So while I was cleaning, I pulled open a drawer in the dining room cabinet and inside a large red bowl was this:
 |
| Scorpion |
Needless to say it is dead. I have no patience for scorpions. We do not need to have dangerous creatures lurking around in drawers and cabinets and God only knows where else. It's bad enough that there has been a snake inside the house. And mice. These things genuinely creep me out.
I have to laugh though...my Grandmother, who lived in SW Oklahoma, would always tell us to "check the bed for stingin' scorpions (as if there are other kinds?) and mice" right as we climbed into bed. Yeah, sleep tight Grandma! They had a great little house in the country, clean and neat, but she always said that. We laughed, nervously, then.
Now here I am, all these years later, and it looks like I might once again end up checking the beds for 'stingin scorpions and mice'! I can hear 2nd Man the first time I suggest that when we spend the night again.
"Don't step on a snake when you go the bathroom.
Oh and check the sheets for scorpions.
And that scratching noise you hear is not a tree branch gently brushing the house but a mouse scurrying along the baseboard.
Sweet dreams!"
1-800-find-a-hotel-now?
I have to laugh though...my Grandmother, who lived in SW Oklahoma, would always tell us to "check the bed for stingin' scorpions (as if there are other kinds?) and mice" right as we climbed into bed. Yeah, sleep tight Grandma! They had a great little house in the country, clean and neat, but she always said that. We laughed, nervously, then.
Now here I am, all these years later, and it looks like I might once again end up checking the beds for 'stingin scorpions and mice'! I can hear 2nd Man the first time I suggest that when we spend the night again.
"Don't step on a snake when you go the bathroom.
Oh and check the sheets for scorpions.
And that scratching noise you hear is not a tree branch gently brushing the house but a mouse scurrying along the baseboard.
Sweet dreams!"
1-800-find-a-hotel-now?
Anyone have any anti-scorpion advice? Or is is just one of the 'other bugs' you have to deal with like spiders and roaches?
I've noticed when I have mice under the house, I have no scorpions.
ReplyDeleteMice eat scorpions? That's interesting. Though I'm not sure which I'd rather have. Of course snakes eat mice, mice eat scorpions...what eats snakes? Wait, I don't want to know, ha!!!
DeleteBe sure to check your shoes / boots for mice, snakes and scorpions before putting them on YES, they do tend to hide in our footwear...
ReplyDeleteOh yeas, thanks for that, I still try to remember but we do still forget at times.
DeleteStore your boots and shoes upside down (and knock them on the ground for good measure)
Deletehttp://www.ana-white.com/2014/12/free_plans/wall-boot-rack-plans
We have to deal with roaches the size of volkswagens. The bugman continually tells me not to worry about them as they are outside bugs, but they like to come visiting sometimes and I hate them.
ReplyDeleteOutside bugs???? I have NEVER seen a roach outside! LOL!
DeleteI believe she is talking about palmetto bugs which look like a giant roach but are not roaches.
DeleteWe have some huge roaches in Houston. And yes, they are often outside looking for a way in. I always thought palmetto bugs were roaches, I learned something new!!
DeleteI was going to say shoes too. When you leave, set off those bug bombs. They have some that don't leave a residue. It will keep working for months as I have found dead spiders and scorpions long after the bombing. If you don't want to do the bombs (it is the easiest method) then spray around all your baseboards and toss granules outside around the foundation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that tip. I always hated the thought of those bug bombs, didn't want yucky chemicals all over everything. I didn't know they had ones that didn't leave residue. I might have to look for that. Thanks!!!
Deleteoh crap for sure,, yikes!!! sometimes I think I'm lucky to live in this ice box of northern ontario canada,, I only have bears and wolves to contend with,, maybe the odd bobcat,, I have never saw a scorpion in the wild,,thats fine with me!! Maybe the snake will eat it!
ReplyDeleteBears and wolves? Hmmm....that would make me nervous, though I guess they aren't in your drawer or under your sheets, LOL!!! We'll keep you posted!!
DeleteWe had Scorpions in N. Georgia, usually under the garage door rubber moulding, they cam in from the woods. Hubby got stung once. Said it hurt like heck (or a bee sting). Keep the snake, he'll eat the mice AND the scorpions :)
ReplyDeleteMaybe set off one of those bug bombs in the crawl space?
I would be scared to be stung, though I've had bee and wasp stings (and those aren't fun). I like the idea of a bug bomb under the house in the crawl space. Thanks!
DeleteBloody hell bloody bloody hell......i am so glad i live in the uk
ReplyDeleteHello John!! I bet you have something creepy crawly there that would freak me out? ;-)
DeleteNot sure what will keep anything out..........but I do know that if you get stung by a scorpion, dab bleach onto the spot........the pain will immediately go away. I promise! It also works on any thing else that stings.
ReplyDeleteBleach? Really? That's cool, thanks I didn't know that. We have some on hand, I'll remember that. Thank you!!!
