Scorpions in Oro Valley or Marana (Sahuarita: apartments, new home, neighborhood)

[endya1]

Hello,

My entire family is thinking of relocating to AZ next year, but are terrified of scorpions in the home. Does anyone know if these areas have issues with scorpions in apartments or houses?

Thank you

[WilmaWildcat]

If you live on the outskirts of towns in new home construction, then wild creatures will still be trying to live there in their usual homes for quite a while.

My advice would be to move into a neighborhood that is well established for a long time; we moved into Sam Hughes neighborhood in midtown which was developed starting in the 1920's, and I never saw a scorpion there. But we had the usual creatures that every city has everywhere, such as black widows and other common bugs.

One thing you may want to learn about is Africanized bees; how to spot them and what to do if they swarm. The bees in the state of Arizona are Africanized now, except in the highest elevations where the temperatures are too cold.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africanized_bee

[Saguarogirl507]

Our house is in the foothills and we have at least one scorpion a month. Still can't find where they are coming from. Once I am living out there I will get someone in to have a serious look around. I use those scorpion sticky pads and they work really well. I keep them in the closet where the scorpions seem to like to stay. I must say that I have stopped freaking out over them. There are so many bugs in the desert and as well as wildlife.

[PartIrish]

I'll repeat my post from an almost identical question about Sahuarita:

I've spent most of my life in the desert southwest and have had numerous encounters with scorpions. Our home is in a riparian desert area and scorpions show themselves occasionally, especially when the ground has been disturbed from construction, or sometimes with weather changes. We have the exterior of our house sprayed every month or two, and the rare scorpion that makes its way inside is by then on death's door, so we finish them off and dispose of them. This is not a frequent occurrence--we see perhaps one a year inside the house, and I live in their habitat, so that's not a lot. One thing you learn to do is tip your shoes upside down and shake them before putting them on, lest a scorpion decided to take up residence in your nice dark shoe (I once read that former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who grew up in southern AZ, carried this habit to Washington during her S. Ct. years, although the scorpions there are more of a two-legged variety).

I have never been stung (or I should say 'not yet'). If you have concerns, wear flip flops in the house and you will be fine. They are shy creatures and only sting if a foot or hand is coming down on top of them. Otherwise they have no interest in you. When picking up rocks or the odd piece of wood, turn it over with your foot first, as they sometimes rest underneath these objects. Finally, based on friends' reports, the sting and surrounding area will have a strong burning feeling to it, but dissipates over a day or so. It's not pleasant, for sure, but not fatal.