OMG!! Is there anywhere in the US that DOESN'T have ANY of the following...?!?!?!?!?

[luvflorida]

SCORPIONS
SNAKES
TICKS
MOSQUITOS

I just found another scorpion in the house, the third one in less than three months. The first one (approximately 1 1/2-2 inches long) and the second one (close to three inches long) were dead. The one I found this morning was ALIVE and maybe an inch long. We've have a contract with a pest control service (my husband was on the phone with them five minutes after we found the first scorpion) and they've come out twice and sprayed inside and outside. They will now come bi-monthly and only spray outside, except that I'm calling them first thing Monday morning to have them come out sooner.

I was just getting comfortable again in the house, figuring we wouldn't see any more scorpions. I still check under the sheets every night, shake all my towels before using them and look carefully when I'm reaching for anything. Now, I'm back to seeing every little piece of lint as a potential scorpion.

I haven't seen any snakes here in Arizona, but it's probably only a matter of time. I know they're out there lurking and waiting to surprise me.

In Maine, I hated dealing with the ticks and the mosquitos. Ticks were in the woods, in the grass, trees and bushes, and mosquitos were everywhere. Ticks and mosquitos can kill you with diseases (and make being in the outdoors not at all fun). Scorpions can give you an awful, horrendous sting, and are very dangerous to little ones and the elderly. I am PETRIFIED that someone is going to get stung. Oh, and don't forget the deadly snakes and spiders that can be found in many parts of the United States.

Seriously, does anyone live where these creepy crawly and flying things don't exist? I know there isn't any place that's bug free, but I may have to rethink this southern, desert Arizona environment. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Maybe northern Alaska?

 

[3boymthr]

Mosquitos are a worldwide pest (they're even worse in Alaska than Maine). Seriously, I think the only place you MIGHT have any chance to escape them is Antarctica. But since there's no grocery stores or houses there I think you're out of luck.

 

[Just Jan]

Despite a tick bite that landed me in a major hospital in Boston for 10 days and 4 blood transfusions, mosquitoes are my biggest fear in life.

 

[cheerbabe55]

what about underwater?

 

[lillygator]

underwater has a whole host of things...!!

 

[Silent1CB]

I can handle ticks and mosquitos much easier than snakes and scorpions. I would move back to Maine and use lots of bug spray.

More power to you for even picking a place with deadly snakes and scorpions. No way I could do it.

 

[JessicaR]

Scorpions would freak me out. I guess I'm just used to ticks and mosquitoes. We don't see many snakes either. Just the occasional harmless little ones. Spiders are pretty nasty around here but nothing dangerous usually.

luvflorida - Your signature picture is adorable!

 

[kilee]

I'll take the ticks and mosquitos over snakes and scorpions. Spiders, at the kind we have around here, don't really bother me. I however, would not be okay w/ big spiders. Snakes....that is a whole other ball game. I cannot stand the everyday garden variety. They drive me to panic and tears.....so not sure how I'd handle big dangerous ones. Thankfully I usually only see the random snake, and even at that it might only be 1 or 2 per year if I'm lucky.

 

[LindaR]

Well you are gonna find "things" everywhere, unfortunately. I have a question. Are you in an area where houses (or anything) is being built? Are you in an established neighborhood? Houses already built, utilities in, roads paved?

Here's what happened to us. (Now, we have had a few random encounters since then but....). Where I live, all the roads used to be dirt. Then several years ago the city started paving the roads. All the widening and grading and then paving "disrupted" the wildlife. You name it, and it ended up in our yard. Tarantulas, snakes, skunks, etc. It was hard to deal with! BUT, when everything was paved and finished, they were able to re-establish their homes in quiet areas.

Just something to think about.

Do not have piles of anything outside, close to your house (exterminators should have told you this but maybe they want to ensure your business!). Gardening stuff, wood, junk......things that you would not think twice about having in your yard. These are prime "safe" places for critters to live.

 

[Them!]

