# Please tell me what I need to know about this critter (WARNING: Scorpion pictures) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 10, 2023, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300 "2023-06-10T21:52:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Baggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/87869e/32.png) [@Mr.Baggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Baggins)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/1 "2023-06-10T21:52:39Z")
We live next to a cemetery, We’ve ocassionally seen a tarantula or two in the backyard or near the front door. But this dude showed up this morning smack dab in the middle of the dining room. [[Album] What we found in the dining room ![](https://i.imgur.com/iZrIbSp.jpeg?fb "What we found in the dining room") ](https://imgur.com/gallery/dscRjox) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/fQTNU61.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/fQTNU61) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/gnKLPbY.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/gnKLPbY) My wife instinctively squished it, but we’re left wondering: Are there more? Should we brace for an invasion? Also, does anyone know the species, and whether it’s dangerous or not? Again, we’ve lived in this house for close to 20 years and had never seen a scorpion. We’re in Monterrey, Mexico (about 200 miles south of Texas). Regards, \*\*\*EDIT: To add more pictures ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/2 "2023-06-10T22:14:01Z")
As a general rule, the smaller the pincers on a scorpion the more potent the venom, but that’s a _general_ rule… even so, I’d prefer not to be stung by them. Then tend to be nocturnal and glow in blacklight - so wait until nightfall and shine a blacklight in your house or around your property to see if there are more of them. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/3 "2023-06-10T22:22:16Z")
Really hard to tell size from the pics. Can you take one with a ruler or coin or something so we can get an idea of scale? Have you had an unusual number of grasshoppers or crickets? Our pest control says the best way to control scorpions is to control their prey. Black light flashlight is a good idea, but you might not want to know how many are out there. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/4 "2023-06-10T22:31:35Z")
How big was this scorpion in these pictures-- 1.5 inch-ish? I can’t believe this is your first one in 20 years. I certainly don’t think you should expect a invasion. I lived in the sandy, brush country near Pleasanton, Texas (40 mi south of San Antonio) for 20 years and we did have these in the house from time to time. Not tons of them, but I’d find maybe one every other month or so. Once there was one in the shower with me, and once one fell on my head from the ceiling fan while I was sitting at my desk (probably posting to the Dope). I have been stung by one and it’s not a bad sting. It was on the top of my foot. Just a pinch-- not even as bad as a bee sting. When it happened, I immediately put an ice pack on my foot and called the Poison Control hot line. They said the scorpions found in South Texas are not particularly dangerous. _(Not like the scorpions they have in Asia that are as big as kittens! 😱)_ All I can say, it thank God they can’t fly. They seem to like rocks and bricks and the places I was most likely to see one was on on the wall next to the fireplace I’m not one to kill bugs just because, but I did kill scorpions (even though I’m a Scorpio). I don’t think it’s likely that you will encounter enough scorpions in the house to even bother trying to _control_ them. The outside ecology is a world unto itself. We lived in grassy, brushy country, and had zillions and zillions of grasshoppers in the summer. It would be like walking through popcorn popping. Never had to buy cat toys. We thought about opening a “Catch Your Own Bait” stand down near the road. 🎣 Never saw a tarantula, and never hope to see one. But I can tell you anyhow, I’d rather see than-- _you know…_ * * * * * * > **[Scorpions in Texas and What To Do If You Encounter One](https://www.abchomeandcommercial.com/blog/scorpions-in-texas/)** > > There are 17 different types of scorpions in Texas and you're likely to encounter one someday. Learn how to identify them and what to do when you find one. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Baggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/87869e/32.png) [@Mr.Baggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Baggins)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/5 "2023-06-10T22:57:00Z")
Now with size: [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/MPaeldl.jpeg "Now with size") ](https://imgur.com/gallery/MPaeldl) So, a bit over two inches, Thanks to ThelmaLou’s link I think we’ve identified it as a striped bark scorpion, and doesn’t seem to be a big deal. I’m cancelling the orbital bombardment. Thank you all for your help, we’ll sleep better tonight. (Or maybe that’s what THEY want… damn…) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/6 "2023-06-10T23:24:56Z")
No, no… they aren’t going to come for you in your sleep. Really. I can’t believe this is the first one you’ve seen in 20 years. Do you live in a rural or urban area? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Baggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/87869e/32.png) [@Mr.Baggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Baggins)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/7 "2023-06-10T23:30:03Z")
Don’t worry, that was just me trying unsuccesfully to joke 🙂 I’m genuinely relieved. As for our environment, it’s as urban as they come. Near the center of a 5 million people metropolis. I reckon the only reason we’re seeing these is because of the aforementioned cemetery. EDIT: spelling ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2023, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/8 "2023-06-10T23:54:08Z")
Yes, probably. They do seem to like brickwork, rock walls, cool concrete, and such. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/9 "2023-06-11T00:03:28Z")
Scorpions look scary but they’re not really all that bad. When I lived in San Antonio, they were frequent visitors to my home. Admittedly it was a little disconerting because they were the same color as my rug and as long as they stood still they were hard to spot. For the most part they’re not going to bother you, and if they sting you it’s about on par with a bee sting. Don’t talk politics with them. They’re surprisingly well informed, but they’ve got some odd perspectives. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/10 "2023-06-11T00:42:36Z")
