scorpion in house

Jaybird, I feel your pain. We live in the Northwest (above Santa Maria Bay, which is two bays east of Caret) and have found several scorpions in our home. From what my hubby tells me, these scorpions do not contain a deadly level of poison, they do, however, sting. My boss was recently stung by one (last month) and lived to tell about it. So, to make a long story short (because I too have a newborn in the house), they won't kill you but you would be well-advised to check your shoes before putting your feet in them. I'm sure one of the long-time locals can probably offer some advise vis a vis control.
Good luck!

Jaybird,

We're not on island yet, but have lived in the stateside desert for many years, and had too many run-ins with scorpions to count! Here's the info I got after finding a little critter in my bathtub my first morning in my new "mountain" home:

1. Yes, they sting, and can be very harmful to the very young, very old, or immune-compromised.
2. The only pesticides that will kill them effectively are banned by the EPA - would probably kill just about every other living thing in the home as well.
3. The best ways to get rid of them: keep your home cool; they're cold-blooded, and get very sluggish without heat. Makes them a better target for whatever blunt instrument you're using, too! Had one in the house near fall, and he was so slow from the chill I had time to leave the room, go to the garage, grab a ladder, set it up, and find a spare shoe to kill him with before he'd moved 6 inches!
4. The only other way to control them is to control their food - other insects. Keep them away, and they won't "come for dinner". They can be poisoned by eating insects that have been poisoned, but it's chancey.

One quick note: dogs and cats are (according to my vet) immune to scorpion venom - I know firsthand my dogs were immune, because they hunted and caught the little buggers! Maybe they can help!

I write all this because I understand the island has the same "bugs" as my desert-mountain home did - scorpions, tarantulas, black widows, trap door spiders, etc. Please, all you islanders, let me know if any of this info doesn't apply to the islands!

Good luck bug hunting!

Hello jaybird,

First - your comment about them crawling back out of the drain gave me a good laugh as I have sometimes thought the same thing. LOL - what a great scrary movie theme that would make. I've not had any spiders/bugs etc. crawl out of the drain after being flushed away.

Here are some other ideas. Keep all trees, grass, shrubs around the house well trimmed. If you hang any towels, cloths outside to dry after doing laundry or after coming from the beach make sure to shake them out very well before bringing them inside... same goes with shoes and anything else you might leave outside for a period of time/overnight. If you buy bottled water or cases of bulk items unpack the box outside and bring in just the contents or unpack as soon as you get home and throw out the box - I haven't found scorpions in boxes but I have found roaches. If you have glass/screen sliding doors and windows make sure there are no tears, holes, cracks. Get rid of other insects they might be eating - you can try Home Depot for some poison that you can shake around the house. Clean often, moving furniture to make sure there aren't things hiding behind, under it.

Hope that helps.

--Islander

Thank you everyone for your advice. I guess I just have keep the house cleaner (piece of cake with a 4 month old child - right?) and we are going to Home Depot like you suggested Islander.

Thanks again everyone.

my husband got stung the other day one hiding in his pant leg as he was getting dressed. he knew something stung him & thus tried to shake whatever it was out of the pants-to no avial. he finally turned the leg inside out & it was clinging onto the last bit (not where he'd been stung)-grrr. he said it was like a bee sting.

I've had a lot of scorpions that have hidden in clothes.Their favorite trick is hiding in the fold on the inside seam.They are impossible to see if they are not big,and almost impossible to shake loose.I got in the habit of leaving the clothes for the next day inside out at night(they are primarily nocturnal)so you can inspect the seam before putting it on.If you don't leave it inside out,you can forget to check,if you're in a hurry.It has saved me from several hiding scorpions in my clothes....Lora

Are these little buggers on STX, as well? Just curious.....if anyone has a link to a photo of one of these sweet little critters (NOT!), I would love to see 'em since they will be living in my home. I always like to at least SEE what my roommates will look like before I move in with 'em. I know what a scorpion in general looks like, I just wanna see the native islander scorpions. You all are awesome. Thanks.

