RSS FEED / SITE SYNDICATION

This site uses SharedRSS

To keep informed of new content as it is added, just right-click on the XML icon below and select 'copy link' -- then insert that link into your favorite RSS Aggregator.

Scorpions

Among the creepy crawley clans of critters that make themselves unwelcome guests in our homes and yards, the scorpion is perhaps one of the most feared. Its fearsome appearance and reclusive habits make it one of those things that seemingly appear out of nowhere to startle and scare us.

Their reputation is not without merit, for they carry at the end of their curled tails a fierce hypodermic-like stinger that injects poison into their victims. Jalisco has some of the most venomous varieties of scorpions in the Americas. The state health service in Chapala reports up to 60 scorpion sting reports per month, mostly to children. Untreated, the poison of a few species of scopions is strong enough to kill a small child, but so long as anti-venom is available, (as it is at all Lakeside communities) deaths are rare. Adults are only in danger if they are allergic to the venom.

The best defense is to avoid getting stung in the first place. A little knowledge of the habits and habitat that scorpions prefer, and due caution when disturbing those kind of places, will keep you safe.

Dead scorpion, about 5 inches long, dorsal side.

There seem to be two dominant genera of scorpions in the Chapala area, Centruroides and Vaejovis but each has several species, and no doubt there are other, less-common, genera and species in the area. There are over 1400 species of scorpions worldwide.

Scorpions of any size are dangerous, they all have venom. The ones I've seen around here range from about 1/4 inch to five inches long. If you see one with its tail straight out behind it, that generally means it is dead, for when alive they carry the tail curled over the back. Adult scorpions lock claws and dance a bit before mating, then the female gestates the eggs for anything from three to 18 months, depending on ambient temperature and food supplies. The young are born as tiny versions of the adults, and 25 to 35 of them in a batch will crawl up on their mother's back and ride around for the first couple weeks of life. After that they are on their own, ready to kill and consume roaches, crickets, spiders and other bugs.

Scorpions prefer to hide during the day in some dark, preferably moist (if available) area. Under rocks, in brush piles, under loose bark on a tree will do just fine. So will furniture, cracked plaster, cozy shoes and similar places in your home if they make it indoors. At night they come out and hunt for the bugs that make up their main diet. I assume that the dry season is the mating season, as that is the time when scorpions are most likely to wander, including wandering into your home. Or maybe they are just looking for water, I don't really know.

Dead scorpion, about 5 inches long, ventral side.

The first line of defense most people choose is to have their homes sprayed by a professional exterminator once every six months (or three months for the more paranoid). I hate to use poisons, but have always had the exterminator come in before occupying a house for the first time. After that I still use poison, but much more selectively and in lower quantities. Anyplace there is the tinyest of cracks, such as under doors and around poorly fitted windows or those with damaged screens, I spray with regular bug-spray about once per month. Roaches and scorpions, and spiders all seem to get in anyhow -- but they are usually found dead as poison gets them soon after they pass over it.

Those who want to take a more pro-active approach can remove the scorpions from their yard, before they get a chance to come inside. The procedure is simple. Go out late at night -- dark, moonless nights are best. Shine an ultraviolet light around the yard, and any scorpions will glow like a florescent t-shirt at a 70s disco. Stomp em or smash em, or catch them in glass jars for humane disposal in the wild somewhere.