I can’t confidently ID that species just from the pictures, though C. vittatus is a good guess - painful, but probably only that. Nuevo León has a pretty low rate of scorpion envenomation in general, relative to much of the rest of Mexico near the bottom really. The Pacific coast of Mexico is the dangerous hotspot for scorpions and Mexico in general has both several fairly bad species and one of the highest rate of stings in the world. But disturbing as that sounds out of [~292,000 cases on scorpion envenomation reported in Mexico in 2019, only 121 occurred in Nuevo León](https://lajclinsci.com/vD-1-21). [Meanwhile fatality rates have plummeted from what they once were, to ~50/year](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347331259_Factors_involved_in_the_resilience_of_incidence_and_decrease_of_mortality_from_scorpion_stings_in_Mexico). ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/11 "2023-06-11T06:45:07Z")
FWIW scorpions are supposed to be repelled by lavender. Not sure if this is true, but it can’t hurt. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/12 "2023-06-11T06:50:51Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > once one fell on my head from the ceiling I would lose what’s left of my shredded mental health if that happened to me. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/13 "2023-06-11T11:04:10Z")
I don’t know if it’s exactly the same one, but yeah, we used to get these in our house in Texas, and I do not miss the startlement of finding one when you go into the bathroom in the middle of the night. Our friends down by Austin used to get them a lot as well, but now they have a bunch of cats instead, and that seems to have essentially eliminated the problem. > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I would lose what’s left of my shredded mental health if that happened to me. I just bypassed that one with a “nope“ and I’m not going to think about it. I hope. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/14 "2023-06-11T11:14:08Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > No, no… they aren’t going to come for you in your sleep. Really. My mom got stung in bed so YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/15 "2023-06-11T14:32:13Z")
I didn’t mean you might not _find_ one in your bed, but they aren’t maliciously seeking you out. If you live in a scorpion area, definitely shake out things before you put them on or crawl into them (clothes, etc.). * * * * * * > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I would lose what’s left of my shredded mental health if that happened to me. How about this one: One time I got into the shower (naked and without my glasses, of course) and reached for the handheld nozzle that was hanging down. I saw a blurry blob of reddish brown on the edge and thought that it must be a smear of red hair dye from the last time I colored my hair. But, being the prudent woman that I am, I stepped out of the shower, put my glasses on, and sure enough, it was a scorpion. Dang. But in 20 years of living in that house, I encountered scorpions at a distance maybe 20 times and up-close-and-personal only five or so. One thing is that we had a septic system not a sewer and the area was sandy and dry, so in those 20 years I never saw a cockroach. I’m talkin’ about those big water-bug cockroaches the size of a 1950s station wagon. Not one. I will say that now that I’ve been in the city for 10 years, at least when I see a dark blob on the floor at night, I KNOW it’s not going to be a scorpion. More likely a cockroach. And those bastards can fly. Also not likely to find snakes or bats in the house. Or a black widow spiders. But the mosquitoes-- yikes!! We’ve had lots of rain and my back yard is swarming with them. All my years in the country, NO mosquitoes. Sandy soil, so no standing water. Also, there was always a steady breeze day and night. Trade-offs, my friends, life is trade-offs. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2023, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/16 "2023-06-11T20:17:08Z")
> [@Mr.Baggins](#): > > Again, we’ve lived in this house for close to 20 years and had never seen a scorpion. Get a blacklight like Broomstick said. You’ll see them. You’ll see _all_ of them. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/17 "2023-06-12T01:42:48Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > My mom got stung in bed so YMMV Happened to me a few years ago. I think it was on my index finger. A sharp pain for about 10 seconds, followed by about 30 to 40 minutes of a weird electric buzzing sensation which wasn’t entirely uncomfortable. I’ve also had a five inch long centipede run over my arm when I was in bed. That startled me, and I instinctively threw that bastard as hard as I could, and rushed to beat it to a pulp with the heel of a boot. Those things are tough, and hard to kill when you are beating them on a soft carpeted floor. Never got it to the pulp stage, but did manage to get it to dead. Back to scorpions, they are easy to stomp on, but have a surprising amount of liquid in those little bodies. I was expecting **Mr.Baggins’** photo to have a fair amount of scorpion guts. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Baggins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/87869e/32.png) [@Mr.Baggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Baggins)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/18 "2023-06-12T02:19:49Z")
> Back to scorpions, they are easy to stomp on, but have a surprising amount of liquid in those little bodies. I was expecting **Mr.Baggins’** photo to have a fair amount of scorpion guts. Now you’ve got me thinking… I’m not sure my wife mentioned it moving. Would it be possible that the critter molted and all this time we’ve been fretting over an empty husk? Even in the pictures I posted first, it seems kinda dry and, as you mention, not very squished. (Which would mean the scorpion is alive, bigger and still roaming around… telling THAT to the wife and kids is gonna be fun). ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/19 "2023-06-12T02:45:04Z")
> [@Mr.Baggins](#): > > Even in the pictures I posted first, it seems kinda dry and, as you mention, not very squished. Your wife just has a light touch, which was sufficient this time. If she encounters more of these things, she will learn to come down with all the wrath and fury she can summon when she goes into battle. Basically, it’s one step below nuking it from orbit. I suggest that you don’t mention this to her, some things are better left for her to discover on her own. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-what-i-need-to-know-about-this-critter-warning-scorpion-pictures/985300/20 "2023-06-12T05:01:54Z")
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