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Scorpions Are Evil
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 2:18 pm
by anygunanywhere
About 11:00 this morning I gathered up all of my brush clearing tools and loaded it into the Super Duty for an enjoyable bit of yaupon clearing. When I arrived at the back fence line i dutifully put on my leather gloves and other PPe and started working. The gloves are well broke in and comfortable, like an old pair of shoes.
I dug into the task and WHAM! A searing pain on my left index finger inside my glove. It feels like a hot poker is digging into my skin. I dropped what I was doing and pulled my glove off. Small baby scorpion nailed me. Hurt like the blazes.
Went inside and told Mrs Anygun. Took some benedryl and ibuprofen. Finger started tingling and went numb. Still burning right now.
I always check my shoes and clothes. Guess I need to expand my dilligence.
Anygunanywhere
Re: Scorpions Are Evil
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 2:24 pm
by RoyGBiv
Bummer.!
Thanks for the reminder.
Heal fast!
Re: Scorpions Are Evil
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 2:35 pm
by Cedar Park Dad
anygunanywhere wrote:About 11:00 this morning I gathered up all of my brush clearing tools and loaded it into the Super Duty for an enjoyable bit of yaupon clearing. When I arrived at the back fence line i dutifully put on my leather gloves and other PPe and started working. The gloves are well broke in and comfortable, like an old pair of shoes.
I dug into the task and WHAM! A searing pain on my left index finger inside my glove. It feels like a hot poker is digging into my skin. I dropped what I was doing and pulled my glove off. Small baby scorpion nailed me. Hurt like the blazes.
Went inside and told Mrs Anygun. Took some benedryl and ibuprofen. Finger started tingling and went numb. Still burning right now.
I always check my shoes and clothes. Guess I need to expand my dilligence.
Anygunanywhere
Good to know. Always checked shoes but not gloves.
ANY OTHER REACTION? Some people are alleergic. Still lucid? Not dizzy or anything? Any major swelling in the hand or arm?
Re: Scorpions Are Evil
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 2:44 pm
by anygunanywhere
Cedar Park Dad wrote:anygunanywhere wrote:About 11:00 this morning I gathered up all of my brush clearing tools and loaded it into the Super Duty for an enjoyable bit of yaupon clearing. When I arrived at the back fence line i dutifully put on my leather gloves and other PPe and started working. The gloves are well broke in and comfortable, like an old pair of shoes.
I dug into the task and WHAM! A searing pain on my left index finger inside my glove. It feels like a hot poker is digging into my skin. I dropped what I was doing and pulled my glove off. Small baby scorpion nailed me. Hurt like the blazes.
Went inside and told Mrs Anygun. Took some benedryl and ibuprofen. Finger started tingling and went numb. Still burning right now.
I always check my shoes and clothes. Guess I need to expand my dilligence.
Anygunanywhere
Good to know. Always checked shoes but not gloves.
ANY OTHER REACTION? Some people are alleergic. Still lucid? Not dizzy or anything? Any major swelling in the hand or arm?
From what I have gleaned symptoms vary from person to person. I do not have a lot of swelling. Serious pain as described above at the time of sting. A little tingling and numbness in my tongue and lips developed about 2:00 pm, 3 hours after the sting. Pain has subsided to an irritable burn with local tenderness and numbness at the site.
No anaphylaxis.
I have been stung by bees, hornets, and wasps. This one was the worst.
Re: Scorpions Are Evil
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 2:50 pm
by Cedar Park Dad
Ok doesn't sound like a reaction.
I feels for you.
Re: Scorpions Are Evil
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 3:04 pm
by cb1000rider
I got tagged last year.. I didn't know what it was until my mouth and tongue started getting tingly.. Like you, it stopped there and didn't get any more severe.
They're definitely not fun.
In the shop I buy these "sticky" traps in bulk and put them in the corners... That and a good nuclear pest control treatment every 3 months or so.
Re: Scorpions Are Evil
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 3:25 pm
by Dragonfighter
cb1000rider wrote:I got tagged last year.. I didn't know what it was until my mouth and tongue started getting tingly.. Like you, it stopped there and didn't get any more severe.
