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Beware Of The Bark Scorpion

January 6th, 2010 Posted in Spiders & Other Arachnids

Most scorpions stings are inflicted upon their prey or other small animals, not people. But, in rare instances a scorpion has been known to inflict a powerful sting upon an unsuspecting person.

In most cases, the scorpion’s sting is harmless to a person, inflicting less pain than a bee sting. However, the bark scorpion’s sting is no laughing matter.

Want to learn more?

• The Life Cycle Of The Bark Scorpion
• The Dangerous Sting Of The Bark Scorpion
• Control Of The Bark Scorpion

The Life Cycle Of The Bark Scorpion

Scorpions grow very slow as far as insects go. It will take a bark scorpion 1 to 6 years to reach adulthood. They live for about 6 years, but other species have been known to live 10 to 15 years at the longest. The male bark scorpion will aggressively court the female scorpion in a complex courtship dance that may take hours.

The male bark scorpion deposits a sperm packet in the female. The sperm is then fertilized by the eggs inside her body. Unless the male escapes, the female will eat their mating partner to gain energy to fertilize the eggs. The gestation period (the time it takes for the baby scorpions to grow inside their mother) can last for multiple months or even a year.

They are born live, a feature very unique to the scorpion, and ride on their mother’s back until strong enough to venture out on their own. The scorpions molt 5 or 6 times until reaching full maturity. Typically, the scorpion won’t use its stinger to catch prey. If the scorpion’s prey is stronger than anticipated or is putting up a good fight, the scorpion won’t hesitate to sting and clamp the prey down within its pincers.

The Dangerous Sting Of The Bark Scorpion

For a small species of scorpion, the bark scorpion packs a powerful punch. The bark scorpion will only sting a person if they feel threatened. If they walk into your home, cross your path, or some how end up in your shoes, they many sting you out of outright fear. A bark scorpion’s sting can cause immediate swelling.

Each sting is different because each person’s sensitivity to the venom is extremely different. Small children are most at risk to a bark scorpion sting because their natural body defenses are much lower than the defenses of an adults. They can be much more severely affected by this little scorpion’s powerful sting. It can cause jerky body movements or even wild eye movements. A majority of the stings inflicted upon grown adults won’t cause too many problems.

Cleaning where the poison entered your body, as well as using a cool compress will go a long way towards quickly alleviating the symptoms of the sting. If you or a loved one experiences a severe reaction to the bark scorpion’s sting, then immediately contact your personal doctor or go directly to your local hospital.

Control Of The Bark Scorpion

Since this is one of the few species of scorpions that is considered life threatening, it is vital to know how to prevent them from stinging you and your loved ones. The bark scorpion is common throughout the Southern United States, so be careful.

Close doors, make sure entry ways are properly sealed, fix holes in your foundation, close windows, remove any holes in the screens of your windows, and check any items you leave outside before bringing them in the house to help prevent a bark scorpion sting.

If you find any other type of pest in your home, use EcoSMART’s organic insecticides. Made with all natural chemicals, our organic insecticides kill harmful pests and protect your family from harmful chemicals all at once.