I live in moore oklahoma by 4th and santa fe in a neighborhood surrounded by other houses, i have lived in the house 2 years now, well sunday evening my son picked up something in the living room and showed my wife and she screamed drop it drop it.. it was a scorpion, he wasnt stung "thank goodness", but i never had a scorpion in the house, has anyone else had this problem or a solution, we have no debris around the house we dont have trees in our yard, the grass is kept well, whats going on, is the heat that drove it in the house? When theres one in the house does that mean there is lots? we cleaned up the living room area, moving couches (checking under them) and checking all around the house. Im just really parnoid about this.

Some light reading:

Of the 30 species of scorpions native to the United States, only the Arizona bark scorpion is capable of causing lethal reactions in humans. Bark scorpions widely vary in the amount of venom they inject; all envenomation generally causes severe pain and swelling at the sting site, but systemic symptoms are common in larger doses and can be severe. Bark scorpion stings cause death in less than 1% of untreated adults but fully 25% of untreated children 5 and under. Thousands are estimated to be stung in Arizona every year without seeking treatment; due to the unavailability of bark scorpion antivenom, the Arizona Poison Control currently advises against emergency room visits for bark scorpion stings unless the victim is a child, breathing difficulty is encountered, or the pain becomes intolerable. Both systemic and local symptoms typically subside within 24-48 hours.
For more, see Scorpion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpion)

See too:
Hey! A Scorpion Stung Me! (http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/bugs/scorpion.html)

thanks kevinpate, I still cant believe a scorpion entered my house, is the common in oklahoma, i know my sister had a snake in her house about a month ago and she lives in moore as well.

I'm not recalling having a scorpion in the house before, but hey, i can hide my own easter eggs, so let's not rely on my memory.

I do know with the heat peak this past week, it doesn't really surprise me that any living creature might be seeking out new shade.

There's a lot of paranoia about scorpions (at least the common variety around here) for a few reasons:

1. While common, they don't too often wander into homes;
2. They are just plain scary looking;
3. They've got a really bad rap from movies, documentaries showing the most "deadly" of their species from South America and other countries, where they can be quite dangerous.

And while they certainly CAN BE dangerous, the ones around here, typically, just cause a painful sting. However, if they sting a small child or someone known to have bee sting allergies, then seek immediate treatment.

Here is a really good article put out by an entimologist from OSU about scorpions.

http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2289/EPP-7303web.pdf

thanks frittergirl, i hope this is just a one time thing, my son is only 2 years old and like i said he was holding it when my wife saw it, thanks goodness he wasnt stung, we checked him over and over, its been almost 24 hours and nothing so where in the clear, plus he would have felt it and whinned. I was told by a relative to get a cat and the cat will take care of the scorpions? that doesnt make sense i never heard of that lol.

I've seen cats eat crickets and other insects before, I doubt they are above catching and eating a scorpion.

No reason to freak out. It doesn't happen often, but if you see another one, just squish it and call Terminix.

What a creepy thread...........I hate all of those critters.....Can't blame you for being paranoid....makes you wanna wear your flip-flops in the house....AACCCKKK!!!!

Sorry I have nothing to offer....just wanted to comment that I HATE them...

The scorpion you saw was probably Centruroides vittatus or commonly known as the striped bark scorpion.

They're harmless but their stings do hurt.

http://www.lotsalegs.tenczar.net/Cvittatus/Centruroides_vittatus.jpg

yes thats the one, creepy

Jesseda, there is one behind you on the chair.

That was evil Thunder.

I havent had any problems with scorpions, but saturday morning a huge wasp got in the house. Now I wish I hadnt trained the cats to catch "buggies". Two cats chasing the wasp like it was a flying fillet and me running around with a flyswater and a can of raid. I think every creature in the room scared the others.

:sofa:

Good luck with your scorpion Jesseda.

http://rofl.wheresthebeef.co.uk/Kill%20it%20With%20Fire%20Aliens.jpg

Strange but eerily true; When I lived in Shawnee about 25 yrs ago, I checked my mailbox after work one day and there was a scorpion and a letter in it. The postage rate then was 18 cents and there were 3 6 cent stamps on the envelope. (Hmmm?)

thanx thunder, My co-worker told me she had one in her house about 6 years ago. She lives close to downtown okc, so thats more of a surprise than living in moore to have a scorpion.. I know at hillsdale free will baptist college in moore, there was talks about the people living in the campus apartments having to deal with scorpions.. But still to be safe i will wear shoes around the house, this morning i was shaking my shoes before i put them on lol. Now if I see another one anytime soon in my house I will be looking for a good exterminator..