I have had scorpions in my house too. One in my pool skimmer last week too. My cats usually find them for me at least. I am not a native Arizonan so I hate them. I hate to tell you this but I also had a snake in my kitchen about 3 months ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The horror!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was only about 10 inches long and my cat had it cornered but jeebus it was icky.

I live in the burbs surrounded by houses and block walls so you wouldn't think it would be such a problem. (established neighborhood 12 years old or so...)
We have found that using expandable foam insulation really helps. You crawl around the outside of your house and seal it up. Go around at night with a blacklight and check your walls. get rid of their food source-crickets too. We gave up on the bug spray guy because we can do the same things they do more often and less $$$

Hubs was in the navy and we lived in CT had mice, SC we had roaches, gnats, mosquitoes, big snake, mice.
WA had huge spiders! Nowhere is perfect, but I really don't like the desert things.

Hang in there!

 

[LindaR]

Start with one room at a time and calk/seal EVERY hole. Where pipes come from the outside (like under the kitchen sink), where utilities come in, etc.

We had a problem with mice once (my mom lived with me at the time) and she sealed/calked EVERY possible entrance......problem over!

 

[MichelleinMaine]

I'll take our ticks and mosquitoes any day of the week. They CAN spread disease, but majority of them do NOT. (And for the most part, the things they spread are curable/treatable.)

Scorpions and (poisonous) snakes and spiders...any of those are dangerous any time you see one. I almost fainted when I worked at a store in TX and had one in an aisle.

While we're at it, I'm also grateful we don't have earthquakes, hurricanes, tidal waves, tornadoes... give me a good ol' fashioned snowstorm. Stay home by a wood stove and it doesn't bother you at all!

 

[Lanshark]

I refuse to visit any state with tarantulas. I know that eliminates some nice areas of the country but I don't care.

 

[luvflorida]

I can handle ticks and mosquitos much easier than snakes and scorpions. I would move back to Maine and use lots of bug spray.

More power to you for even picking a place with deadly snakes and scorpions. No way I could do it.

Honestly, I don't think we would have chosen Arizona as a place to live, but this is where our DD, DSIL and new little grandson live. Also, our younger DD goes to college here and our son is in Nevada. My husband and I definitely wanted to move to a warmer climate, but if it wasn't for family, I think I'd pick a different state with warm temps. So, if it's a choice between scorpions and being near our grandson, or no scorpions and not being able to see our gandson regularly, we'll stay here and learn to live with the scorpions.

Now if I could get everyone to move....

Scorpions would freak me out. I guess I'm just used to ticks and mosquitoes. We don't see many snakes either. Just the occasional harmless little ones. Spiders are pretty nasty around here but nothing dangerous usually.

luvflorida - Your signature picture is adorable!

Thank you! That little guy is the main reason my husband and I are in Arizona. That and other family members, and of course the weather isn't so bad.

Well you are gonna find "things" everywhere, unfortunately. I have a question. Are you in an area where houses (or anything) is being built? Are you in an established neighborhood? Houses already built, utilities in, roads paved?

Do not have piles of anything outside, close to your house (exterminators should have told you this but maybe they want to ensure your business!). Gardening stuff, wood, junk......things that you would not think twice about having in your yard. These are prime "safe" places for critters to live.

The area we're in is fairly new. The development (a master planned community) was established in 2001. The houses in the neighborhood we're in were built only a few years ago. There is building going on all throughout the community, from a mile and a half to almost two miles away. There is a lot of empty desert all around the community. I wish now that we had researched better before moving to this location. We spent our first year in northwest Tucson and never saw any scorpions. I'm thinking we need to go back to that area!

We have nothing that touches our house on the outside, and we have very few trees or plants of any kind. Our backyard is walled in and the patio (which extends throughout the entire yard) is all pavers. We also have a cat, but he doesn't seem too interested in catching critters.

I hate to tell you this but I also had a snake in my kitchen about 3 months ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The horror!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was only about 10 inches long and my cat had it cornered but jeebus it was icky.

We have found that using expandable foam insulation really helps. You crawl around the outside of your house and seal it up. Go around at night with a blacklight and check your walls.

