Texas, I Kinda Hate You Right Now
August 18, 2009
If I had known that there were SCORPIONS I might not have moved here. At least mice don’t look like prehistoric cockroaches, nor do they hide just waiting to attack you.
There is only so much that good neighbors, ice cream trucks, and sunny weather can make up for.
Posted by Chris @ 10:21 am
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Eeeew. Please tell me this wasn’t found in your home!
Chris says: My son found it out on the back patio. Close enough to the house for me!
August 18th, 2009 at 10:26 amYurgh! That’s…lovely.
My condolences.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:28 amCan you spray for them?
As I sit here in freezing weather (it is summer right?) I am so jealous of your weather. But you can keep the giant prehistoric animals. Eeeew.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:36 amI felt the same way when we moved to Florida from NY. There are just way too many gross things here, like lizards and spiders and snakes. I’ve been here for four years and I’m still not used to it. My back yard is like a jungle and I refuse to go out there.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:41 amThere’s a reason I’ll never live any farther south than I do now…and may have to move farther north if this climate change creep keeps up!
Big bugs and scary other creatures, Bah!
August 18th, 2009 at 10:43 amIs that maybe just a scorpion exoskeleton that the scorpion shed when it outgrew it? If so, where is the actual scorpion now? Assuming this is what you found in the dryer.
Chris says: No, it is alive and crawling around inside the jar.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:50 amSeriously…ewwwwww. I’d tell you to stay inside but seems as though they’re in there too. Good luck…maybe some anti-anxiety meds are in order.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:50 amWe had them bad when we lived in Central Texas. Now that we live by Fort Worth we have not had once in years. I wonder if it is just the central Texas area.
I bet you have learned to shake everything out before putting anything on.
Supposedly you can put lavendar int he windows to keep them out. I don’t know if that is true or not but heck it is worth a try.
Best of luck!
August 18th, 2009 at 10:52 amI have grown up in TX my whole life, and we never had scorpions until we moved to this small town, Denver City. I’ll never forget, my kids were 2,4, and a baby, and we had just come in from playing in the sprinkler, and my naked 2 year old sat down on the couch, and I looked over and about 2 inches from him was the GIGANTIC scorpion! I freaked! I grabbed him and the other kids, and we just sat on the chair opposite it, and stared at the scorpion while I freaked out on the inside (and, okay, a little on the outside too!) I don’t do cockroaches, much less things that can actually hurt me! Of course, my husband was out of town, so I decided that I would call my neighbor who had a teenage son, and see if he would come over and kill my scorpion, while my naked children & I looked on. She said her son was gone, but she would be happy to come over and kill it for me. And because I have absolutely no pride, I accepted her offer with much relief. She even admitted that it was a huge scorpion, but said it is much better to find big ones than small ones (that means a freshly hatched nest. Shudder.) A few days later we were at a friend’s house, and their 4 year old daughter stepped on a scorpion with her flip-flops on. I hung my head in shame, and decided right there that I would have to become a proper Texan. I went right home and called an exterminator, and the only scorpions I found after that were dead. I bravely scooped them up with 5 paper towels bunched in my hands and threw them in the trash. I can now walk with my familiar Texan swaggger.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:54 amFour years in Dallas, and I never saw one! Thank goodness, I might add. The heat almost killed me. The knowledge that their were scorpions would have. I did see two tarantulas though.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:56 amI’d die.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:56 amUgh - yes we have them in Georgia too, and I had NO idea when I moved here. I found one the exact same color as the carpet on the SECOND floor of my house. Yes, that sucker was IN MY HOME long enough to freaking crawl to the second floor. I have a 3 year old who I am so thankful didn’t find it before I did. No wonder moms don’t really sleep well. Ever.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:59 amWhoa, man! So, that’s what a scorpion looks like. Where else have you found them besides the dryer?
August 18th, 2009 at 10:59 am*shudder*
August 18th, 2009 at 11:00 amI’m so sorry. We have those up here in OK too and they’re skeevy.
When I was a kid, we lived in San Antonio and there was a dead scorpion found in my bed. Dead, but yuck.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:01 amOh yuck, oh yuck, oh yuck. Where did you find him?