The only thing that I'm terrorified of entering my place is spiders and bugs. I have not encounter one yet in this new place, but hopefully not anytime soon. Now you bring up this scorpion talk, I really wish you did not. LOL I've never thought of scorpions and had always related them to be living out in the desert in another state. Sad to know that they exist here as well. I thought they like heat? I hope the one that came into your house was not the reason relating to heat. If so, then we all should be very afraid and double check our shoes and everything.

I live in Moore also in the Briarwood Creek addition. I don't consider my house very old. About five years? And we've seen tons of things. We occasionally find snakes in the backyard. Twice I found their skin peel. It was gross and gave me the creeps. Once there was a snake in the master bathroom! And there was a scorpion in the dining room a few years ago. It was dead. How odd... Last week there was a wasp in the house.
I don't know how these things get into the house. But they all freak me out. Lately, we've been spider infested.

To also let you all know, we have native tarantulas too. I found two Oklahoma browns in Mitch Park in Edmond a few years ago.

http://www.garden-city.org/zoo/Misty%27s%20Pics/Animals/Tarantula.jpg

Their bites are not dangerous at all, more like a very mild bee sting. Just ignore them but I doubt you'll find something that large in your house.

This is a terrorifying topic. :omg:

It doesn't matter how old your house is--you live in Oklahoma. There are bugs, spiders, and snakes. I'm not saying I'm happy when I find a fiddleback in my apartment, but it's part of life.

My rule is: if they invade my territory, then they die. Kind of like in Mid's picture with all the fire. If I'm in their territory, then I leave them alone!

Nice photo of the tarantula. I'm scared to death of spiders but tarantulas don't bother me at all. My mom was mowing the yard once when I was younger, and when my sister and I brought her a cold drink, a tarantula had crawled all the way up to my mom's arm without her knowing it! We started yelling and when she looked down, she just brushed it off like it was no big deal lol.

my parents live in the east hills addition by 12th and eastern area, when i lived with them almost 18 years in that house, we usually see about 6 snakes a year in the back yard, the biggest was about 3 1/2 feet long, my mom isa clean freak, but we always had spiders, i went to the hospital 2 times because of fiddle backs. my parents neighbors have the same problem.. So I was happy when i bought my first house, because in the two years we have only found 2 spiders, house spiders, and no snakes, I guess you get rid of one problem you get get another (scorpions)..

A few years ago I lived off of Memorial in the NW part of town and I and several friends all had problems with scorpions. I think they are more common in the metro than most people realize.

I live in Edmond and have had several in my house. One I caught crawling up my ankle (yikes!)

I live in Moore (4th & Bryant) and haven't found any scorpions in the house (yet, knock on wood!). I work up off NW Expressway between MacArthur & Meridian and there's a field right behind us and in the 8yrs I've worked there, we get maybe 3 or 4 small scorpions in the office during the summer - usually right after they mow the field.

When my wife & I were first married, we found a scorpion in our 2nd floor apartment. It looked very much like the one Silvergrove posted in this thread. I killed it, and we never saw another one. Poisonous or not, they still look very menacing. Heck, even the word "scorpion" is a little creepy.

The scorpion you saw was probably Centruroides vittatus or commonly known as the striped bark scorpion.

They're harmless but their stings do hurt.

http://www.lotsalegs.tenczar.net/Cvittatus/Centruroides_vittatus.jpg

If the sting hurts, that ain't so damned harmless. I hate pain. Never occured to me that it could kill me. I just don't want the agony and the horror.

And that person in the picture is one sicko. Are they dead or deranged?

ECO, have you seen the video of a lady in another country locked in a glass room for weeks? She had scorpions all over the rooms and on her as well. The lady ate and slept in the same room. When time was up, she gave the grand exit with all the scorpions on her body.

I used to not like mice, but then I realized, da snakes gotta have something to eat.
8^)

PS, when you have a not so developed filtering system, and that rolls across your lips at a mom-n-me type event you're helping at, your audience tends to think you are very very strange. Oh, if only they knew 8^) 8^)

eeeeeeeeeeeek! Yep, when we first moved to OK.... I had a scorpion in my bedroom! omg.. thought I died and gone to Hell! Turns out , he was harmless.

I, however, aged 10 years just thinking of it. Come to think of it, I haven't had one in many years inhabit our home thank God!

But, just a few days ago I was attacked by a freaking horsefly at Turner's Falls! I thought it was a Bee, and since I'm allergic to bees I instantly tried to jump into the water.. well, as most of you know, it's pretty slick and shallow in that area.. so I was flailing around in about an inch of water trying to submerge myself.. I ended up much more bruised and injured than if I had just taken the sting of an bee.. heavy sigh.. damn bugs.

horsefly my eye.
You don't know just how lucky you were to escape the dreaded
Flying Scorpion Monkey of the Arbuckles.

Glad you're still with us. Sounds like a close call.

I feel bad for Karrie. There is so many things that go wrong she shares with us on here.

