe one all year in the house, and it will usually be dead already from the poison. This may be needed on and ongoing basis.

The same poison aslo gets those horrifying giant centipedes as well (scolopendra-sp?)

Anyway, another thing to check, if they are getting in the bed and you are pretty sure they cannot climb the bedframe, or the covers are not dragging on the floor, a VERY common way they end up in the bed is by dropping down through the light fixures. Is you bed under anything with event the tinyest gap in the ceiling? If it is MOVE THE BED...and have the exterminators dust the crawlspace/attic above if possible..

All that being said, I will repeat my phrase, "the stings are essentilly like bee stings , they wont kill you" ..

Hope this helps,
Cheers

Originally Posted by FromCalitoSteinerRanch

OK, these ~4-4:30AM wake ups are getting old real quick. Got another scorpion on me last night, in bed, and on my neck just like last time. This is truly one way to NOT be awoken. Anyways, no stings this time, thankfully.

OK, so I really will get around to filling the weep holes tomorrow. I will also get some good clear concrete and outdoor caulking to insure I get all the obvious non weep holes filled in.

In the meantime, if I have more in the house, what can I do? My current extermination method in inefficient, and causes me to lose too much sleep.

[Adios Baltimore]

I almost think I'd be better off coming across one, getting stung and getting it over with.
It's just the fear of the unknown

[sydtow]

Okay, we live on the third floor and for the 2 years we've lived here, we have never seen a scorpion (just out in the parking lot) inside - nor have we seen any other bugs other than tiny house spiders. How did that thing get up here? And it's on the wall! Hubby thinks it's because they built that new school off Riverside and so the scorpions have no other place to go. That thing is mean-looking and it's about 3 inches long. How do we get rid of it safely? It's just on the wall and we don't really want to kill it.

[Trainwreck20]

A glass and a sheet of paper/cardboard. They really aren't that fast....

[Driftwood1]

Just have a cup ready or big dustpan and whisk them up. As he said, they are slow, nearly blind , and not particularilly smart when it comes to evasion. ( alot like me come to think of it)

That is of course if you decide to let them live, I must admit we dont , knock em down and stomp. (so long as they arent loaded up w/babies) . If you let them survive and take them outside, take them FAR way. They seem territorial and WILL reproduce quickly...

Cheers