Quite an eventful wake up call

[texasmama]

OK - in the highly unlikely event I ever go somewhere they have scorpions, I'm never ever going to pee.  At least not without a baseball bat.  

 

I recommend wearing the type of suits and boots that firemen wear, in addition to Depends undergarments, while passing through Texas.  ;)

 

Do remember that the Texas scorpions aren't deadly.  The ones in Arizona can kill ya.  Depends- and boots-worthy, for sure.  ;)

 

[Annie G]

When we were newly married, I called dh at work one day, frantic. There was a scorpion crawling up the bedroom wall.  He was nice, but asked why I called him to tell him about it. I wanted him to come home and kill it!  Being 30 miles away, he declined to take me up on that and I killed it myself. And took the carcass to throw it in the outside trash can because I did NOT want that thing in my house. Opened the empty trash can and what was on the lid? A black widow.    It's amazing that I didn't call a realtor that day and put the house up for sale.     

 

An entire spray can or bug spray is not overkill when the target is a black widow, btw. 

 

So we moved to northern Illinois, far away from such awful creatures. But I found myself calling dh because there was a bat hanging in our bedroom window.  This would all be a lot more fun if I was more Steve Irwin and less  Chicken Little. 

 

*crossing off Arizona from my list of 'must see' states*

[texasmama]

When we were newly married, I called dh at work one day, frantic. There was a scorpion crawling up the bedroom wall. He was nice, but asked why I called him to tell him about it. I wanted him to come home and kill it! Being 30 miles away, he declined to take me up on that and I killed it myself. And took the carcass to throw it in the outside trash can because I did NOT want that thing in my house. Opened the empty trash can and what was on the lid? A black widow. It's amazing that I didn't call a realtor that day and put the house up for sale.

 

An entire spray can or bug spray is not overkill when the target is a black widow, btw.

 

So we moved to northern Illinois, far away from such awful creatures. But I found myself calling dh because there was a bat hanging in our bedroom window. This would all be a lot more fun if I was more Steve Irwin and less Chicken Little.

 

*crossing off Arizona from my list of 'must see' states*

This is awesome! Hehehe

 

We have black widows here, too. So far, they are only outside.

 

I was doing the dishes once and there was a scorpion in the dishrag. Once I was doing the laundry and a scorpion hung off the wall. Another time I reached into the laundry basket and saw something move. Yep, it was a scorpion.

 

Household tasks are dangerous. I should get a maid. ;)

[1GirlTwinBoys]

Seriously, why do I read these threads... :huh: Why do I do this to myself. :confused1:

[Seasider]

OK - in the highly unlikely event I ever go somewhere they have scorpions, I'm never ever going to pee. At least not without a baseball bat.

With your feet in the air.

[Seasider]

Now now ladies, are y'all gonna stop hatin' on Florida or do I have to link up that thread about delightful Australian creatures?!!

[Annie G]

Now now ladies, are y'all gonna stop hatin' on Florida or do I have to link up that thread about delightful Australian creatures?!!

 

 

If it makes you feel any less picked on, I've added Texas and Arizona to my 'nope' list.   

 

My sister moved to Florida earlier this year so I am going to have to face my fears when I visit her. She never tells me about scary things - she just sends pictures of the pretty birds that visit her yard. Not sure if she doesn't get the scary things or she's just not telling me about them. 

 

And no need to bring Australia into it.  I haven't decided whether Australia's residents are brave or crazy. 

[swellmomma]

If it makes you feel any less picked on, I've added Texas and Arizona to my 'nope' list.   

 

My sister moved to Florida earlier this year so I am going to have to face my fears when I visit her. She never tells me about scary things - she just sends pictures of the pretty birds that visit her yard. Not sure if she doesn't get the scary things or she's just not telling me about them. 

 

And no need to bring Australia into it.  I haven't decided whether Australia's residents are brave or crazy.

I think it is a wee bit of both

[KidsHappen]

I saw them in Jacksonville but not in Orlando, St. Pete or Cape Coral. My grandson got stung by one in Atlanta. They are scary little buggers. 

[chocolatechip]

AAACK! 