It is a good thing that you did not crack your head open on the rocks. Too many accidents out there. I've been out there twice and during those times, I've seen a lot of ambulances speeding back and forth.

Anything that flies toward and near me, I will run. Most of the time, I don't check to see what it is. One time I jumped badly at work when a lil annoying fly got close to me.

Ya know, those flying insects is very dumb. They do not understand the arms waving toward them to get them to go away. And when we run, they think it is a chasing game.

Horsefly bites suck. I'd rather be all bruised and sore than take one of those!

Anything that flies toward and near me, I will run. Most of the time, I don't check to see what it is. One time I jumped badly at work when a lil annoying fly got close to me.

Ya know, those flying insects is very dumb. They do not understand the arms waving toward them to get them to go away. And when we run, they think it is a chasing game.

I love the way you look at things.

I've never been a big bug fan. When I was little a bumble bee chased me for a mile while I was on my bike. I kept looking back while riding as fast as I could and it was always right behind me. I finally escaped by running into a grocery store. Another time in Arkansas while on a fishing vacation a wasp was chasing me and my dad shot at it with a rifle (which he took to protect us from water moccasins......yuck).......looking back my dad had a much better chance of hitting me than the wasp. I've jumped off a riding mower to get away from wasps before too.....mowers are good at taking out fences when noone is driving them.

I could never ever ever ever live in eastern Arkansas with all the cottonmouths they have there......

For dad :elmer3:

And to think people EAT them critters...yuck!

We had more problems with Black Widows when we lived in Glendale, AZ. I've only seen two Black Widows since moving to OKC (10 years this September).

http://i650.photobucket.com/albums/uu221/gobsmakkd/maneatingscorpions.jpg

EEEWWWWWWWWW - again CREEPY thread...and it's getting creepier....I can relate to the posts here of almost killing myself JUST to get away from those flying-stinging-pest.... <shudder>

Has anyone seen the Cicada Killers? My first encounter was about 4 years ago...had NEVER seen one of those. Had to google the stupid thing to find out exactly what it was...very INTIMIDATING looking wasp with a yellow-jacket body.....AAACCCKKKKK!!!!!!!

I live in moore oklahoma by 4th and santa fe in a neighborhood surrounded by other houses, i have lived in the house 2 years now, well sunday evening my son picked up something in the living room and showed my wife and she screamed drop it drop it.. it was a scorpion, he wasnt stung "thank goodness", but i never had a scorpion in the house, has anyone else had this problem or a solution, we have no debris around the house we dont have trees in our yard, the grass is kept well, whats going on, is the heat that drove it in the house? When theres one in the house does that mean there is lots? we cleaned up the living room area, moving couches (checking under them) and checking all around the house. Im just really parnoid about this.

Scorpions look like hell, but don't worry, there are more dangerous snakes and spiders in Oklahoma. :tiphat:

well I didn't see anymore scorpions in the house so thats good news, well last night i tried scaring my wife by brushing my hand up and down her arm trying to make it seem like something was crawling up her arm while she was about to go to sleep. Well my new question is, is there anything that can reduce swelling around an eye. My wife didn't take my joke very well. lol

[I]Has anyone seen the Cicada Killers? My first encounter was about 4 years ago...had NEVER seen one of those. Had to google the stupid thing to find out exactly what it was...very INTIMIDATING looking wasp with a yellow-jacket body.....AAACCCKKKKK!!!!!!!

lol....like a mutant wasp/bumble bee on steroids. Darn good thing they arent very aggresive.

I also forgot to mention this too, we also have native centipedes. They're not as common in the city area as the Oklahoma Brown tarantula and the bark scorpions (I did find a centipede baby in my house last year).

These are far more significant than the tarantula and scorpion, as their bites are strong enough to warrant a visit to the doctor for painkillers. It hurts a lot but I don't think there are any recorded human fatalities with the centipedes here.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f391/EvilCheshire51/Centipedes/Picture1036.jpg

ewwwwwwwwwwww god no..... half snake half scorpion

I saw one of these in my school for the first time in my life. Turns out they are common.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/whit1019/centipedes/House_centipede.jpg

I freaked the hell out, man. I had no idea what it was. The students laughed at me until I found a picture of it. They didn't laugh after that!

I guess I should say what it is: a house centipede, in case no one else knew, either!

I saw one of these in my school for the first time in my life. Turns out they are common.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/whit1019/centipedes/House_centipede.jpg

I freaked the hell out, man. I had no idea what it was. The students laughed at me until I found a picture of it. They didn't laugh after that!

That's a common house centipede. They're not dangerous at all but they can be fairly fast. Their bites usually won't penetrate human skin. They like damp places in your home.

That's a common house centipede. They're not dangerous at all but they can be fairly fast. Their bites usually won't penetrate human skin. They like damp places in your home.

I guess that's why I saw it in the school--it was back in April/May when it was raining so much!

