Scorpion question for anyone in the Las Vegas area

[mamaKate]

My daughter is moving to LV in May and she's been reading about scorpions. She's seriously spider- phobic and scorpions (even the idea) terrify her. How likely is she to encounter them in a Las Vegas apartment?

 

[Ec_Prokta]

Depends on where she is. Is she in the outskirts, or the middle of the city? The chance is still low either way, but there's a slightly higher chance of 'em on the outskirts.

 

[tnlorprazer]

Truthfully they can be found in the city or the country. The rule of thumb is if you can get a credit/debit card through it a scorpion can get through it. I know its a scary thought but you 'learn to deal'. Use shoe racks for the back of doors instead of leaving them on the floor and just look before you reach. Here's a good article...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/dec/11/scorpions-dont-have-become-problem/

I LOVE Vegas and have been there several times. Lived in Tucson, AZ for years and LOVED it. Planning to move back one day!

 

[BarkerChickens]

I lived in Las Vegas, NV (I am assuming you are talking about NV, not NM) for 11 years-ish. I never had a scorpion in any house or apartment while I was there. Yes they are in Vegas, but they don't want to be with people as much as we don't want to be with them. I have only had a scorpion in my house once and that was in the Phelan, CA (about 3.5 hrs SW of Las Vegas).

She will likely deal with black widows, daddy long legs and wind spiders more than scorpions. Monthly exterminators are about $30 a month...she may want to look into it (or get her own bug spray from Home Depot and spray monthly).

 

[tnlorprazer]

If she's moving into an apt the office staff should be spraying often for pests. At least mine did!

 

[Southernbelle]

My parents live in AZ and spray for them regularly.

 

[vegaschick]

I've lived here in LV for nearly 20 years and have never seen one yet. We do live in an older development (from the 60's) and maybe that makes the difference. Now we do have daddy long leg and black widows though. Black widows are primarily in the yard ... especially around rock walls and places with a lot of cracks and crevasses. My advice? Just spray monthy.

 

[LarryPQ]

most scorpions are resistant to pesticides. DE weks much better: but even more effective is keeping a clean house. If you keep other bugs out, scorpions will not follow. We get ~15 in the house a year, but still no stings to anyone, even the kids. I have been stung by a scorpion a number of times (as a teenager it was a bark's scorpion) and the trick is to keep those "melt-away" children's benadryl int the fridge. Get a sting, take a meltaway. That should prevent any reaction and lessen the "sting".


EDITED: Also, make sure you throw away all your bedskirts.

 

[speckledhen]

Gosh, I live in GA and I can't keep them out of my house. There is a powder pesticide that does kill them. Walmart sells it under the Green Light label. I have it all around my bsmt and find dead ones quite often.

 

[mamaKate]

Thanks, everybody. I'll forward the info to my daughter. I think she'll take the routine spraying route. I can't picture her adjusting to scorpions. lol I think the arachnophobia is a genetic thing from her dad's side. I managed to acclimate the boys but she wouldn't even consider trying to desensitize herself. She considers screaming in their presence to be perfectly normal. I, on the other hand, like spiders (brown recluse excepted).