I am so sorry! That sounds awful.

 

Nothing like that to make you nervous going to bed at night. . . 

[ktgrok]

If it makes you feel any less picked on, I've added Texas and Arizona to my 'nope' list.   

 

My sister moved to Florida earlier this year so I am going to have to face my fears when I visit her. She never tells me about scary things - she just sends pictures of the pretty birds that visit her yard. Not sure if she doesn't get the scary things or she's just not telling me about them. 

 

And no need to bring Australia into it.  I haven't decided whether Australia's residents are brave or crazy. 

 

Seriously though, I've lived here almost 39 years, and never seen a scorpion. I've lived all over, from South Florida to Tallahasse, and now in the Orlando area. No scorpions. We camp, play outside, etc. I swear, I've never seen one. The only person I know who has seen one was my father, who was stung once, when I was a baby, according to my mom. (He was fine.) They can't be very common. 

 

And we do have lots of pretty birds. 

[Annie G]

Seriously though, I've lived here almost 39 years, and never seen a scorpion. I've lived all over, from South Florida to Tallahasse, and now in the Orlando area. No scorpions. We camp, play outside, etc. I swear, I've never seen one. The only person I know who has seen one was my father, who was stung once, when I was a baby, according to my mom. (He was fine.) They can't be very common. 

 

And we do have lots of pretty birds. 

 

Glad to hear that, since  my sister moved about 45 minutes from Orlando!

 

Oddly enough, I grew up in the Atlanta area and that's where I saw all the scorpions. Never saw them in the Savannah area where my inlaws live, or anywhere else in the state. 

[DawnM]

And snakes.......you have snakes.  I hate snakes.  I see no good reason for snakes to exist.  Really.

 

I grew up where 99% of the snakes you would see were deadly.  

 

I hate snakes.

 

 

Seriously though, I've lived here almost 39 years, and never seen a scorpion. I've lived all over, from South Florida to Tallahasse, and now in the Orlando area. No scorpions. We camp, play outside, etc. I swear, I've never seen one. The only person I know who has seen one was my father, who was stung once, when I was a baby, according to my mom. (He was fine.) They can't be very common. 

 

And we do have lots of pretty birds. 

 

[kristi26]

That's horrifying.

 

I'm glad he's not suffering any effects from the bites, but wow--I don't think I could get back into bed. I still check under my pillows every night 25 years after leaving home because occasionally as a kid I'd find a spider hiding there. DH knows I won't get into bed without doing "the check". **Shudder**

 

I get this ^^  A couple of years ago, I got into bed and felt something moving in bed on my leg.  I had DH turn on the light only to find a BAT on my LEG.  *shudder* I still run my hand up and down the bed and check for bats when I get into bed after that. :(  (For everyone's piece of mind, I got rabies shots afterward and we got the location of the house fixed and "bat-proofed" so that it can't happen again)

 

OP, I am so sorry your DS had to go through that! It sounds awful! Glad he's doing better now though!

[Cindy in FL.]

We have scorpions in our house a lot. Maybe it has to do with the area you live in. We're rural with a lot of trees around us.

[DawnM]

BTDT too!  In NC!  We ALL got rabies shots.

 

So far in our current house we have had 4 snakes, many field mice, a bat, and a squirrel.

 

Now we are on vacation and I can add scorpion to the list.

 

I think I attract these things.

 

 

 

 

I get this ^^  A couple of years ago, I got into bed and felt something moving in bed on my leg.  I had DH turn on the light only to find a BAT on my LEG.  *shudder* I still run my hand up and down the bed and check for bats when I get into bed after that. :(  (For everyone's piece of mind, I got rabies shots afterward and we got the location of the house fixed and "bat-proofed" so that it can't happen again)

 

OP, I am so sorry your DS had to go through that! It sounds awful! Glad he's doing better now though!

 

[kristi26]

BTDT too!  In NC!  We ALL got rabies shots.

 

So far in our current house we have had 4 snakes, many field mice, a bat, and a squirrel.

 

Now we are on vacation and I can add scorpion to the list.

 

I think I attract these things.