We get all kinds of creepies and crawlies in that building, though. I shouldn't have been so surprised! I'm just amazed I had never seen one before. I always saw the big ones outside growing up. And I avoided them like crazy because I knew they could inflict some serious pain!

Now I'm wondering...why is this in the pet section?? Would people here keep these buggers as pets?

........and I'm wondering why I keep opening this thread..............LOL

well I didn't see anymore scorpions in the house so thats good news, well last night i tried scaring my wife by brushing my hand up and down her arm trying to make it seem like something was crawling up her arm while she was about to go to sleep. Well my new question is, is there anything that can reduce swelling around an eye. My wife didn't take my joke very well. lol

You are an AWFUL man. You should be put in a cage.

LOL @ ECO!!!!!! And Jesseda, I think ya got what ya deserved, and if I were you, I would sleep with that one good eye open for awhile.

The scorpion you saw was probably Centruroides vittatus or commonly known as the striped bark scorpion.

They're harmless but their stings do hurt.



Yep - I was woken up by something crawling on my should about a month ago. So I instinctively tried to swat it off and then a severe burning sensation at several points on my back. After turning on the lights, we found the little bugger in the bed. Nothing much from the stings but pain and some stomach cramping though. So I also let the little guy go live in a more appropriate area.

It's a a bit ironic that I've photographed/wrangled hundreds of potentially dangerous arachnids and have never been bitten or stung until this wild one gets me.

ow thats my worst nightmare

Get some sticky traps....put them behind couches, stoves etc.... you'd be amazed what lives with you.

PS. I work down on south meridian and the I40 area, right by the river. There are scorpions everywhere. Don't worry about them, it's the brown recluse you should be concerned with. aka fiddleback!

.pps don't stomp on a scorpion and assume it's dead. They are extremely well armored and very resilient.

dont tell me about fiddlebacks i went the hospital 2 times because of them. that is what makes me want to move to snow country to get awayfrom these arachnids

eeeeeeeeeeeek! Yep, when we first moved to OK.... I had a scorpion in my bedroom! omg.. thought I died and gone to Hell! Turns out , he was harmless.

I, however, aged 10 years just thinking of it. Come to think of it, I haven't had one in many years inhabit our home thank God!

But, just a few days ago I was attacked by a freaking horsefly at Turner's Falls! I thought it was a Bee, and since I'm allergic to bees I instantly tried to jump into the water.. well, as most of you know, it's pretty slick and shallow in that area.. so I was flailing around in about an inch of water trying to submerge myself.. I ended up much more bruised and injured than if I had just taken the sting of an bee.. heavy sigh.. damn bugs.

OMG I know that's not funny, but good lord I snorked loud enough to get the person in the next room's attention... HORSEFLIES SUCK!

Oklahoma also have the Brown Recluse spider.

http://deboradale.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/brown-recluse-spider.jpg

This still terrorify me of actually seeing one near by.

Here is an example of their bite. Once they bite, the tissues will die before healing.

http://www.countyofkings.com/ag%20commissioner/Ag%20Services%20Pages/Ag%20Services%20Images/BrownRecluseBitelrg.jpg

Click on that link for an example. The pix is too big to post on here.

dang u thunder now thats creepy

dang u thunder now thats creepy

I never knew of them until I've read and seen pictures about them last year or two. Ever since, I've been worried about having one in my place. I know they can be found in dark places and what is scary is that I always keep the lights off until I am in a room.

let me give you some advice the doctor at the hospital told me they are common in the house, if you have teacups sets wine glass sets inside curios they like to go in them, they like closets and beds. i have seen them on ceilings (very creepy). they like houses that a warmer, so kick on that air to 66 degrees.. whats weird every time i got bit ( the two times) or the times i see them the most is late spring to late summer and it is always right before a night time storm , when the house is hot and humid and sticky. The best thing that worked for me is the room foggers and the spray called hot shot. Just thank goodness i havent seen any in the house i have lived in these past two years, but i think i might fog the house soon to be on the safe side

So I also let the little guy go live in a more appropriate area.

That would be "hell," if you ask me.

i like scorpions and spiders i may get one soon

i like scorpions and spiders i may get one soon

Which ones are you thinking about getting?

I had a friend who actually had an Imperial Scorpion as a pet. He'd take an emory board (fingernail board) and file the sharp part of the stinger down. That was the creepiest hugest damn bug (I know it's not a bug) that you've ever held in your hand.

What was even more creepy is that it turned out to be VERY pregnant and one morning he woke up and there were about a thousand little bitty ones. Sadly she ate every one of them within 24 hours. (or not sadly, depending on your outlook).

I had a tarantula once as a pet. Stupid as a sack of hair. It's was like a sleeping ball of hair and legs. I literally had to prod the damn thing to eat.