Yes, you read that correctly...
Just wondering if it is common for them to enter the home, specifically someone's bed. A friend of mine found one in her pillowcase and wound up going to the hospital : ( How common is this? I am worried about her, and her two little boys.
Thanks for any info or insight you can provide!
Thanks everyone for your responses. Yes, she does live in a fairly new home in a newer development...I think this is the first time this has happened. She is super neat and I am sure she's up on all the pest control stuff (responsibly, as she has two young sons). I just freaked out when I heard this because I'm from California and we don't have stuff like scorpions in the Bay Area. I did live through the 1989 Loma Prieta quake though, so I guess we all have to deal with something, right? Thanks again!
I live in the AZ desert, same as the Vegas area. Yes, they are very common and can come in the house, just like mice, rats, bugs, geckos, etc. She needs to call an exterminator that specializes in scorpions and spray the home, same as you do for bugs. Good luck.
I don't live anywhere near there, but I grew up going to a large farm in Texas in the summers, and we had to pull back the sheets and check for scorpions every night before crawling into bed. We also had to check our shoes for scorpions before putting them on. Scorpions are awful!
I hope your friend is recovering well!
My BIL brought one home in a shirt. Must have burrowed into his suitcase. He put the shirt on and that scorpion really got him.
We'd find them in the laundry basket in San Diego on a regular basis. Ditto for towels, piled up sheets... and, of course, always always always shake out shoes. For some reason the little buggers really like fabric!
A series of habits I got into as a child in deserts and jungles:
- Throw back sheets/blankets before climbing in bed (ideally, loft them)
- Check under, and fluff your pillow
- Never sit on a toilet without looking first (this was a snake issue in jungles mostly, but the occasional desert)
- Always turn on a light before going into a dark space (to give the creepy crawlies a chance to run away / startle them with the light instead of yourself.
- Dump laundry out on a surface, don't go directly from a basket or hamper
- Shake out clothes before putting them on.
- Geckos rock
Huh. Know something funny? I STILL do all these things (and some others), but I had COMPLETELY forgotten WHY after 10 years up here.
i also lived in phoenix and we had them all the time! thats why we got cats because they can catch them...also we had an exterminator come because treating for them can be tricky...good luck
I used to live in Phoenix, and learned that the smaller and more translucent, the more toxic they are....which basically means they are harder to see.
She needs to call an exterminator, especially if she lives in a newer housing division or new housing is nearby. When the ground and dirt is recently disturbed the scorpions look for quieter and cooler surroundings. If she's in an older sub-division, she could probably be safe buying insecticides at at Home Depot and spraying all the doors and entry ways herself.
And, twice we found a small, translucent scorpion in our home, over a 5 year period.
When I was in the Army, we would always have a soldier get one in his boots while training in Texas. Every year, no matter how many times we told people to check their boots, someone would forget. And that soldier would be sent to the hospital too. They always were next year's checker reminder.
Hope I don't jinx myself but I have never had a scorpion in my home and I have lived in Vegas for five years. Haven't seen them in my yard either but then again I don't go looking form them. Some neighborhoods are worse than others. The newer neighborhoods on the edge of city are the worse. They glow under blacklight so anyone can look around there yard at night. I saw many patients in the ED with scorpion stings though. The ones around here just cause pain, atleast in adults. There was a two year old who had neuro symptoms after being stung. He had twitches and nystagmus. I don't have an exterminator but I do treat the areas around my house and yard for scorpions and spiders. I have found a few black widows ...icky....in the garage and outside next to the faucet. Tell your friend to treat her exterior house and yard or hire an exterminator.
She should call a pest control company. It is very common. If they have any palm trees around her house she should have them checked also.
Scorpions mostly don't bite people. They seek cool areas to lodge in. I once found a large one under my bed which was on the floor. I lived in the redwoods at the time. Mattresses and bedding should be kept off the floor.
Vaccuum often and go on line for ways to keep them out organically.
Leukemia is one risk taken when you send for the pesticide people. Children get Leukemia from pesticide spraying.
Look up NCAP online to see what they recommend.