August 18th, 2009 at 11:02 amAggggh! This is freaking my shit out, Chris! Tell me more about them, though. How do you avoid them? What happens if someone gets bit? Do they have favorite hiding spots? How big is that one in the picture? Just in case I ever go to Texas again, I want to know this stuff.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:02 amYipes!
August 18th, 2009 at 11:07 amOh, I feel your pain. We are completely infested with scorpions (little deadly bark scorpions that sting and hurt like #%$#&^#% when they get you). But, I have the BEST bug guy who comes with his magic spray once a month and actually kills them. I’d say 90% of the ones I see now are already dead and the other 10% are dying. Most regular pest control places claim they are impossible to poison but, they just don’t have the right stuff. I have learned the hard way that you can get stung by a dead one though, don’t step on them in bare feet.
They are also territorial so if you have some, they will be around pretty much forever.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:07 amNow I’m itchy all over. Those things creep me the hell out.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:09 amGod that’s terrifying… I got stung by a scorpion when I was little - it was hiding in the backyard sandbox (in GA - I think it was confused, or it was part of an elaborate plot by my big bro to KILL me). It hurt, but I don’t remember it being nearly as bad as the time I pissed off a small swarm of yellow jackets…
Potentially of interest - they glow under black lights. Maybe you can turn a scary creepy bug into a vaguely interesting science lesson…
August 18th, 2009 at 11:16 amAs a recently transplanted CT native, I understand. We have scorpions here in SW FL too, but I’ve not seen one yet. I ‘ve seen gators, wild boars, bobcats in my backyard, huge gross looking spiders, many types of snakes, and I’ve been bitten too many times by fire ants. Yeah, I’m with you and I’m thinking the tame wild life of New England is easy. Bears are easy to avoid, coyotes run off and most anything else is harmless after all.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:27 amHow long did that house sit empty? If it did for a while, maybe that’s why you have a plethora of them. Certainly an exterminator could take care of them.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:32 amOh, I have never lived anywhere with scorpions. That freaks me out!
August 18th, 2009 at 11:36 amOh, ICK! I’d be investing in full body armor starting with thick heavy boots. And then moving about 400 miles north.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:37 amWow, you are brave! You are a regular gypsy all this moving. Hopefully you will get to stay put for awhile. Love your blog, and have a scorpion free rest of the week!
August 18th, 2009 at 11:41 amI am dead.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:46 amYikes! I’ve only seen a couple of scorpions here in FL and they were tiny and in a woodpile out on a farm. Why, oh why, are you just seeing them now after you *bought* a house and not when you were still renting and could run screaming into the night. Theoretically…
August 18th, 2009 at 11:50 amYou might not want to do this but you can use a “black light” to see them in the dark. Then you can remove them from your house.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:53 amIf you live further west, or in the northern part of Austin where there are new developments you will probably have issues with displaced scorpions. We lived in Central Austin. In the areas that have been developed for a while you really don’t have issues with scorpions. I never saw one in the three years I lived in Central Austin. Our issue was the relentless mosquitoes and the enormous, disgusting roaches.
My mom had scorpions in the her new house which was in a new development. Eventually she didn’t see them anymore. So hopefully with time, they will disappear.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:56 amChris ~
I’m in Austin. Actually native Austinite. I’m with you… hate, hate, hate scorpions. Typically you will see them in your house only when there is new construction surrounding your area. Since that settled down in our area about 3 years ago, we haven’t seen one since. (wood knocking commencing)
Hope the same happens in your case!
August 18th, 2009 at 11:56 am~Shannon
Where was that vicious creature? Was there a capable male there when it was found or did you have to handle it all alone. I hate stepping on anything that crunches but in the case of scorpions I don’t mind at all.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:58 amThat like is a cockroach of the DEVIL.
Holy crap.
And um, good luck.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:59 amJust think about how an iced over tree limb will not be falling on your van this winter. That should make you feel a little better about the scorpion!
August 18th, 2009 at 12:21 pmReally?! Oh yuck. I never knew there were scorpions in TX. Like, lots of them??
