Pest control professionals operating in Texas have already reported a higher-than-normal amount of calls concerning scorpion-related pest issues among residents this year, and the summer season has not even started yet. Particularly hot summers tend to see a relatively high amount of indoor scorpion issues, as scorpions tend to gravitate into air-conditioned homes in an effort to find respite from the blazing Texas heat.
Many Texas residents have come to learn that scorpions are not as intimidating as the media often makes them out to be. In fact, of the 18 scorpion species that have been documented within Texas, only one produces venom that is potent enough to result in medical issues. Many desert-dwellers will accurately identify this scorpion species as the “striped-bark scorpion”, and despite this species’ relatively potent venom, its presence near homes can sometimes be dismissed as insignificant. However, it cannot be denied that striped-bark scorpions can pose a threat in some cases due to the species’ willingness to flagrantly invade populated indoor areas.
Striped-bark scorpions are distributed across most of Texas, and this species is encountered by humans more often than any other species in the state, and this includes indoor encounters. The striped-bark scorpion can appear within structures located in the middle of urban centers. For example, one Austin resident claimed that a bark scorpion suddenly appeared within a classroom where he had been taking German language lessons. The scorpion’s appearance in the building surprised him at the time due to the building’s location in the middle of town.
While bark scorpions do possess the most potent venom of all 90 scorpion species that have been documented within the US, they are far from being the largest in body-size. Bark scorpions rarely grow beyond 2.5 inches in length, and most sting incidents result in nothing more than 20 minutes of localized pain. However, those who have an allergy to scorpion venom are likely to experience severe symptoms following a sting from a bark scorpion, and such individuals are likely to go into anaphylactic shock as a result.
Have you ever smashed a scorpion specimen with your foot? If so, did the scorpion make an attempt to evade its violent death?