Hello Alix,

Experiences will vary but I've rarely seen a scorpion on St. Thomas, I can think of 4 incidences... two (might have been three, I sort of recall finding one in the bathroom) were indoors and within the same week (I suspect they got inside in a bag I had put outside overnight and left outside for about 3 days/nights; I found one in the bag several weeks later and another not far from where the bag was). One a student caught and brought to school and the 4th was under a rock when I was clearing the yard.

I don't know about the commonality of seeing them on St. Croix but I am pretty sure they are there too.

I don't have a picture. Here is one that looks similar to the ones I have seen, albeit this one in the pic is a bit fatter.

Constrxngrl mentioned above that they get sluggish in cooler temps. Good info. The two I found indoors; when I found the first one I thought it was dead and was just about to pick it up with a little tissue paper when I thought ummmm let me get some roach spray and see if it moves after a good dose of that. And sure enough its tail opened up and it started moving. So out came a shoe to squash it.

--Islander

EEEEEEEEKKKKK! Let's just get this out in the open right now....

I think I am going to s**t my pants when I see one for the first time.

I'm scared. I'm really, really scared. Not much scares me, but, those do.

I will skydive, snorkel, SCUBA, sing in front of poeple (naked even....still doesn't scare me), fly a plane, bungee jump, cliff-dive, pet a shark, swim with barracudas, race cars, and work for the post office without being scared.

But, Yowsah! I'm going to keep my place as cold as a refridgerator if that helps to keep 'em out. Yucky, yucky, yucky. Those and those centipedes/millipedes, EEK!

PLEASE, for God's sake, please tell me that there aren't tarantulas on STX. I'm duct-taping all windows and doors.

You guys ("ya'll" where I'm from) are awesome, thanks.

Alix,

Trust me, I feel your pain. When I first moved to Phoenix, I was warned up and down about the scorpions and the roaches. I have only seen a couple of scorpions in my over ten years here, but I have seen more than my share of roaches. And there are FLYING ones, too. I'm not sure if the winged creatures are actually roaches, but they are big, and scary and science fictiony looking.

I have rarely seen any live ones in my house, but with three cats, I have found some dead, half-eaten ones. Fortunately, constrxngrl, besides being the resident bug expert, is also the resident bug killer/dead corpse disposer, so I just throw something on top of them and wait for her to take care of it. 🙂

My one qualm about STX is the bug situation, but Islander's post has me feeling a LITTLE better.

-Beth

Yup, tarantulas too.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKK.....great......super.......I can't wait for my new roommates!

Are mosquitoes a serious problem? What repellent works? Anyone use mosquito nets?

Do mosquito coils work? Thinkin' about bringin' some with me.....

Mosquitos can be a problem after a lot of rain. The good news is our mosquitos don't carry West Nile. The bad news is they carry Dengue Fever. The good news is Dengue won't kill you. The bad news is you will be sorry it didn't kill you.

Any good repelent seems to work. I have used both Deep Woods Off and Avon's Skin So Soft.

Mosquitoes can be a problem. I use lots of Off and a Mosquitoe net. Good screens help too. As for other buggy things having a regular spray by Terminix or one of the others is a huge help. It runs me $32 a month for a two bedroom house. They do inside and out and bait the rat/mouse traps. Overall, I have less problem with bugs than I did in the Kansas City area. Sure don't miss those flies! Oh, with a newborn - get a net and tuck it in around the mattress. This should help a bunch.

Linda

OH MY GOD!!!!!! I'm moving to STT on June 27 and thought I'd taken everything into consideration . . . never even thought about scorpions and tarantulas!!!!!!!!! YIKES! I've never even seen either one before. Are guys trying to say that we need to check our clothes and shoes before getting dressed?!? I just knew there had to be one draw back . . . just didn't think of this one!

