Hi all, This might seem like a daft question but i was wondering if anyone knew of a way to get rid of a scorpion? found one in the house couple of weeks ago, my husband managed to get rid of it some how, i was reduce to tears, i know what you think (wimp) but it was the thought of, if i didn't find it, it could have been my 1 year old daughter or my 2 year old son that found it some time in the morning, or some how got into my baby's crib. I've never had to deal with anything like this before, untill moving to cyprus. Anyway i just thought if my husband was at work and one got in the house again, what would be a quick and easy way of getting rid of it without any harm coming to me or my children? if anyone can help me with this, it would be much appreciated,
Where exactly is Cyprus (since there's more than one place with the same name, obviously...)? And what did the scorpion look like? How big, what colour, etc? Anyway, if you're anywhere in North America, you probably shouldn't be TOO concerned. It's nothing to worry yourself sick over, anyway. Most scorpions in North America are the same kind - they're small (½" - 1½" in length) and yellow or light brown. They're generally harmless - "generally" meaning that, like other common critters (bees, house spiders, etc.) you only have to worry if you or your husband or kids are allergic to them. Basically, a sting could hurt (especially for one of the little ones) but probably not do much harm. If you find one in your house and don't want to kill it (which I wouldn't, because I love love LOVE spiders and scorpions) the best thing to do is grab a glass jar, put it upside-down over the critter, and slide a piece of paper or thin cardboard under it so you can safely take it outside and let it go. Of course, if you're in a place where you're finding scorpions and other spiders, I hate to say it, but black widows could also be a problem. They're also generally harmless to most healthy people, but could be dangerous to older folks, little ones, or people in bad health. Since you have kids, if you find black widows in your house, I would recommend having the house checked and exterminated. When you find one and KNOW it's a black widow (females are black with the red hourglass, males are small and brown, and basically harmless, so you probably wouldn't know if it was a male) it could mean that she has eggs somewhere, and that's the main concern. Nobody needs 150 mini black widows hatching in a hidden corner of the garage or anything, expecially with kids and pets around.
Cyprus (where i live) is just over the sea from iraq, north of egypt (i think)...lol. The scorpion was about 1 1/2 in length and a sandy colour, don't know if we get widow spiders here, i hope we don't. Thanks for your reply, i just hope i never have to pluck up the courage to get rid of one
Id either whack it with a rolled up newspaper till it was in pieces, or put a heavy cup over it and wait until your husband comes home...
Okay... see, I asked because there are places called Cyprus here in North America, and of course, other countries... including the Mediterranean. The scorpion you found was probably a Spanish Yellow Scorpion (told you guys I'm an arachnid geek, haha) which can be somewhat harmful to people, moreso to kids. I already said the best way to get rid of them if you don't want to kill them... if killing them IS an option, well, obviously, just squash 'em or find a way to catch and flush it. A really bad sting is kind of like a black widow bite... pretty painful, muscle cramps, headache, vomiting, fever, etc. If you, your husband or one of your kids is stung (and you'll know if a kid gets stung...) the best thing to do is just get to a doctor as soon as you can. It's not necessarily gonna be life-or-death, so don't panic if it does happen. Critters like that prefer NOT to be messed with, and will probably only sting if they're played with or stepped on.
Thanks for the onfo, like i said, i'm not used to things like this, so glad there is someone that knows what they are talking about. Thanks again
I grew up in an area with various scorpions, and all the new mamas had the crib legs in large glasses to prevent the buggers from climbing the legs. Since the bastards can also wander in heating ducts, many cribs were far from any ceiling openings, too.