August 18th, 2009 at 12:24 pmYikes I’ve been in Houston for 4 years but have always fantasized about moving to the Hill Country. Might reconsider.
August 18th, 2009 at 12:28 pmum, ewww?
August 18th, 2009 at 12:30 pmDon’t I recall pictures of wild bears in your front yard playing on your childrens toys at your former home??
Chris says: Yes, but at least those you can spot from a distance and won’t hide in your shoes!
August 18th, 2009 at 12:46 pmDiatomaceous earth sprinkled around the foundation and in the attic will kill them. It scratches up their exoskeleton and they dry out. I live in Waco and found out the hard way that I have a bad reaction to scorpion stings. Within ten minutes of being stung, I was puking, dizzy, weak, and my throat started to close. I managed to swallow three Benadryl and avoid a trip to ER. I was stung on my foot and my leg ached so badly that I could barely walk for three days. The actual sting was like stepping on a hot needle, not tooooo horrible. I asked our invertebrate guy at the zoo and he is the one who told me about the diatomaceous earth. I used it regularly in our old scorpion infested house and never saw another live one, just dead. Luckily, our new house doesn’t seem to have them, just those nasty enormous water bugs/giant roaches. My cats kill those for me and incidentally killed a scorpion or two at the old place.
August 18th, 2009 at 12:47 pmRegular extermination gets rid of these along with all the other nasty bugs. Then you can focus on your good neighbors and ice cream trucks!
August 18th, 2009 at 12:54 pmOMG!!!! Maybe ND mosquitoes aren’t so bad. (Except for that whole west nile virus thing.)
August 18th, 2009 at 12:57 pmWhere was that creature, in your house??
So how long is that thing? Ewww!
August 18th, 2009 at 1:10 pmohmy WORD!!! Those are in your HOUSE???
at least our vermin are furry and cute.
August 18th, 2009 at 1:11 pmGAH!
August 18th, 2009 at 1:12 pmHave you run into any Black Widow spiders yet? Bitten by fire ants? Seen poisonous snakes? Oh, life in the south is full of Mother Nature’s evils!
August 18th, 2009 at 1:18 pmOh no! You found another one? I’ve lived in Arizona since 1997 and have only see two scorpions the entire time. Sorry to hear that you’ve had to deal with these little critters already.
August 18th, 2009 at 1:21 pmThat’s a fine lookin’ scorpion ye’ve got thar. In many parts of the country that would be a spectacular show and tell for the kids to bring to school, but TX kids probably wouldn’t be as impressed I guess….
August 18th, 2009 at 1:24 pmEeeeeeeek! Is there, like, spray or something for those? Holy heebie jeebies, ack!
August 18th, 2009 at 1:27 pmI hope you smashed that awful looking thing right after you took its picture!
August 18th, 2009 at 1:27 pmUm, yeah….I used to live in Oklahoma so I’ve seen a couple of those myself. Nasty creatures they are!
August 18th, 2009 at 1:31 pmEeeeeeeeww! Can an exterminator be called to spray all around your house for these critters?
August 18th, 2009 at 1:44 pmOMG…EWWWWWWWWWWWWW
August 18th, 2009 at 2:10 pmMy husband was sleep eating one night and got stung in the toe by one. He woke me up at 2am thinking death was imminent. It wasn’t. And there was an exterminator at the house the next day.
August 18th, 2009 at 2:24 pmRight now, as I sit in North Dakota, the picture alone is making me lift my feet off the floor. As was the cricket I just smacked on the kitchen floor.
August 18th, 2009 at 2:46 pmOkay, you seem to attract all types of creatures. Bears, scorpions. Well, not all kinds, but two of the scariest kinds!
Can you get an exterminator for them?
August 18th, 2009 at 2:48 pmHave you ever read Jen and Conversion Diary? You would appreciate her scorpion stories, a lot.
August 18th, 2009 at 2:49 pmHumm, bears vs scorpions? mice vs scorpions? Its a toss up. I say, have your husband learn some mad exterminating skills and be done with all of them! Well, not the bears obviously, but you know what I mean.
August 18th, 2009 at 2:58 pmMaybe you’ll have to put aside your anti-cat feelings and get one to hunt scorpions.
