Arizona Bark Scorpion
If you have had an altercation with a scorpion, you probably already know it is not a pleasant experience. While there are more than 25 species of in Phoenix Arizona, the most venomous of these is the bark scorpion.
If you wondering how big the Arizona bark scorpion is, then I guess it is no consolation to know that an adult male can grow to 8cm length while the female is slightly smaller by a cm. They are light brown in color. Although their size is not all that imposing, that can’t be said of their sting that packs quite a punch.
Bark scorpion behavior
The Arizona bark scorpion is a very good climber. It can easily scale walls as well as crawl across and suspend on ceilings. One might think that the oval shaped stinger might be a hindrance for the scorpion to crawl into tiny spaces. But that is not the case as this scorpion has the ability to flatten it’s stinger enabling it to squeeze into thin cracks.
The Arizona bark scorpion has the ability to gain access into homes through gaps and cracks or weaknesses in your doors, walls or windows.
Where are they found outdoors?
This scorpion is a nocturnal creature and will mostly come out at night to look for food. During the heat of the day, it will take shelter under objects to stay cool and protected from the sun. It can be found in the following areas
- wood lumber piles
- Inside the box of a sprinkler
- Under tree barks
- Inside a pile of rocks
- Gaps in block wall fences
- Cracks in concrete
Where it can be found inside homes
Once this scorpion gains access to your home, it will tend to seek darker undisturbed areas such as closets and other dark storage areas. Other areas that you stumble upon the Arizona bark scorpion in the house include:
- Inside shoes
- In clothing
- Inside bathtubs and sinks where it might have fallen at night while on the hunt
The scorpion looks for shelter when the sun comes out and will hide in clothes and shoes as shelter. It will likely sting should you put the cloth on or wear the shoe.
Bark scorpion sting
Interestingly, the Arizona Bark scorpion is non-aggressive and timid and will typically avoid contact with humans.
A huge majority of stings occurs when humans accidentally touch or step on the scorpion. This is because their sting is a reflexive action to protect themselves against an intruder or a predator.
Symptoms of the Arizona scorpion include intense pain lasting anywhere from one to three days. This is often accompanied a tingling sensation and one can also experience numbness in the sting area. Vomiting and nausea is not uncommon. In severe cases one might experience convulsions. In such a case it is recommended that one gets to a doctor. However, rarely does a scorpion sting lead to a fatality.
Conclusion
The Arizona bark scorpion has a tough exoskeleton that has been known to resist insecticides. However there are some potent insecticides that have enough punch to terminate them. To get rid of bark scorpions, the best course of action is by killing off their food source using pest treatments.
In case you have an overwhelming presence of Arizona bark scorpions in the home or yard, it is a good idea to call your local pest controller to help you get rid of them effectively.
