Dealing with creepy crawlies like spiders, ants and bees is a fact of life when you live in Arizona leading many residents to ask themselves, how do I reduce the risk of scorpion stings? Luckily, most of these pests are harmless — and sometimes even helpful — but there are a few that can pose risks to the health of you, your family and pets.

One of the most dangerous and venomous is the Arizona Bark Scorpion. A bite — or more accurately, a sting — from a bark scorpion is not only painful, but potentially life threatening if you don’t see immediate medical help.

The good news: You can reduce the risk and prevent bark scorpion stings if you know what to look for — and how to act quickly.

Quick Facts About Bark Scorpions

Bark scorpions, like other types of scorpions, don’t have teeth. What they do have is a fang-like stinger, located in the tail, that can pierce the skin and inject a mixture of toxins that can affect the central nervous system.

Bark scorpions are typically two- to three-inches long with two distinct parts to their bodies: The cephalothorax and abdomen, which includes the tail. It has eight jointed legs and a pair of pedipalps used to grab prey (kind of like lobster claws).

They prefer cool, dark places — like between rocks and in brush and trees — but can make their way into your home. You can spot them by their light brown to brownish-yellow color with dark lengthwise bands, but they also glow green under UV light. They’re most active in the spring, summer and fall and hibernate during the winter.

How Common Are Bark Scorpion Stings?

Bark scorpions don’t seek out people or animals to sting but will if they feel threatened, especially if you stumble into their hiding spots.

Biologist Marilyn Bloom from Arizona State University’s Scorpion Antivenin Program says you can best avoid bark scorpion stings if you “don’t put your fingers or toes where you can’t see them.”

Of course, that’s often easier said than done.

How to Spot a Bark Scorpion Sting

Bark scorpion stings can feel a lot like a spider bite, but bark scorpion sting symptoms include an immediate burning feeling or pain, a little swelling, sensitivity to touch and a numb or tingling sensation. Severe symptoms include unconsciousness, convulsions and blurry vision and should be addressed with medical treatment immediately.

When in doubt, always seek medical attention. Better safe than sorry when it comes to bark scorpion stings.

How to Minimize the Risk of Being Stung by a Bark Scorpion

Bark scorpion stings are on the rise, according to the Poison and Drug Information Center at Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix. It may not be possible to completely avoid bark scorpions, but you can cut down the risk of encountering one of them — and their stings — by recognizing their favorite spots in your home.

According to a study by Banner Poison and Drug Information Center based on calls, 33 percent of scorpion sting victims were in the bedroom, 24 percent in the living room and six percent in the bathroom. Here’s 6  tips to avoid being one of the scorpion sting statistics:

• “Scorpion-proof” your child’s crib. Bark scorpions love to climb, and baby cribs are no exception. Reduce the risk of having one climb or fall into the crib by moving it away from the wall. Also, take off any crib skirts and place the crib legs in glass jars. If you’re really worried, install crib netting over the crib — and over all of the beds in the house.
• Always check your bed. You might be exhausted, but bark scorpions can hide within your sheets. Simply pull back your comforter and check before you hop in to reduce your risk of getting a bark scorpion sting.
• Check your clothes before putting them on (especially your shoes!). Bark scorpions can hide in your clothes, especially if you leave them on the floor. Always shake your shoes before you put them on in case a bark scorpion snuck in there while you weren’t looking.
• Never go outside barefoot. Going barefoot on a nice day sounds like heaven, but you could inadvertently step on a bark scorpion. Just don’t risk it!
• Make your home inhospitable to bark scorpions. Don’t let faucets leak, or allow standing water on your property. Always put away pet dishes when they’re not being used — and don’t forget to clean up any brush or clutter outside!

What to do When you find Scorpions in the Home – Phoenix, Arizona

Question: We just moved to Gilbert, AZ from Ithaca, NY and I’ve seen some scorpions around my home. How do I get rid of them? I’ve got small kids and one of them getting stung worries me.

First off, welcome to Arizona! We receive a lot of calls like this from people asking us if it is possible to get rid of scorpions and how to stop scorpions from getting in their house. We will describe a 4-step process one can use to reduce the likelihood that scorpions get inside a home.

Step 1: Prevent them from getting into the home through proper exclusion

Step 2: Eliminate, where possible, places scorpions like to be.