DeleteBleach works good on fire ant stings too! Just dab it on with a Qtip. That's US Clorox bleach. I'm not sure about the bleach John in Wales uses. That might just take the skin off!
DeleteMaybe the cat is keeping them away from our place. Heaven knows she is brilliant huntress, brings me mice, rats, voles, birds, snakes and bunnies. She likes to catch & eat grasshoppers too but does not like crickets, I guess they taste bad.
ReplyDeleteMy cats like to play soccer with the crickets until the legs fall off! When they tried to eat them, they barfed so now they are just play toys. I have the basement sprayed because the crickets come in under the crawl space. Three dozen was a bit too many for my broom so I called the exterminator. Once in a while a mouse gets in but with my two cats, they don't last long...
DeleteThat's is so funny. My parents had an outdoor kitty that used to bring all manner of dead creatures to the backdoor, and she was so proud of each and every one. And like you and Katie C said, I guess someday when we are there full time, a cat will take care of most of those creepy crawlies (though I hope the bunnies are birds are spared more often).
DeleteDiatomaceous earth is a non-toxic pest control remedy that is effective against numerous crawling insects.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.diatomaceousearth.com/natural-scorpion-killer/
This site offers advice on preventative measures to combat scorpions.
http://pestkill.org/insect/stinging/scorpions/
Coupled together, the advice from both sites could keep you creepy crawlie free from many pests.
Identifying any points of possible entry — even those teeny-tiny crevices a mouse couldn’t get through — and tightly filling them with steel wool should effectively stop the mousies from making themselves at home in your house.
If you are into some slightly more ‘woo-woo’ remedies you could try talking to the mice and putting out good intentions for them. Tell them they are welcome on your property but you would prefer they stay out of the house. Allow that they would be welcome in the barn, but to please respect it. A friend did that with some very destructive squirrels at the end of cottage season one year because they had almost destroyed his shed. He came back the next year and the shed, although showing the squirrels had been there, was virtually spotless!
Oh, and YIKES is right!
jaime
Thank you for this great info. It is appreciated!!!! Hey, I also believe we are connected somehow, someway, and I don't mind putting it out there to tell them to hang around outside but don't come inside. If there is even a chance it will work, I'll take it. Thanks!!
Deletehttp://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/scorpions.htm
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Scorpions
If all else fails, Don't call me :}Call a professional
I use Diatomaceous earth too. It works really well.
DeleteLOL, thanks for the link, and I'm still calling you! HA!!!!
DeleteYou could have picked me up off the floor (actually the bath) when I found our first scorpion. I was having a wonderful shower and the scorpion was at my feet! I didn't think we had them in Australia let alone the far south coast of NSW. Apparently ours don't have a bad sting, something equivalent to a bull ant, but I'm not testing the theory. I was so shocked by that first scorpion that I laminated it for proof. It lives on my fridge door now!! Nature, gotta take the good with the bad but that doesn't mean you have to like it.
ReplyDeleteOH MY> I think I would die if it was in the shower!! Laminated? Now that's cool! ha! Yep I guess it's a balancing act, and let's face it, the good always outweighs the bad, right? :-)
Deletemove fast!!!
ReplyDeleteMove PHYSICALLY fast? Or MOVE out? LOL!
DeleteWell from what I know and being a coward of all nighttime crawly things, scorpions only like edible things smaller than themselves. I’d have to guess you are a little larger!!!
ReplyDeleteBut hey! When mixed into your morning scrambled eggs they tastes just like chicken!
Defiantly call Orkin (I use Orkin because they work and I live in Florida, the birth place of all bugs) or another major bug killer and have your house treated. Scorpions of a small size will not kill you, but I can think of much better bed partners
LOL! Thanks for that. I know what you mean!!! And you know, we've been needing to call bug people out just for some preventive stuff, might not be a bad idea. Maybe they can find areas that need blocking up. Amazing how something so small, when we're so many thousands times bigger, just reduce some of us to pure fear!??
DeleteLOL! Sorry for laughing but.... I bought a house built in 1954 last summer. Wonderful, awesome house but oh heavens....the SPIDERS! Then rats. Full. on. rats. In my kitchen! I was so freaked. After trying everything else I got some of those electronic pest repellers. I wasn't expecting much but they WORK!! I have them in our guest house, the workshop and the shed as well as the house and all those critters are gone!! They are working all the time and not washed away in the rain!
ReplyDeleteI bought some of those that plug into the outlet and you can't really hear them but I don't know that they worked. Do you have the kind that are a separate unit that plugs in? Or maybe we just got a bad brand...thanks for the tips!! And rats? Yikes, I'm glad they are just mice (just, ha) that we have.
DeleteI just checked the brand and they are from Bell & Howell.
DeleteAh, the joys - and adventures - of country living!
ReplyDeleteAfter my parents added onto the house when I was a kid, we (actually, my Dad) had to squash scorpions for months afterwards - I guess they came in with the new wood. So yeah, I know about checking the bed for scorpions. And I still tap out my shoes before putting them on.