They're definitely not fun.
In the shop I buy these "sticky" traps in bulk and put them in the corners... That and a good nuclear pest control treatment every 3 months or so.
If your tongue started tingling, the reaction was systemic and the next time could be dangerous. I recommend keeping and epinephrine inhaler around.
FWIW, having been stung by a scorpion and bitten by an assassin bug, an assassin bug hurts every bit as much and they are innocuous looking little guys and one would never suspect it as being a biter, much less one that carries fire in its venom.

Re: Scorpions Are Evil
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 5:05 pm
by KD5NRH
cb1000rider wrote:In the shop I buy these "sticky" traps in bulk and put them in the corners... That and a good nuclear pest control treatment every 3 months or so.
The peanut butter scented glue traps will fill up with scorpions disturbingly quickly. I've seen over a hundred stingers on one trap that had only been set out for 30 days, and it was one of sixteen traps in that house.
We always counted stingers as "soft kills" since about half the scorpions get away, but break their stinger off trying to fight the trap. Still takes care of the problem for however long it takes to regrow.
Re: Scorpions Are Evil
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 5:20 pm
by C-dub
Always heard that it's the small ones you gotta be careful of and not the big ones. Any truth to that? What about the babies/young ones? Is their venom any more or less potent than a large scorpion?
Re: Scorpions Are Evil
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 5:25 pm
by anygunanywhere
C-dub wrote:Always heard that it's the small ones you gotta be careful of and not the big ones. Any truth to that? What about the babies/young ones? Is their venom any more or less potent than a large scorpion?
The baby scorpions have no control over how much venom to inject. The adults can control this.
Re: Scorpions Are Evil
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 5:29 pm
by howdy
I hope you stomped his little guts out!!
Re: Scorpions Are Evil
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 5:41 pm
by anygunanywhere
howdy wrote:I hope you stomped his little guts out!!
Wasn't much left of the little demon once I got the glove off.
Re: Scorpions Are Evil
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:35 pm
by Dragonfighter
anygunanywhere wrote:C-dub wrote:Always heard that it's the small ones you gotta be careful of and not the big ones. Any truth to that? What about the babies/young ones? Is their venom any more or less potent than a large scorpion?
The baby scorpions have no control over how much venom to inject. The adults can control this.
It's a while before the scorpion is large enough to sting, one or two molts IIRC. The "gentleman" scorpions we have around North and Central texas shouldn't cause too much harm unless you are allergic. Now SouthWest Texas and Southern Arizona there is the Arizona Bark Scorpion which can give you a couple of days of severe abdominal pain, respiratory impairment, appendage numbness and rarely death.
Added in Edit: What is ironic is those Black King Scorpions you see in the movies are very docile and their sting feels about like a 9 Volt battery (pre capacitance in a taser). Very mild.
Re: Scorpions Are Evil
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:44 pm
by anygunanywhere
Dragonfighter wrote:anygunanywhere wrote:C-dub wrote:Always heard that it's the small ones you gotta be careful of and not the big ones. Any truth to that? What about the babies/young ones? Is their venom any more or less potent than a large scorpion?
The baby scorpions have no control over how much venom to inject. The adults can control this.
It's a while before the scorpion is large enough to sting, one or two molts IIRC. The "gentleman" scorpions we have around North and Central texas shouldn't cause too much harm unless you are allergic. Now SouthWest Texas and Southern Arizona there is the Arizona Bark Scorpion which can give you a couple of days of severe abdominal pain, respiratory impairment, appendage numbness and rarely death.
Added in Edit: What is ironic is those Black King Scorpions you see in the movies are very docile and their sting feels about like a 9 Volt battery (pre capacitance in a taser). Very mild.
They go through something like 11 molts before they are full grown.
Re: Scorpions Are Evil
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 6:49 pm
by rbwhatever1
Those little Nazi's will make you lose your bearing. I got hit behind the ear a few months back.