Tree Kiester spends plenty of time outdoors hiking, camping and exploring trails. Despite years in the woods, he says he couldn’t remember the last time he saw a scorpion — until a few weeks ago.
“My wife was planting Easter lilies, and she suddenly goes, ‘Oh, hi, baby scorpion,’” says Scouting America’s director of environmental health and safety.
If you camp often enough, there’s always a chance you’ll see a scorpion. Although they’re most common in the South and Southwest, they also crawl around the Midwest and Southeast. And their stings have painful reputations. