Any Tips on Scorpions?

the best thing to have on hand for scorpion bites is called Sangre de Drago - it is the sap from a rain forest tree and it has proven qualities - it can draw out poison - I had two dogs bitten by mojave rattlesnakes last year and we put this on the bites and they healed without us needing to go to a vet for any anti-venom and there is not any visible sign of the bite - no hair or tissue loss - miraculous - feel free to contact me with any questions - you can go to shootingstarherbs.amazonherb.net to get some - it's worth it for a broad spectrum of first aid applications not just insect or snake bites - good luck

You might find a net to put over the crib at one of these two sites that sell baby safety items: www.safebeginnings.com or www.onestepahead.com

The scorpion is an arachinid and as with other spiders, they do not have noses. many people and cultures have used strong cented plants such as lavendar and garlic, but who knows if that actually repels the creatures. Since you are worried about the baby, I wouldn't depend on that soley. Good luck. My sister got bit by a scorpian a few months ago when she was at lake mohave and I was worried and called poison control. She just dropped it in the middle of a conversation and I said "what!!!!" She said "it hurt for a second but that was it" The guy from poison control said not to worry. They weren't poisoness. The bark scorpion is poisonous however. Find out what kind of scorpions you are worried about. My cats used to attack all of the scorpions that would come into my house. Their man food source is roaches and crickets. Snakes and turantulas like to eat scorpians.....lol I am guessing you don't want to set any of those free in your home. "Arizona bark scorpions prefer riparian areas with mesquite, cottonwood, and sycamore groves, all of which have sufficient moisture and humidity to support insects and other prey species. The popularity of irrigated lawns, and other systems which increase environmental humidity in residential areas, has led to an explosion in the number of these animals in some areas."

"First Aid

Basic first aid measures can be used to help remediate scorpion bites:[6]

* Clean sting site with soap and water
* Apply a cool compress(cool cloth no ice)
* Elevate affected area
* Take Tylenol, Advil, or Benadryl(not more than 1 every couple hours)
* breath slowly so pain(and venom) doesn't travel through whole body

Natural remedies include using the pulp from prickly pear on the sting site."

"Bad news: every year many people in the world die from scorpion stings. Good news: hardly anyone ever dies in Arizona, because antivenin is available for severe cases. According to the University of Arizona "in the past 20 years there have been no reported fatalities in the U.S. due to scorpion stings." Certain people may be allergic to scorpion venom just like some people are allergic to bee stings (or strawberries or peanuts...) although according to the same source no cases of that type of allergic reaction has been reported in Arizona."

Last year my neighbor and I had the worst case of scorpions. I was stung by one, thank goodness my kids never got stung. This year we have a cat. Not sure if that is making a difference or not, but we haven't seen many. Of course, last night (with the rain) we had one come in and our cat got it. They are very hard to control, but we found some sprays that you can apply to around the windows and doors. The best one was Terro Sporpion Killer (from Lowes), it seemed to work well. Another neighbor had the glue traps in her garage and it seemed to work too. I have not heard about the glass jars, but if the crib is away from the wall it would make sense. They cannot climb up glass. Wish you luck!

K.: When we checked into it with a bug guy, they don't guarantee they can get rid for scorpions. We have lived in our house 14 years and never had a problem until last year.
Our son was bit by a baby one, I think he carried it in the bottom of his roller shoes. It was
hiding in there when I went looking for it. Honestly, they say baby ones are the worst. I think it scared him more than anything. We took him to the dr. but they don't do anything unless
there is a reaction.

My husband believe the bark people put around the plants are carriers. We never had any until a new neighbor moved in and barked all around her plants. I don't know if that is it, we have only seen one since that day. We put it in a bottle with de (pool filter) and it lived more than 3 weeks I believe. They are very hardy.

I will pray for your family. It is so easy to get so worried. I know it really scared me when it happened, but I've heard lots of people got stung and were fine.

Take care,
K.

I have a little daughter and we have found 2 scorpions inside (1 baby and 1 adult) and a bunch outside. We also live in Suprise.Around where they are doing construction(which their habit is getting destoyed hence we have a prob.) So I did a little research on these things. They can't climb glass or smooth surfaces.But if the are bark scorpions(which is the only dangerous one here in AZ) they can climb everything else(which is why I found the first one on the kitchen ceiling). They hunt at night but if you have palm trees get rid of them or trim them well...that's their favorite place to live. Shake out shoes and clothes since they like those too. Get rid of the cardboard. Get a blacklight since they glow neon green in it. Also get an exterminator that specializes in killing scorpions since they are immune to most pesticides. They are solitary creatures and will fight other scorpions but they don't live in a big area(we found 5 in our backyard 1 night)Scorpions are not tempermental creatures but will sting when provoked. They have poor eyesight and can be scared by changing light. They carry their babies on the back anywhere from 10-15 I think(you might want to look up the exact number)Lizards cats birds and dogs are their enemies;bugs spiders and crickets, their food. They can last awhile without food and water(I don't remember exactly how long,sorry)They are nothuge arachnids but the adults are not little either usually tan in color maybe light brown the bark scorpions have the long pinchers and the big fat ball at the end of the tail. If stung you will feel a burning sensation and it hurts really bad. Go to the hosp or call paramedics. They have a neuro toxin. Hope this helps. Oh! And where I researched this? Go yo google and type in Arizona bark scorpions. Good luck and congratulations on the new little one!

I watched a movie a while ago where they kept lavender bunches in the window sills to keep the scorpions from coming in the windows. I am not sure, but maybe they are repelled by lavender?

I agree with doing away with the food source. The diatomous earth is a cheap way to do it (is great for ants and other pesties as well...) we actually use it in the pool filter so it's always on hand at hour house anyway. I would definitely hire an exterminator that does scorpions if anyone could recommend a good one. I'm just grossed out about the whole idea. Good luck!

One of my nanny positions included the responsibility of taking a portable black light around baby's room each night to check for scorpions. I never did find any, although they had some in other rooms once in awhile. Have the room dark, turn on the black light, and scope out the entire room.

I want to try to lay your fears aside. If you've only seen one in your house, chances are very good that you won't find any in your baby's crib ever. I'm not sure if that helps you, but I thought I'd try! We've had several in our house, but never any in our bedrooms (thankfully).

Lizards. We have several that have migrated to our yard and very rarely see scorpions or crickets anymore! Ours just happen to reside here, but you can buy them by the bag online. My sister-in-law did this when she had a scorpion problem. Good luck!

K.,

Here is the product that Nancy was referring to:

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=240462...

I've never used it so I can't say whether it's good or not. And it certainly seems like a lot of trouble to go to, but hey...there really isn't ANYTHING a good parent won't do to keep their kids safe.

Like a few other ladies, I would also recommend hiring a professional to come and spray. There are many companies out there that will come out on YOUR schedule and do not bind you into a contract. Be sure to look for one that has a specialization in scorpions. But honestly, getting rid of the other bugs should take care of the problem anyway. No food supply, no scorpions.

Best of luck to you and congrats on your soon-to-be-born little one.

I've been stung by the most venomous scorpion called the bark scorpion and i had a numbness go up the whole side of my body. I've also been stung two other times by scorpions. My friend's daughter was stung when she was 3 months old and my daughter was stung when she was 3 years old. Neither had any serious problems related to the sting.

I'd suggest to keep things off floors, put out sticky traps by doors (if you're okay with killing them) and try to keep spiders and other scorpion bait away.
In my experience if your child does get stung, ice packs and patience work well.

Honestly, I think everyone's overly scared of scorpions, that for whatever reason have gotten a "bad wrap" and after personal experience would not go overboard with "protection", yet do whatever you need to to feel like you can sleep at night.

Hi K.,

You have alot of advice so I just wanted to encourage you about the glass for crib legs, keep beds away from vents, bedding off floors.

We had out home sealed also. The exterminator sealed the flashing under the house so no bugs could get in that way. And I am a firm believer in cats as a pest control method. We have had several scorpions over the last five years, they came in on our shoes or something from the garage we brought in. Our cats killed them all!!!!!! I love our cats.

The glass jars on the legs of the crib if you can do it is a good first defense. That's the good news. Unfortunately, the scorpions most likely to be found inside homes in Arizona are the bark scorpions, and they are the only species of scorpion that climbs instead of burrows. (I did a research paper on them). They aren't generally aggressive, but it does mean that you have to check the top of the walls where they meet the ceiling. I don't want to make you paranoid, certainly. Just be aware of them and a little cautious, poisoning them doesn't work unless you get them directly, (it's not like cockroaches which will take any poisons back to the colony,) and with a little baby you don't want the poisons in your home anyway... If you aren't afraid of lizards, I would recommend something like a tokay or leopard gecko. If you don't like the idea of lizards, cats will take care of scorpions as well. Dogs can be affected by their stings, but cats will get the better of scorpions.

getting a blacklite can luminate them anywhere. They love wood & the desert dirt.