Chris says: Uh, no.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:02 pmNEVER encountered a one in our eight years in Texas. I had my share of cockroaches the size of a VW beetle though.
The first one I saw - I screamed and threw my huge library book on top of it. OH - the crunch! And THAT is just one reason I tell the kids NOT to bring their library books to the dining table. P.S. - everyone has roaches in Texas, I found this out as we were moving - I had never checked with all my neighbors/friends…as someone had *mentioned* I might have them because of my housekeeping. I really thought I kept it clean, but at the time - was young, niave and believed b.s. (yeah, I am on a rant today. heh)
August 18th, 2009 at 3:04 pmHow weird you never had them at the other house just a street away. I highly recommend Chem Free an organic exterminator that covers Cedar Park, Round Rock, and Austin. We use them, and my friend had a huge scorpion problem that they took care of.
Chris says: Not to get the “organic” people all enraged, but does it work as well as the nasty chemicals? Because I would coat the foundation of my house with radioactive waste in order to eradicate them.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:09 pmScary!! Better make sure you check under the covers before you get in bed at night….you wouldn’t want to snuggle with one of those creepy things!
August 18th, 2009 at 3:32 pmI’ll second the diatomaceous earth comment. I use it in my garden and it actually eradicated squash bugs which even poison won’t kill. And it is safe — no poisons, some people even eat it (not me!) I use it around the chickens and the fly population this year has been minimal. It really works.
I’ll top ya! Just saw the hugest rattlesnake cross the road in front of my house the other day. Must have been 4 feet long. I tried to run over it with the car, but it was too quick. And there was a mountain lion, a 120 lb. Mt. Lion, on my neighbors back porch this spring. Makes for exciting living!
August 18th, 2009 at 3:40 pmMy mom has a ranch in central Texas and she was just telling me the other day that the scorpions are much worse this year…probably b/c of the drought.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:47 pmTwo tips: do research online. It’ll help, I promise, to see pictures of what’s deadly and what isn’t. The brown ones, like you show, are not deadly.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:58 pmStart keeping flip flops next to your bed. When you need to get up in the night, wear them. Scorpions are nocturnal, so if you step on one you’ll be sorry. I would suggest tennis shoes or combat boots but in the middle of the night you don’t want to waste time on that.
On the bright side, scorpions are hunters, so you won’t ever find cockroaches in your silverware drawer. Not all of Texas can say that. And they go dormant during the colder parts of winter. (Not that you’re going to think winter here is cold.)
For the love of God KILL IT! The only picture I’d have of that thing was one of it smooshed on the bottom of my husbands shoe.
ICK.
*Sorry to any All-God’s-Creature-Lovers who scold those of us who kill things. *shudder*
August 18th, 2009 at 4:06 pmI would pretty much be echoing every one else with the OMG!s and Eeeeews!
My dad and his wife live in Spicewood, which is on the outskirts of Austin. They have had scorpions in their home and once one fell out of the air conditioning vent and on to their BED!! Just hearing about that made me have a total freak out and I am not even afraid of bugs. :::shudder:::
I do have to say, having grown up in Houston, that I love living in the Northeast, where there are no cockroaches, ginormous bugs or red ants. I just go visit my dad to get my Texas fix.
Hugs!
August 18th, 2009 at 4:13 pmok i am laughing at your response about the bear!!!!!!!!!!!!!
love it. I would also rather a bear be roaming around with us inside with our camera’s then having one of those be in my shoe
how did you get it in the jar which kid was brave
good luck i hope you find a way real quick to get rid of the pest.
August 18th, 2009 at 4:19 pmWhen we first moved into our house in Columbia, SC we found a scorpion in the bathroom sink. It was dead, but still. We have been there for 2 years now and haven’t seen any since (knock on wood)
August 18th, 2009 at 4:21 pmTHat is giving me a serious case of the shudders. Ugh.
August 18th, 2009 at 4:30 pmOH MY GOODNESS. I just came to after fainting. That is horrible! I am cranky about all the wasps and yellow jackets around my house, but now I am rather thankful for the nasty critters. THAT is hideous.