Scorpions like to rest under potted plants, pool toy bins, debris around the home, tarps, sheds, in the palm fronds of palm trees. Eliminate these areas by:

• Placing potted plants on stands
• Moving pool toy bins or other containers away from the home or off the ground or into the garage.
• Removing debris around the home
• Make sure that landscaping is properly maintained

Scorpions also love river rock, rail road ties and decorative stacked brick that some use in landscape design. Where possible eliminate these features.

Step 3: Find and remove them from the property and use glue boards

Are you open to going on a scorpion hunt? If so, this is a great way to reduce the population around your home. You will need to get a black light and after dark, go out and inspect around your home in the places described above. Once you find them be sure to have the proper personal protective equipment so you don’t get stung. They are fast, so be ready to move quickly.

In addition, you can place glue boards in places that scorpions may likely travel.

Step 4: Judicious use of pesticides

There are products that are effective against scorpions. Using these products in addition to the steps identified above will provide the best results. Following the label for application and safety data sheets are critical and many often leave this step to professionals, which we recommend too.

Following these 4-steps will provide the best results in controlling scorpions around your home. If you have any questions on what to do if you find a scorpion in the house let us know and we are happy to help.

To rid your home of scorpions, contact Blue Sky Pest Control.

You’ve probably seen it before, scuttling across the ground with its arched, sharp tail hanging in the air. Quite possibly you have seen one or two of these pests in your own home. Scorpions are quite prevalent in Arizona; the University of Arizona has stated that at least 56 species of scorpions have been identified in the state alone.

Scorpions are arachnids, like spiders or ticks, and have eight legs. The pair of lobster-like grasping claws and the narrow tail—complete with the telltale stinger—easily identify them. While all scorpions carry venom in their stingers, there is only one species of scorpion whose venom is strong enough to cause serious harm to human health: the Arizona bark scorpion.

Identifying the Bark Scorpion

The bark scorpion is usually small, measuring only between 2 to 3 inches long. They are usually light tan in color, which allows them to blend into the native desert environment. These scorpions are mainly active during the night. Unlike other scorpions, they are good climbers and can be found on walls, ceilings, and even curtains. Also unlike other scorpion species, bark scorpions congregate with other bark scorpions in the winter.

Scorpion Stings

For most scorpion stings, there is little danger; simple use of painkillers is sufficient to relieve minor localized swelling and pain. However, according to Banner Health, stings from the bark scorpion have been known to cause serious effects, including burning pain in the area stung, numbness and tingling in other areas of the body, difficulty swallowing and excessive drooling, slurred speech, muscle twitching and respiratory problems. Serious health complications from bark scorpions stings are rare and are most likely to occur with individuals that experience a serious allergic reaction to the sting. Even when you don’t have an allergic reaction to the sting, it still hurts!

What to Do in Event of a Sting

In the event that a scorpion stings you and you show any serious symptoms or allergic reactions, seek immediate attention with your health care professional. Individuals with impaired immune systems should also seek immediate medical attention.

Preventing Scorpion Stings

Preventing scorpion infestation is the best way to prevent getting stung. We are often asked by new customers if there are steps they can take to help get rid of scorpions. Here are some simple steps that will help keep scorpions out of our home as well as reduce the nesting sites around your home where they like to live and breed.

Download our free report: 5 Steps to Help Scorpion Proof Your Home

1. Make sure weather stripping around doors, windows and pet doors seal properly and are not worn. If you can see daylinght or small openings around these areas you should get the weather stripping replaced.
2. Remove loose objects and any clutter close to the home and in the yard.
3. Boxes, tarps, pool toys, bricks, containers and other debris are places that scorpions hide under. If there are items that you need to keep, move them away from the home and keep these items off the ground.
4. Keep potted plants off the ground and do not overwater.
5. Remove wood piles or move the wood as far away from the home as possible.
6. Prune back trees and bushed from touching the home or hanging over the roofline.
7. Keep palm trees properly trimmed.
8. Excessive water or leaks can attract scorpions. Fix leaky sprinkler systems and eliminate areas where there is standing water.
9. Shake and examine clothing before putting it on (especially shoes). Wear shoes at all times when outdoors, and check beds and bed linens before lying in them. My mom was stung 5 times by the same scorpion in bed. They are not trying to find you to sting you, they are just out foraging for food, water and looking for shelter and when they come in contact with humans they defend themselves.

While most species of scorpion pose little dangers to humans, there are some risks posed by a few, especially the bark scorpion. However, by taking proper measures, you can reduce the likelihood of coming face to face with Arizona’s most infamous pest.