stinging scorpions

LOL when I was out west it seemed like they were everywhere in places! It didn't seem like you would be able to laydown without laying on one in parts of AZ and NV !
How do you camp without laying on the ground?

I don't camp, at least not intentionally. With a bad back, sleeping on the ground is horribly painful. I will sleep in my pickup, if necessary. Upright is actually better for me, so I am able to walk afterward... LOL!

No critter are inside my pickup.

Ive spent a LOT of nights sleeping in my truck , that's how I know how thick scorpions can be on the ground. Its also dissuaded me from camping in some areas Id like to explore. I like to simply walk out into the areas I like with just food and a little equipment. seldom even a sleeping bag.
Bad backs don't like to carry much!

23

Spent lots of time backpacking in Arizona and Utah. Never got stung by a scorpion while sleeping on the ground. You learn to hang your clothes up, but it's really not a big issue. You learn basic scorpion-country survival skills pretty quickly -- don't put your hands where you can't see them, be careful when picking up firewood or rocks, don't climb mesquite trees.

Most scorpions I've seen have been in civilization. They like rocky ground, and I dislike sleeping on rocky ground, so that may be part of why I've never had a problem with them. Most spots I pick for setting up my camp don't have much cover for scorpions.

I've been stung three times by scorpions around my home. It's unpleasant, but not as bad as other things that are out there. (Tarantula hawks come to mind.)

Guineas love them.

Scorpions don't like lavender! I was told to plant some around the house or, at the very least, have some in pots next to the exterior doors.
The black lights really do work. Rather than spend $20 at home depot for one we bought one for $10 at a party supply store. With Halloween so near you might be able to find one cheaper.

This is how.

I have read the posts....so I need to stock up as a newbie in NV, north of Sparks....its our vacation house so we only spend 50% of our time there, so some of the suggestions will have to wait until we move there permanently at retirement.

-glue traps
-plant lavender around house
-get chickens and cats (when we are there)
-UV night light flashlights
-close off gaps into house

Still I a few questions. Based on the 2 live scorpions we found, they are bark scorpions with venom. When I read the posts, are those the ones members have posted about causing the red hot nasty burning? The only info about the venom I have found is that it could cause death for elderly, children, pets and smaller sized adults. But will most adults be ok without anti-venom? I haven't found enough info about how readily available anti-venom is in the Washoe County, NV area.

Have not seen any tarantulas yet. Found several camel spiders and if the bark scorpion sting is just nasty and not fatal, then the camel spiders are what I fear more. But then again, I have not been stung to know how painful and nasty that is. I have read with camel spiders, they chew up your skin and it's the infection that could kill you.

I have heard of the tarantula hawks, but haven't seen them. So far it seems all our nasty critters have started popping out in the summer heat. Scorpions and camel spiders have seemed to be on the verge of death after a bug bomb, but they come back just as lively as nothing happened pretty soon after.

What is the season for tarantulas, tarantula hawks, or other creatures I have yet to learn about?

Any other suggestions for controlling the critters' access to the house?

Thank you all in advance!

I sleep in a hammock. No scorpions, snakes, ants, spiders, etc. Or inside my truck camper. And don't walk around at night without a flashlight. That's when a lot of nasty things come out and sneak around.

Hey Applepiedd. I've had 3 scorpion stings at different times. They aren't fatal unless you are really! small, really debilitated, or allergic to scorpion stings and go into anaphylactic shock. As I told my coworkers back when I got my 3rd sting, druther have a scorpion sting than be attacked by fireants. Scorpions occur singly but fire ants bring ALL their buddies along and then they all bite down at once.
My boss forced me to go the ER for the 3rd sting. I had taken a benedryl as soon as it happened, the doctor had me repeat for her 3 times that it had been a scorpion and even pulled up a computer picture for me to identify. When she told me not to worry they knew all about how to treat scorpion stings I asked her if she raised them. Turns out she didn't raise them and doctors these days have Google-like programs to look up treatments for stuff they don't know about. Treatment BTW is antihistamines and ice.
Gonna use the search function to see if I can find my earlier posts on scorpion stings.

Date 7/26/10
DE and Boric Acid crystals work when they are DRY. Welcome to FL's 75% humidity and summer pattern of daily thunderstorms. Grandfatherbear is gonna spray around the bed before we leave for the city today.

