Scorpion Q and A (Phoenix, Chandler: apartment, new home, neighborhood)

[SD33]

I want to keep this thread simple. Most of us prospective home buyers have read the various posts about scorpion sightings and stings in the valley and on all the different prevention methods and theories about how and why they infiltrate a given area. But I think it would be nice to get one basic thread going answering three simple questions:

1. How many times have you seen a scorpion in your home vs. how many years you have lived in the Phoenix area?

2. How many times have you or an immediate family member who doesn't frequent these boards been stung?

3. Where did the incident occur (i.e. city, neighborhood, house, bed, garage, etc.)?

I would like to get a feel for how prevalent these creatures really are in the places that matter most (one's own home) and how often stings occur. If you haven't been stung or haven't seen one, please weigh in too!

[observer53]

Twice, 53 years (and one of those was virtually dead). Never.

[AZJoeD]

I have lived here in Arizona for 10 years and have seen quite a few scorpions, mostly dead at the bottom of my pool. Never been stung, but I am careful to wear gloves when working in the yard.

Here is a link to a Mayo Clinic report on scorpions:

Scorpion stings - MayoClinic.com

[slackjaw]

1. 15 years, four homes, only saw them in one of 'em.

2. Wife had two incidents, once stung on finger when reached into dryer to pull out wet clothes, another got her a few times when was in a shirt she had put on.

3. West Chandler home with greenbelt and canal behind it, those two things = crickets which = scorpions food.

[need_some_sun]

Originally Posted by slackjaw

1. 15 years, four homes, only saw them in one of 'em.

2. Wife had two incidents, once stung on finger when reached into dryer to pull out wet clothes, another got her a few times when was in a shirt she had put on.

3. West Chandler home with greenbelt and canal behind it, those two things = crickets which = scorpions food.

In a shirt and in the dryer, scary!!!

What about the big roaches and wolf spiders? How often do you encounter these? I think those will give me a heart attack!~

[momtogrif]

Originally Posted by need_some_sun

In a shirt and in the dryer, scary!!!

What about the big roaches and wolf spiders? How often do you encounter these? I think those will give me a heart attack!~

LOL! I have a great story about the wolf spiders, but first I'll answer your scorpion questions.

I have lived here for 16 years and have never seen a scorpion in the 3 homes that I've owned nor in the apartment we lived in. I only know 5 people personally who have been stung and 2 of them are AZ natives who lived and worked in farming as a family business.

As for the wolf spiders I must preface this by saying I'm not afraid of spiders or snakes. Just doesn't faze me. So, one day there's this HUGE wolf spider crawling around on our kitchen floor(this was in our previous home) so I decided to gently 'catch' it with a paper towel and put it outside. The minute I touched her back, all these black dots went scattering around my kitchen floor. YEP, you guessed it: BABIES! I felt so bad as I tried to kill some of them but for about 6 months I was constantly rescuing wolf spiders and putting them outside. Totally freaked us out when they scattered, though, cause they ran across our feet.

And, I must tell you that I've been stung by a sting ray in the waters off of Tampa Bay, Gulf of Mexico about 2 years ago. How often do you hear of that? I know of more people who have been stung by sting rays than by scorpions. Friends who were on vacation in CA at the beaches off Coronado, further north a friend was stung near Newport Beach, and my chiropractor was stung in the waters off of the Baja in Rocky Point, Mexico. One of my dentist's assistants was also stung in Rocky Point. So, anyway my point is that danger can be anywhere and sometimes when you're not looking but it shouldn't prevent you from living your life or enjoying the place you choose to live.

As for me and the ocean: we've made peace. I have since gone in the waters in Delray, FL, snorkeled in Hawaii, and snorkeled in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. But, I still shudder when the sand runs over my feet, LOL!

[musicforme]

Originally Posted by SD33

1. How many times have you seen a scorpion in your home vs. how many years you have lived in the Phoenix area?

2. How many times have you or an immediate family member who doesn't frequent these boards been stung?

3. Where did the incident occur (i.e. city, neighborhood, house, bed, garage, etc.)?

1. I've seen three scorpions in my house in the last 18 months.

2. I don't know of any friends or family stung by one.

3. We live near I-17 and Carefree Highway. This area was undisturbed desert about five years ago. Two blocks away is a desert preserve with all sorts of critters. I've counted as many as five rabbits in my backyard all at the same time (they love my green grass), had a hawk catch a rabbit and eat it in my backyard, seen three coyotes running down the street during the day, and told we have javenlina in the area too.

The point I'm trying to make is not all areas of the valley are the same when it comes to scorpions or other critters.

What we've done to help reduce the number of scorpions is I do our own pest control around the foundation and brick wall every time there is a new moon (use Demand CS and permethrin) . We also had a company come out and "seal" our house against scorpions. We used "Seal Out Scorpions" and think it was worth the money.

I hope this helps.

[DewDropInn]

As a matter of fact I got nailed by a scorpion a couple of weeks ago. I've been stung by a jellyfish as well. The pain from the scorpion was much worse. (It was also probably my own fault. I reached for something I couldn't see in a dark garage.)

[momtogrif]

Originally Posted by DewDropInn

As a matter of fact I got nailed by a scorpion a couple of weeks ago. I've been stung by a jellyfish as well. The pain from the scorpion was much worse. (It was also probably my own fault. I reached for something I couldn't see in a dark garage.)

Ouch. I have been stung by a jelly too but it was not nearly as painful as the stingray. It basically was a venomous sting that was a deep puncture wound. It got infected and I needed a month's worth of antibiotics. NOT the same as a jelly! I figure if I can make it through that, a scorpion will be a piece of cake, LOL!

[kickinit]

We bought a brand new home in the Phoenix area. We lived there for 10 years and saw approximately 12 scorpions in our house. I got stung by one when I stepped on it.we have 5 children and luckily they were never stung. We found scorpions in kitchen sink, shoe closet, on the carpet, and I have swept a couple up while sweeping. All were downstairs. We saw quite a few outside too. They mostly came when the neighborhood was under construction because of the digging. We also saw a few rattle snakes and some black widows. My son was bit by a black widow at our neighbors house.