Western Pest Control

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Scorpions Are Everywhere in Phoenix, Maybe even at your house

Get To Know Scorpions

DID YOU KNOW THAT SCORPIONS ARE NOT INSECTS? .... Scorpions are annoying little pests. But... They are not insects. You may be saying to yourself right now, "What?" but no they are not insects. Scorpions are actually considered to be Arachnids. Arachnids are eight legged creatures like Spiders, Ticks and Scorpions.

...and Not all scorpions are poisonous! Some Scorpions contain a lethal sting, most scorpians only have stings that are as potent as a honey bee sting. But stings can be deadly. If you happen to have an allergic reaction to a sting it can very well be fatal. Don't be fooled by even the smallest Scorpion. And while not all are deadly, the Arizona Bark Scorpion is the most poisonous in the United States. And despite not running a high risk of death, the stripped bark scorpion sting is painful. So we still advise finding a scorpion control solution that is right for you.

+ Scorpions have four pairs of legs. They also have pincers that look like little lobster claws.
+ Scorpions come in many sizes and colors, but most of the ones you'll see in Arizona are usually pale gold or tan in color.

Although some scorpions in other parts of the world can be six inches long or longer, most of the adult scorpions in metro Phoenix are probably less than 3 inches long. They have a venom bulb (the telson) at the end of a long tail and a stinger at the end.  There are about 90 species of scorpions in the United States and an estimated 1,500 species worldwide. There are more than 40 species in Arizona.
+ Scorpions hide under rocks or debris. They live in crawl spaces.
+ They are active and feed at night. The scorpions that are native to Arizona typically eat spiders, insects and each other, if they are hungry enough.
+ They hide during the day. Check your shoes and clothes before putting them on if you live in an area where there are likely to be scorpions.
+ If you live in an area where there is a lot of construction, you may be more likely to find scorpions inside because their outdoor habitat has been disturbed.
+ They can live for months on just water. Because they are looking for water, you may find them in or under sinks or tubs.
+ Scorpions can live to be over 6 years old.
+ Scorpions sting. But you knew that, or you wouldn't be reading this! A scorpion sting may result in some pain, itching, swelling, or tenderness of the area. If you are stung by a scorpion, here's what you do .
If you are stung by any scorpion, including the venomous Arizona Bark Scorpion, here are some immediate actions you should take:
+ Wash the area of the scorpion sting with soap and water.
+ Apply a cool compress on the area of the scorpion sting. Ice (wrapped in a washcloth or other suitable covering) may be applied to the sting location for 10 minutes. Remove compress for 10 minutes and repeat as necessary.
+ If stung on a limb (arm or leg) elevate the limb to heart level.
+ Call the Banner Poison Control Center Hotline at 1-800-222-1222. If you develop symptoms such as numbness or tingling of extremities or face, blurry vision, or muscle twitching, roving eye movements, go to the nearest emergency room. Young children and older people who are stung by a scorpion should be taken to the emergency room immediately.
+ Keep your tetanus shots and boosters current.
+ The great majority of scorpion stings occur on the hands and feet. Watch where you step with bare feet, and watch where you reach with your hands.

In the western U.S. only one species of scorpion venom is considered very dangerous to humans. Yup, we have it right here in Scottsdale, Cave Creek, Gilbert, Mesa and most valley cities that surround Phoenix Arizona. It is called the Arizona Bark Scorpion. It is straw colored or opaque and usually less than 2 inches long. The Arizona Bark Scorpion is most dangerous if the person stung has an allergic reaction. There are other bark scorpions, and other types of scorpions that are even more common in Phoenix homes than the Arizona bark scorpion. Most people assume they are seeing the most dangerous scorpion when they see any scorpion. I suppose it's safest to make that assumption, since most people don't want to get close enough to distinguish the various species from one another!

Bad news: every year many people in the world die from scorpion stings. Good news: hardly anyone ever dies in Arizona, because antivenin is available for severe cases. According to the University of Arizona "in the past 20 years there have been no reported fatalities in the U.S. due to scorpion stings." Certain people may be allergic to scorpion venom just like some people are allergic to bee stings (or strawberries or peanuts...) although according to the same source no cases of that type of allergic reaction has been reported in Arizona.