I think the snake would be the last straw! If I do see one, you'll hear my screams! Crawl around the outside of my house!?!?!?!? That sounds like a job for my husband, not that he'd do it. I will definitely look into the foam insulation and have someone come out to seal up cracks and crevices.

I've heard about checking at night with a blacklight, but I'm afraid of what I'll find.

Start with one room at a time and calk/seal EVERY hole. Where pipes come from the outside (like under the kitchen sink), where utilities come in, etc.

The weird thing is that both of the smaller scorpions were found UPSTAIRS in the same bedroom, almost in the exact spot. I can't see where there are any openings. Do you suppose they could come in through the air conditioning vents in the ceiling???!?!?!?! The bigger scorpion was found just inside the door that leads into the house from the garage. I'm thinking (and hoping) that it was somehow brought in on my husband since he was outside pruning a tree when we spotted the dead scorpion by the door. I'm hoping it was already dead and somehow came in on his shoe or something.

I'll take our ticks and mosquitoes any day of the week. They CAN spread disease, but majority of them do NOT. (And for the most part, the things they spread are curable/treatable.)

While we're at it, I'm also grateful we don't have earthquakes, hurricanes, tidal waves, tornadoes... give me a good ol' fashioned snowstorm. Stay home by a wood stove and it doesn't bother you at all!

We lived in Maine for over thirty-five years and raised our family there. Beautiful state, but horrible winters. Unless of course you like snow. As we got older, we enjoyed the winters less and less. I have to say, I don't miss the cold, the snow, the ice, and all the clothing and winter gear that goes along with it. I truly think the ideal situation would be to spend the months of June, July, August and September in Maine, and then October through May in Arizona (with the scorpions). We really needed to plan our move better than we did.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I was stung by a scorpion about 5 years ago. I was moving a milk crate that had been outside and I rested it on my hip. I felt a sharp pain like a bee sting through my shirt. I shook off whatever it was (didn't know immediately) and went in the house. I got a funny feeling and started brushing my shirt and finally took it off. At that time the little SOB hopped off and had the nerve to hold his tail up at me. I put a dog dish over it and called my DH in to kill it. He doesn't kill anything, but he put it into a bucket outside and it rained that night..

Anyway, other than losing a night's sleep worrying and the initial sting, I had no other effects from the sting. I hate scorpions. I have never been bitten by a spider or snake. I don't mind them if I can see them first. I love all the lizards running around our house outside.

I was also bitten by a tick with no effects. Same with everyone else in our house.

 

[flying_babyb]

SCORPIONS
SNAKES
TICKS
MOSQUITOS

:

no SCORPIONS here. Wisconsin only have ticks, sketters, and ticks in summer. We have bears year round to.

 

[The Orchid]

what about underwater?

Piranhas, sharks, stingrays, sea wasps, man o wars, octopus, crocodiles, stone fish, and Ursula the sea witch.

 

[luvflorida]

Anyway, other than losing a night's sleep worrying and the initial sting, I had no other effects from the sting. I hate scorpions. I have never been bitten by a spider or snake. I don't mind them if I can see them first. I love all the lizards running around our house outside.

I've been stung by a bee before (not in Arizona) and it wasn't so bad. Everything I read, though, about a scorpion's sting sounds absolutely horrible! I've read that the sting is extremely painful and that the effects (pain, numbing) can last for weeks. And of course, it's the baby scorpions that sting the worst and they're smaller and harder to see. If I ever do get stung, I hope I have the same reaction as you!

I agree, I don't mind either if I find them first. I'm so afraid of one finding me or another family member first! I HATE not feeling comfortable in my house, always on the look-out for a scorpion. The lizards I can live with. They are harmless and kind of cute.

 

[pigletgirl]

AZ is home to all the creepy crawlies! There's no doubt about it.

The other day there was a bull snake that was resting near the side of the pool...talk about yuck!

And if you go into the wilderness, (aka Mt. lemmon) theres javalina, coyotes, mountain lions (cougers), black bears, rattle snakes, ect.

But, my thumb of rule is that if I don't bother them, they won't bother me.