August 18th, 2009 at 4:35 pmI have been stung by scorpions three times. Once two times by the same one. Both times I was sound asleep in my bed only to awake to the likes of a bee sting only about five times more painful but the pain went away about five minutes later. All while hubby was in the same bed and did not get stung!
I’m a little gun shy to say the least since a few weeks ago I thought a stepped on one the bedroom and screamed for hubby only to have him find a small staple that I had stepped on. Yes I live in TX on a ranch. No I will not tell you the story about the snake that fell in the doorway when I opened my front door. I’m still in need of therapy for that one.
Anyone want to come for a visit?
August 18th, 2009 at 4:43 pmOMG, I don’t think that I would ever sleep or shower if I lived in your house, better still, I’d just float over everything and actually avoid having to put my feet down. (If only. The nastiest thing we have in England inside is earwigs.
You have my deepest sympathy.
August 18th, 2009 at 4:52 pmWhy dont you get a cat? I know you hate them, but I have heard they scare away (and kill and eat) scorpions. There is even a video on youtube of a sweet little cat killing a scorpion. My grandma used to say that cats are the only thing that scared scorpions away. I guess for you, a cat would be the lesser of two evils.
Your picture is scary. They didn’t look this scary in my imagination!!
August 18th, 2009 at 5:10 pmOh my, not sure I would be able to just kick back on my couch without thinking one was hiding! Wait, doesn’t Texas have massive snakes also? Snakes are my BIGGEST fear ever! Here’s to hoping you never have another encounter with a scorpion…please keep us updated, this is SO interesting!
Hope you love your new home!
August 18th, 2009 at 5:15 pmP.S. If that’s your granite counter top in the picture…I LOVE!
August 18th, 2009 at 5:16 pmAnd now you know why the previous owners had cats. But I’m with you on the no cats thing, and I have two. They drive me insane jumping on the kitchen counters, top of the fridge, dining table, etc. Fur every-freakin-where. Ugh. Just get a good exterminator.
August 18th, 2009 at 6:13 pmYears ago, I visited Tulum, Mexico and stayed in a lovely little hut right on the beach - very rustic and charming. Except one night I went to bed and just as I put out my candle (*very* rustic), I saw a scorpion on the thatched roof ceiling. I lit the candle again quickly and caught sight of its tail as it disappeared into the ceiling RIGHT ABOVE MY HEAD. That was a bad, bad night, as I envisioned it dropping onto my face in the middle of the night. No sleep for me.
I think of that in the middle of winter when I’m becoming certain that one more snow storm may just kill me. I pick snow over scorpions any day.
August 18th, 2009 at 6:19 pmEwwwwwwwww. Just. Ewwwwwwwwww.
August 18th, 2009 at 6:45 pmI’m with you - we moved into this house in NW Austin a month ago and I’ve seen two. The first was trapped in our Dyson for days before either of us had the balls to take the cannister outside and dump it. The second? Oh, it played dead and when I returned with the vacuum to pick it up IT WAS GONE. ABC is coming tomorrow to treat our entire house - they said it will get worse before it gets better (the chemicals kills the bugs which the scorpion eats first, so they come out in search of food). I told him that he really should have kept his big mouth shut. I’ll let you know how it goes, or, you’ll never hear from me again and you’ll know that I’m living in a hotel in the North Pole where nothing can survive.
August 18th, 2009 at 7:46 pmIck, ick, and triple ick. I’ve got the heebedie-jeebedies from that pic! Good luck!
August 18th, 2009 at 8:20 pmSee! You should have moved to the beautiful city of Houston! Never seen a scorpion in my life, thank God!
August 18th, 2009 at 8:27 pmWe live in Wimberley and used to live in Dripping Springs (both near Austin) and you can have your attic dusted. Seems they come in from on high usually via the attic and work their way down.
August 18th, 2009 at 8:40 pmThose things creep me out!
August 18th, 2009 at 9:15 pmYou forgot to mention the 59 days over 100 degree’s……only 11 more and we are going to break the all time record. Just another reason to love the ATX.