Here are some common sense tips that will help control scorpions and how you can help avoid scorpions.
+ Close or caulk door openings, screen openings and window cracks so scorpions can't get into the house.
+ Dust and vacuum in corners and normally undisturbed places where scorpions hide.
+ Eliminate the scorpion's prey (crickets, spiders, and other insects) by using common pesticides.
+ Common pesticides don't work well on scorpions. Contact a professional pest control company if considering applying chemicals.
+ Eliminate outdoor places where scorpions can hide, such as trash piles, rock piles, decaying wood or piles of junk.
+ Don't walk around the house at night in bare feet.
+ A professional pest control company like Invader Pest Management can do a "blacklight" inspection to determine if there is a scorpion infestation, since scorpions glow.

About the Author


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Western Pest

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Bed Bug Invasion: Fact or Media Frenzy?

"Bed Bugs Invade America!" screamed the headline on a supermarket tabloid. "Tiny, Evil and Everywhere" shrieked the Washington Post. "Bloodthirsty Bedbugs Stage Comeback" thundered National Geographic News.


Read the headlines and you get the impression that bed bugs have invaded our shores in force and are chomping their way down Main Street USA. Until five years ago bed bug reports were virtually non-existent in the U.S. Then the blood-sucking insects started cropping up in homes, apartments, hotels and college dorms across the country fueling a media frenzy. Chastising fellow journalists, David Segal of the Washington Post pointed out in a February article, "more than 400 articles have wriggled into print, all making roughly the same point: The bloodsucking critters are back, and in numbers that amount to a scourge." Segal claims that "the scale of this ‘swarm' has been overstated, maybe wildly so. … ‘The bugs are back' is so perfect a trend story that it seems hand-forged by the trend-story gods. It's what happens when you combine a creepy villain, primal fear and squishy statistics."


In the March issue of Pest Management Professional, editorial director Frank Andorka made this rebuttal to Segal's story: "Of course, many reporters are rooting for the bed bug: It's great copy – a cryptic, bloodsucking insect that feeds on people when they are sleeping and is difficult to control. What could possibly be a better story than that? But just because it's good copy doesn't mean the stories aren't true."


So what's the real story? Are bed bugs a genuine threat or is this so much media hype. Some argue that journalists are feeding the frenzied paranoia of a panicked citizenry. Others point to very real statistics that show a 70% increase in reported bed bug infestations in the U.S. in the past five years. In a national survey conducted for Pest Management Professional, University of Kentucky entomologist Michael Potter found, "A whopping 91% of respondents reported their organizations had encountered bed bug infestations in the past two years. Only 37% said they encountered bed bugs more than five years ago." Pest control companies that for decades had received no calls about bed bugs are suddenly receiving dozens. In large urban areas it's not uncommon for companies to field 100 to 150 bed bug complaints a week, according to a National Pest Management Association survey.


After near eradication by DDT-based pesticides in the 1950s, bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are on the rise. A worldwide scourge throughout human history, bed bugs, fleas and lice used to be regular nightly bedmates. Your grandmother's bedtime mantra -- "Sleep tight; don't let the bed bugs bite!" – was rooted in the reality of pre-World War II life when bed bugs were commonly found in beds across the U.S. In the 1930s, people wallpapered their bedrooms with arsenic-laced wallpaper to kill bed bugs. Metal bed frames, considered less likely to harbor bed bugs, were the rage. Twice a year bedsteads were completely dismantled and scrubbed to keep bed bugs at bay. Until the insect-killing properties of DDT were discovered during World War II, no effective pesticide existed to eradicate bed bugs. Development of DDT-based insecticides after the war allowed America and most industrialized countries to stamp out bed bugs.