In 20+ years here on STT and was bitten by a scorpion in my house on Raphune Hill just once when I sat down on a couch wearing just a long tee shirt and got a sudden sting. I never did find the critter but its bite was on my butt and it ended up being one of those oozing bites which took a rather long to heal. Apart from that I've only seen them very infrequenty.

Mosquitoes? Well, when the rains come they breed. Mosquito coils work for the outside but aren't recommended for inside use. I've found that the "OFF" lanterns which are readily available here on STT and probably on STX also work very well.

A Malathion dilute sprayed around the exterior of your place will curb the mosquito problems. It's rather nasty stuff and stinks to high heaven but it not only eters mosquitos but rids the plants of white flies and aphids.

Tarantulas? MAYBE there MIGHT be tarantulas here but what most people perceive as tarantulas are in fact brown spiders or wolf spiders as they're also known. They live underground in burrows and only rarely make their way into homes. They only bite when they're attacked. If you are a threat to them, they'll rise up on their hind legs to fend you off and, if severely provoked or scared, will bite.

For all of you rendered senseless by the thought of critters, just remember that your presence is infinitely larger than theirs and they would rather avoid you than do battle, Squish as you will, if you must, but if you just stomp your foot they'll leave - or else place a plastic cup over them, slide a piece of paper underneath the cup and then lift up the whole thing and put the critter back into the bush.

Roaches? Well, roaches have been around forever and have proven themselves capable of withstanding enormous doses of radiation and nuclear proliferation. I go on an outside killing spree every few months when they start to proliferate and put down the latest traps available to decimate their population. And both the outside cats and the inside cats do a good job too! The roach presence dissipates for a while and then they just all start coming out again and so the cycle continues. Yes, some of the big ones do have viable wings and can "fly." They're also damned slow and can be easily zapped if that's your druthers.

But don't get your knickers in a twist about critters and creatures lurking here. Every creature has its place. Scared about the lizards and the gekkos in your place? Hey, they're great for eating mossies, so leave them alone but, if you have cats, save them as best you can.

But enough for now! Hope I've helped.

I'd be more worried about the centipedes if I were you! ARRR! I hate those Bast..ds!

The other thing we're infested with are millipedes. They call them gungalas (sp?) here. They don't do damage, although I understand their bodies ooze a toxic juice when rubbed, but damn they won't go away. Normal pesticides don't kill them because they're not insects and I haven't found the stuff that does...yet. We must kill (stomp) 100 a day and have so for over a month.

yuck..i remember seeing one on the ceiling above my bed while i was there..i did kill it and one of my friends who is a local said i should have just left it alone cause it was not going to do me harm...but i don't like creepy crawlies enough to share my space with them!

This is one I can speak first hand info. They are everywhere. Keep shoes/clothes/etc. up off the floors. Haven't found any in bed. They don't like certain material. Just sweep them up. Once touched with something, broom etc, they curl up or not and go "hard" (wish I knew more men like that!). Anyhow, you need to just sweep them up and throw them out of the house - or off the deck, or where(everywhere) they happened to be. You wonder how in the world did they get in here when it is completely closed up?

I haven't found in or on my luggage. In or on the bed/furniture.

They sound like slugs (from the north) in the slimy ooze - so thought about trying the beer trap (beer in a shallow bowl) attracts them and they drown happily. Or the copper wire touching the ground around the perimeter of where you don't want them (with slugs this gives them a slight electrical charge when they touch it and they avoid it like the plague.). Don't know if either will work but when I get tired of sweeping I may try them.

Linda

Linda~~~

God, girl....you crack me up! (The "men" comment)

Are you referring to the centi/millipedes or scorpions? Ick.

Alix

The men.

The gongolas(sp) catipillar like millipedes or whatever. Centipedes are wider, faster, and gross. I've seen 3 dead ones since I've been here. Probably 3 inches at the most.