My 1st sting was at Boy Scout Camp- the local one, 20 minutes from my house. I was the only woman with my troop, and GFB didn't participate in Boy Scouts. We had the campsite nearest the messhall so the entire camp youth contingent treated our latrine/showers as the camp's latrine/showers. It was hot and humid (Think FL in July) and I stood it as long as I could- barely able to sit on the latrine and certainly not able to safely take a shower- my troop knew to holler "Incoming" and and hold off if I was in there, but the other boys in camp did not. I couldn't stand it by Thursday and had to bully and whine to get Arnold, the Scoutmaster, to stand guard for me after light's out so I could shower. No hot water but that cold well water felt so good. Went over to the bench I had left my clean skivvies and class B uniform on and pulled on my skivvies. A hot poker promptly jabbed me in the butt. I slapped it, hard. Felt something crush. I called out "Hey, Arnold, are you my friend?"
He said "Now what?"
"I think I've been stung on the butt by a scorpion".
"I've got news for you, I'm not your friend".
Finished dressing, being careful to shake out every item now, and went to the first aid hut. It was the paramedics night off and the adult male volunteer panicked. I talked him out of calling 911, he confirmed that it was a scorpion and we searched the hut finally finding one and one only benedryl. I went back to my tent and had the best night's sleep I'de had all week-even slept through another troops 3 a.m. raid with shaving cream and water balloons.
And that's the story of sting #1.

Sting # 3 was in Kmart, where the manager accused me of smuggling it in for a fakey lawsuit-it dropped on me from their ceiling. Sting #2 in the garden, digging potatoes
Scorpion sting #4
Woke up screaming after midnight, jabbed by red hot pokers in the back of one thigh and the front of the other. Grandfatherbear hates it when I scream like that, because it indicates such pain. He found a scorpion about 1 1/2 inches long in the bed and smushed it with a slipper. We'll have to be careful and shake out our shoes prior to putting them on...This makes 4 scorpion stings in my life now and mebbe I'll rehash sting #1 sometime, it did make a funny story.
1st aid is Benedryl and ice, so I did sleep pretty well the rest of the night.
If I have to look for the "good" in this situation, I'll say that it's better than standing in a fireant mound. Which I have also done(but not on purpose)
Be danged. I forgot all about the 4th sting.

I don't know about your type scorpion, but when I lived in Texas you had to watch out for any thing/place that had moisture because scorpions would hang out there. Places like kitchen and bathroom. Might check your place and see if you have any place under/near the house where water collects.

Had a friend there once who got ready for her bath, filled up the tub with water added bubble bath and got it nice and bubbly and stepped into the tub and sat down. At which point, the high water went into the overflow drain and scorpions came swimming out of the drain and among the bubbles. She said she'd NEVER moved THAT fast while wet and slippery in her entire LIFE!

Mon

__________________
"Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are
wonderful."

--Ann Landers

here we have those dang little brown scorpions and I let the chickens and yard cats and wasps take care of as many of the outdoor scorpions.

Inside my house as possible and I wear slippers or shoes and keep an eye out for them as I do recluse and hotrod wolf spiders.

__________________
"I didn't have time to slay the dragon. It's on my To Do list!"

I think it was five years after I left Texas before I QUIT shaking my shoes and clothes out before putting them on.

Mon

__________________
"Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are
wonderful."

--Ann Landers

WE dont like to spray the poisons, but I do spray the outside perimiter of the house in the spring with home defense. About a three foot swath seems to work. Makes it easier to sleep at night.

Well since I first posted this question, I talked to a exterminate friend and said spray around the house with Viper, I ain't real crazy about chemicals, but im less crazy about spiders and scorpions , I spray all around baseboards, doors, and go outside and spray around the house .......I've only seen a few since doing this....so I'm kinda pleased

Grandmotherbear...wow 4 times ��I will probably move if.if that happens to me. Thank you for the head shaking make me.go with stories...keep me paranoid. Hope no one in my family is allergic to the point of going into anaphalyctic shock.
Frog mammy...That's a make me think twice in bathroom tubs and sinks story....i wondered about those drain holes.Each time we go back.to California after visiting the ranch, I keep that paranoia and shake clothes, check shoes and all. The funniest is when I scream over a daddy long legs or other tiny harmless creature.
Alaska and Samm...we bug bombed and killed a lot of the food sources for them a few weeks ago. But those scorpions of course survive. We did home defense last week. We will see how that went when we return tomorrow. I had not heard of viper, so that prob be our next try. I bought the uv flashlights to help spot them.
We have a good stock of benadryl and ice.

Thank you everyone for all the great information!!