 

Yeah, we ALL got rabies shots too. :( That was actually the second bat of the month.  The first was the reason everyone else had to get shots.  It was chilling in the bathroom upstairs while everyone else was asleep.  I have no idea how it got in or who it had visited as they slept.  And since we couldn't catch it (and didn't think to do it at the time anyway), everyone had to get them.  Such a fun family event. (Note sarcasm, lol)

 

We've had a mouse in here once ten plus years ago.  I grew up in a house that had field mice regularly and it appears we are moving to a new one that gets field mice.  DD actually thinks she'll be allowed to play with any she finds. Lol.  So gross and not happening.

 

Other than that, nothing super interesting has been in here. :)

[texasmama]

And snakes.......you have snakes.  I hate snakes.  I see no good reason for snakes to exist.  Really.

 

I grew up where 99% of the snakes you would see were deadly.  

 

I hate snakes.

 

I killed a copperhead a couple of summers ago.  Someone doing work around our house was bitten by another one at the side of the house and had to go to the hospital.  None of us have been bitten, though. 

 

We found a nest of baby bunnies near our garden last year, so that makes it all okay.

[DawnM]

We have had 2 kids bitten by copperheads in our scout group.  And the ironic thing is that both were girls!  They were sisters of the boy scouts in the group.

 

Dawn

 

 

I killed a copperhead a couple of summers ago.  Someone doing work around our house was bitten by another one at the side of the house and had to go to the hospital.  None of us have been bitten, though. 

 

We found a nest of baby bunnies near our garden last year, so that makes it all okay.

 

[ktgrok]

And snakes.......you have snakes.  I hate snakes.  I see no good reason for snakes to exist.  Really.

 

I grew up where 99% of the snakes you would see were deadly.  

 

I hate snakes.

 

It's the opposite here. 99 percent are not deadly, or even dangerous. Honest. I've seen two venomous snakes in my life. One was while hiking in the woods, an eastern diamond back,and it was sunning itself and didn't even look at us. The other was a pygmy rattler, curled up by a tree, also in the woods, at a camp I was at. We left it alone, it never noticed us. My ex DID get bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake, but they are only dangerous if you are a small child. He had no ill effects. They don't even give antivenin for it.  And to get bitten he actually stepped on the thing, barefoot, walking in tall grass with no shoes on. 

 

But we have hundreds of species of snakes, and only 4 are venomous. And they don't crawl in your house or whatever. 

[ktgrok]

We have scorpions in our house a lot. Maybe it has to do with the area you live in. We're rural with a lot of trees around us.

 

Maybe, I've always been in the suburbs. We do have lots of oak trees but maybe they don't like oak trees. 

[DawnM]

They have come in through the basement to chase the field mice.   :crying:

 

We haven't had any in the main part of our house thankfully.

 

 

It's the opposite here. 99 percent are not deadly, or even dangerous. Honest. I've seen two venomous snakes in my life. One was while hiking in the woods, an eastern diamond back,and it was sunning itself and didn't even look at us. The other was a pygmy rattler, curled up by a tree, also in the woods, at a camp I was at. We left it alone, it never noticed us. My ex DID get bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake, but they are only dangerous if you are a small child. He had no ill effects. They don't even give antivenin for it.  And to get bitten he actually stepped on the thing, barefoot, walking in tall grass with no shoes on. 

 

But we have hundreds of species of snakes, and only 4 are venomous. And they don't crawl in your house or whatever. 

 

[ktgrok]

They have come in through the basement to chase the field mice.   :crying:

 

We haven't had any in the main part of our house thankfully.

 

You have a basement? In Florida? I've never seen one of those, lol!

[DawnM]

No, I don't live in FL.  The scorpion was in FL while we were on vacation.  We got back home yesterday.

 

I live in NC.  They aren't that common where I live either, but we have one!

 

 

You have a basement? In Florida? I've never seen one of those, lol!

 

[AHASRADA]

As we dig out from under multiple layers of ice and snow, only to be repeated ad nauseum over the next 4 months, I appreciate the reminder that it could always be worse. I've been known to say I'd rather deal with the annual ice and sniw snow than hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes, earthquakes and poisonous creatures :)