Discovery of DDT's cancer risk to humans and lethal threat to wildlife led to its banning in the early 1970s. By the mid-1990s, reports of bed bug infestations began to surface in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Western Europe. With no lethally effective pesticide available, bed bugs have multiplied and spread. "Since the mid-1990s, numbers of reported infestations have almost doubled annually," said Clive Boase, author of a bed bug study published by the Institute of Biology in London. Bed bug infestations in London have risen tenfold since 1996, Boase reported. According to National Geographic News, bed bug complaints to pest control companies increased 700% in Australia between 2000 and 2004 and 500% in the U.S. While these figures seem astonishing, keep in mind that if a pest controller received two bed bugs calls in 2000, an increase of 500% would equal 10 calls in 2004, not quite the "invasion" trumpeted in news reports. Still, last year bed bug infestations were reported in every state in the U.S., and reports are increasing exponentially each year. "This is a serious issue," Potter recently told the New York Times. "This will be the pest of the 21st century."


Scientists haven't pinned down a single cause for the bed bug proliferation, but cite a combination of factors, including the increased ease of international travel, lack of potent insecticides, and discovery of pesticide-resistant bed bugs. The size of an apple seed, these wingless insects are nocturnal, hiding in tiny cracks and crevices on mattresses and near beds, and coming out at night to feed on human blood. Females typically lay 500 eggs during their six- to 12-month lifespan. Eggs hatch in four to 12 days, and larva begin to feed, reaching adult status in about a month. Three or more generations can be produced in a year. A few bed bugs can lead to a major infestation in just a short time. Easily transported, bed bugs often enter a home on luggage, clothing or used or rental furniture. They spread through multi-unit properties like apartments and hotels through air ducts, electrical and plumbing conduits and wall voids. New York City recently launched an education campaign when serious bed bug infestations in the immigrant community were linked to the sale of infested secondhand mattresses.


Not all bed bug complaints turn out to be bed bugs. "I get samples every day," said Harvard University entomologist Richard Pollack, who noted that "fewer than half" turn out to be bed bugs. Carpet beetles, lice, fleas, ticks, chiggers, mites, even lint are often mistaken for bed bugs. False alarms are part of the territory, said New York City housing authority spokesman Howard Marder. "Experience shows that residents may have heard rumors about bedbugs, so if they wake up with a rash or an itch, they think they've got them. … If you make people aware of a problem, reports about it are likely to go up."


Sometimes the power of suggestion results in delusory parasitosis, or Ekbom's Syndrome, in which real environmental elements such as static electricity or dry skin cause severe itching that is incorrectly perceived to be caused by insects. Scratching can cause bleeding welts that only serve to "validate" victims' claims of an insect infestation. Most incidents are related to seasonal changes in humidity triggered by the start up of heating or air conditioning systems.


For those who actually do have bed bugs, the experience can be traumatic. Bites leave red, itchy welts that can bedevil bed bug victims. While scientists assure us that bed bugs are merely a nuisance pest and do not transmit diseases, the thought of being nibbled on while they sleep is enough to send many victims screaming from their beds. "It's horrible. They're feeding on your family, your skin; their main meal is a human body," a horrified Atlantic Beach bed bug victim told NBC 12 First Coast News in Jacksonville, Florida. She said her two-year-old would wake up crying from the bites. Shannon (who refused to give her last name) spent hours shuttling her welt-covered children to different doctors before an entomologist correctly diagnosed the problem as bed bugs. In a typical reaction, Shannon threw out mattresses, beds, sofas and linens. She moved her family out and hired a pest control company to "tent" and fumigate their house. New technologies like Cryonite which freezes and kills bugs and eggs using non-toxic carbon dioxide vapor can be applied without going to such extremes. But when bed bugs bite, most people panic. They don't care whether there's a bed bug invasion sweeping America or not. One bug in their bed is one too many.

About the Author

Douglas Stern is the managing partner of Stern Environmental Group and a bed bug extermination expert. His firm serves clients in New Jersey, New York City, and New York. You can reach him toll free at 1-888-887-8376 or by email at info@sternenvironmental.com or at www.SternEnvironmental.com

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