August 18th, 2009 at 9:17 pmChris,
August 18th, 2009 at 9:22 pmI just checked my email and I won the second giveaway from the GoodNites Bedtime giveaway. Thank you so much for posting this contest. It was fun writing the story for them.
Jennifer
These are possibly some of the best comments and responses I’ve ever read on here. Also, radioactive waste = far more logical then the ‘SET IT ON FIRE’ response I had upon finding a slug in the kitchen a few weeks ago.
I did not set an actual fire, but the response that ran through my head was that. Followed by ‘DO NOT SCREAM AND WAKE PEOPLE UP!’
August 18th, 2009 at 9:30 pmI warned you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Although maybe I only told you about how hot it was, not about the wildlife.
I hate scorpions. And I want to know how big that one is. Put a quarter or something next to the jar so we can see.
August 18th, 2009 at 9:59 pmHave you met the cockroaches yet?
August 18th, 2009 at 10:14 pmok… the bear thing was not EVEN as scary as THAT Sh*T!! Ummm noooo!! My hubs would find me in a HOTEL before I would be sleeping in ANY ROOM that MIGHT have THAT in it. Period.
You are now, officially, my hero.
I am a little sick just thinking of it, and I am 2000 miles away.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:25 pmPS- I eat “organic” veggies etc.. but that FLIES out the FRIGGIN WINDOW if those things were in my HOME… diesel fuel and a torch perhaps? Flame thrower…? Love canal sludge..? Pure Ortho BUG B GONE in Gallons… painted on the house… ugh…. still sick thinking of it…
August 18th, 2009 at 10:28 pm….cannot….. speak……..
August 18th, 2009 at 10:28 pmHow long is that ugly(very ugly) thing?
August 18th, 2009 at 10:54 pmeweweweweweweweeeew.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:13 pmget to the pool store and buy some DE (the diatblahbittyblah earth). stat.
and NO don’t eat it! it isn’t poisonous but does contain silica which is not great for your lungs. but holy shit if it kills scorpions, i’m with you in that even if it took radioactive waste, i’d slather it on.
I am so with Staci. The only picture I would have of that thing would be it’s squished guts.
On the bright side - they do eat insects.
So how long after finding that one did it take you to call the pest control people?
August 18th, 2009 at 11:26 pmEEWWWWWW! I am with you! NO THANK YOU!
August 18th, 2009 at 11:44 pm“Because I would coat the foundation of my house with radioactive waste in order to eradicate them.”
Yup! Laughing out loud right now!
That pictures sums up the entire reason that I didn’t like living in Texas. Yes, there were lots of reasons that I loved living there, but that was the one reason that I was glad when the movers put all of our goods on that truck and drove to another state!
August 18th, 2009 at 11:46 pmWe have scorpions here, I’m told (southern california), but usually out in the desert.. haven’t seen one. Hopefully, I never will! I have however seen a Jerusalem Cricket in person. It was climbing up the stairs to our second floor apartment. They aren’t poisonous, but huge, truly hideous and freaked my crap out!!
August 19th, 2009 at 12:00 amhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_cricket
I can totally relate! I live in Las Vegas and about a month ago I found a scorpion on the foot of my bed! Ever since then I am always checking my bedroom for them and I always wear something on my feet! I even slept with upstairs with my two year old for a couple of nights because I was so freaked out. We also have Wind Scorpions, they are a mix between a spider and a scorpion. We have found two so far in our family room. Spiders never used to bother me but the bugs here in the desert are scary, especially since I grew up in the midwest. I will take a Daddy long leg spider over these bugs any day!
August 19th, 2009 at 12:21 amAnd this is why I am never ever leaving New England, Never.
August 19th, 2009 at 8:54 amI grew up in the south and I still out of habit shake our sheets before bed. My kids can have plenty of near death experiences when we go visit grandma and grandpa, so don’t think I am depriving them of the exciting life.
Eeewwwwww! Should have moved to Colorado. We don’t have bugs like that!