Hi K., scorpions are annoying little buggers because they are very hardy creatures and because they HIDE! Our side of the greenbelt in our subdivision gets them and the other side doesn't - too bad for us. But they are manageable. I agree with the other suggestions of getting rid of the food source. That's the main thing. Diatamacious earth is another good suggestion. The Bug Mart on Gilbert and Southern in Mesa sells poison to use yourself. The guy there told us the reason pest control people don't gaurantee killing scorpions is because they use way less of the pesticide than they should when treating homes - basically to maximize profits. That's an option for you.

We find them in our house, but I've never put the kids' beds in any glass jars or anything, as scorpions can climb the walls or fall from vents. I would suggest checking shoes before you put them on, check any open bags, purses, backpacks, etc. that have been on the floor. Check your baby's bedding before putting her down, just basically keep an eye out for them.

My daughter who was just barely 1 at the time, walked behind me (I was sitting in a chair) and found one on the floor and got stung when she picked it up. I was freaking out as my husband, my son or me had never been stung before. But we called Poison Control and they asked what her symptoms were and told us what to look for and what to worry about. They even called back TWICE to check on her. They were very helpful and my daughter was just fine.

Good luck with your new baby! How exciting!!

Your best bet from asking is to keep their food source away, ie, crickets and such. We have an exterminator that comes monthly to spray(outdoors only), which helps keep the crickets and other buggers away. Also, consider having your home sealed by a professional company. I would ask a neighbor or friend for a referral. Have you thought about getting a cat? We have a kitty and he is a great hunter. He alerted us to our first scorpion in the house, as well as a humongous spider, moles in our yard, etc... He's great!

my suggestion would be to get a crib net - it totally surrounds the crib - we started using it when our son turned one so that he couldn't crawl out but I should have started earlier because it nice that no bugs can get in there too. It's like their own little tent.

Maybe you should have your house sprayed for bugs and other insects maybe they can tell you what to do also to help when they come spray. Good Luck

K.,
I live at the base of a mountain at the end of Shea and we get scorpions all of the time. I am a mother of 4 and my youngest is 6.
Scorpions are interesting creatures. Keep their food sorce to a minimum(bugs) and maybe get a cat? When we added a cat to our family, she helped me find them and cats are immune to scorpions.
We were told to change our outside light bulbs to yellow ones.
We also go scorpion hunting with a black light in the back yard. We see them glow with the blue light. My husband is getting really good at catching them!

Happy Hunting!
T.
www.tesabartell.myarbonne.com

ps I was stung a couple of months ago and used a clay mask on my arm from Arbonne to draw out the venom.Then I washed the mask off after 20 minutes and used Arbonnes Skin Conditioning Oil.By the end of the day you couldn't tell I was stung. I know that everyone reacts differently and it is dangerous for children to put the scorpion in the mouth.....

I'm a new mom myself, and when my baby was 3 days old I stepped on a scorpion in the middle of the night - worst pain I ever felt! My first tip is to always wear shoes around the house. My pest control guy suggested putting glass jars under the crib legs, too. I found some at Target that fit okay. He also warned me to keep the furniture & blankets away from the walls. We picked up a black light to check the crib & other areas of the house periodically. We live in the middle of the desert so we see scorpions often, but so far none where my baby can get them - she's only 8 weeks old, though. God bless you with a healthy baby & good luck!

K., I am a Newborn Care Specialist and scorpions are one thing we have to deal with regularly. The suggestions about the jars on the feet of the crib are great, however they could still come in from the top. There is a firm net that goes over the crib and zips to open. I have seen them many times but do not know where the mom's are getting them. The net actually has a frame of sorts. The mesh is very fine and works for bugs or cats or even other children who may through items into the crib.
Good luck. Try this link for the net. http://www.albeebaby.com/toinmicrteii.html

We get our house sprayed by a pest control company. They actually are very anti-spraying inside the house and have never sprayed the inside. But they do a fantastic job of spraying the outside. It's a little over $400/year, but totally worth it to us since I'm very arachnophobic.
We live on an acre out in the true desert with a small wash in our backyard, so critters are a daily thing. Our neighbors often get scorpions, but since we've had the pest control people spray, we have yet to find any in the year we've been here.
And again, they don't spray inside, so it's very safe for the kids.