I'm going to have to keep remembering the shoes things. And I think about checking the bed, but then if you're asleep at night, what if one crawls...........shivers, I can't even think about it.
DeleteI love and relate to your popular blog. Small world as I have some similar interests as you and yours. I found this site while searching for different Toll house containers to complete my set-lol. Myself and my own 2nd man(of 30 years now)previously bought 10 acres in Mojave, California and then had a custom starter ranch home built there. I lifted a piece of wood in the then unfinished garage and out came scurrying a dozen or so mice. Ewww! The first night in the house I saw a scorpion walk across my bedroom and go under a heavy entertainment center which prompted me to sleep with the light on. Later on, my mom was visiting and was stung on her boob while sleeping(luckily she had no complications, just aches). Twice our cat, Charlie, brought inside to us baby Mojave green rattle snakes so that created a new paranoia in me. We twice witnessed large tarantula spiders crawling up under the new exterior stucco siding which was a surreal experience, a "huh?" moment. At night I started hearing rats directly above my head, gnawing on the electrical wiring so that started me on a weekly schedule of rat abatement. While we lived there we had a resident lizard who lived under the roof tiles. We put in irrigation and landscaping trees, shrubs, flowers and lawn sod which then brought in untold numbers of cute jack rabbits and cotton tails. I would just sit and watch them devour everything(the rabbit did keep the grass cut for us though, which was a positive thing-lol). Just prior to landscaping, I had fenced a fifty foot chain-link garden area. I was so proud because I did it myself. I planted much of the garden that first day. The next morning everything had disappeared. I mean everything. The only trace of plants and bulbs that remained were the holes left behind and, of course, the now mocking and useless fencing. I got a free stack of firewood on Craigslist which I proceeded to burn in my beautiful new fireplace. For that I received internal sumac poisoning from the burning wood fumes. I didn't realize that the vines previously on the wood could somehow harm me. I would take my cocker on walks to then be spied upon by pairs of coyotes. I let my dog, Nikita, out at night once to do her business and instinctively ran out after her screaming because a white desert owl was lowering down to pick her up. That scared me more than the rattlers. One week I switched from rat control to both attic bee and bat control(forgive me the former). I was a sight to see. With the August heat, I was up there donned in a winter parka,my partner's motorcycle helmet,gloves and a can of Raid(trying desperately not to fall through the ceiling). Even with all this and more ramping up my OCD, we still loved living in the little house in the desert. There is always more good than bad. Once you live rurally, it's difficult to go back to the city. We would like to do it again with lessons learned.
ReplyDeleteName is actually Ross, not anonymous. I couldn't figure out how to post without a Facebook or Google account. Cheers!
DeleteUse the name/url and just fill in your name.
DeleteYou have written a wonderful comment, I will reply soon, didn't want you to think we forgot about you. Thank you Ross!!! (and thanks Katie C for the help for his name). We have a great community here!
DeleteRoss, drop me a line at my email. houstonray AT gmail DOT com (the click link is up there over on the right side). I'd love to email you a longer note rather than write it all here Thanks again!!!
DeleteLawdy! Pretty sure I'd have a heart attack if I encountered a scorpion in my bed. Can't help you with that but I can tell you the little things that you plug in and emit high wave sounds to keep mice away work pretty darn well! When I was little in the fall I'd always hear the mice but I didn't know it was mice. I'd go into my parents room and tell them the ghosts were back. My dad would set traps & no more ghosts! We feed the birds, rabbits & squirrels and keep the food in our garage. During the spring & summer the critters leave it alone but once fall starts to hit they start foraging in the seed supply. We got one of those electric dealies and no more little critters. My dad unplugged one for a few days and next thing I knew I saw a chipmunk in the garage. Good luck with the scorpions & snakes. Maybe one of those Dragon weed killers. Just don't catch the bed on fire! http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=23528&cmpid=11cseYY&ref=XXXX&subref=AA&gclid=CKmm8IuhkssCFVQ2gQod8lMKcQ
ReplyDeleteWell what great info!! Thank you so much for this Sarah. I will check out the link you provided. Thanks very much!! LOL can you imagine a scorpion on the bed? OMG I think I'd die too, ha!
DeleteYou're most welcome. I forgot the mouse repellers link http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bell-Howell-3-Pack-Mini-Pest-Repellers/34685801?action=product_interest&action_type=title&item_id=34685801&placement_id=irs-106-t1&strategy=PWVUB&visitor_id&category=&client_guid=f8edac0c-952f-4526-87f4-604ee0b900d6&customer_id_enc&config_id=106&parent_item_id=33153916&parent_anchor_item_id=33153916&guid=de677e60-8952-4113-804d-f382da946543&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&beacon_version=1.0.1&findingMethod=p13n
DeleteTHANK YOU!!!!
Delete