August 19th, 2009 at 8:58 amOh. My. God. Yes, living in the south blows with all of these live creatures and such. I live in Atlanta (think sitting in a suana in the August sun, covered in concrete and add 12 million pounds of pine pollen. its fun. no really…). The prehistoric bugs here are ever so frightening. Scorpions, roaches the size of my head, centipedes from the king king movie and fire ants with a vendeta for that time I scorched their home with kerosene and a flame thrower (ok, not really a flame thrower, it was a lighter, but I can pretend… those little evil bastards). I feel like I live in a discovery channel special. THIS IS NOT WHAT LIVING IN A CITY OF 4 MILLION PEOPLE IS SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE.
Right… back to you. You must set the house on fire and move immediately. Only way to get rid of them. Then move to Antartica where there are no bugs, just buy an giant gun to kill the polar bears.
August 19th, 2009 at 9:33 amI can relate to that “in the jar” thing. If there was a kid around when it is found there is absolutely no possibility of it being crunched underfoot. What was I thinking?
August 19th, 2009 at 10:20 amMy granddaughter in San Antonio kept one alive on peanut butter for 11 months. I shudder.
I’ll agree with the couple of other people who suggested diatomaceous earth. Also, and I know this probably isn’t an option for you living in a neighborhood, but chickens are THE best exterminator for scorpions. We had tons the first year we moved into our house. We finally got two chickens and within a week or so, there were no scorpions to be found. And as an added bonus, we had fat, happy chickens who laid tasty eggs for us.
August 19th, 2009 at 10:23 amOh, YUCK. Just read all the comments, too. I am never going to TX or Mexico or Florida … OK, I probably will go to all of them, but YUCK! I think we need a public service announcement for northeners - tell us what these things DO.
August 19th, 2009 at 10:56 amWhen I moved to Las Vegas a few years ago, we rented a house from a family friend. In the house there was a scorpion nailed to the front door! His idea of a joke!
Needless to say, we didn’t live there very long.
August 19th, 2009 at 12:20 pmI’ve found two in my house in one week now. I vote for radioactive waste. Who needs hair? One less thing…
August 19th, 2009 at 12:22 pmWe have a lot of black widows where we live so I always step on gloves and socks…actually put them on the floor and step all over them before I put them on. For scorpions I think I’d pay my eldest to do it for me!LOL
August 19th, 2009 at 12:34 pmMy parent’s hosue had a scorpion problem. I’ll have to ask my mom what she sprayed with. I think she found out they were coming in through the chimney or a vent? Something like that, I don’t know.
August 19th, 2009 at 1:00 pmThank you in advance for the recurring nightmares I’ll be having over that picture. I’m already OCD; my husband will just love that I have another thing I have to check for 12 gazillion times before I get into bed (or put my shoes on, or step in the shower, or walk in the basement!)
August 19th, 2009 at 2:00 pmOh shite. Yeah. Forgot to tell you about those.
August 19th, 2009 at 2:04 pm***shhhuuuddddeerrrrrrrr***
I still think the flying huge cockroaches were the worst when we lived in Texas.
Just keep chanting “no snow”, “no snow” to keep yourself sane.
August 19th, 2009 at 2:46 pmSomething tells me that if I found you a scorpion large enough to spot down the driveway (a la your acceptance of the bears), you still wouldn’t like it.
(not that I’m blaming…)
August 19th, 2009 at 4:04 pmOh dear God. I’m scared, and I’m 1,000 miles away.
August 19th, 2009 at 10:05 pmugh, i found a smallish bark scorpion today while sitting on the toilet. reached for some TP and there he was just hanging out on the roll of paper. glad i looked and didn’t just fling him into my lap. How he got there is a mystery I do not want to answer. But my bug guy will be here first thing tomorrow to spray inside the house again.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:19 amDid I read here that they have “nests”? Which would indicate lots of young!!!! I feel a bit ill for you Chris, and that’s from an Aussie who puts up with nasty spiders and snakes. I hope you can have the house sprayed to get rid of them, that is really a nasty problem.
August 20th, 2009 at 3:24 amI agree with Jenn, set the house on fire and move right now, leave you stuff, let it burn, just go…….
I moved from 2 places in Tulsa, OK because of those $#@! things and I swore the next place I lived in that had them would burn to the ground……can you tell I dislike them?
August 21st, 2009 at 2:33 pm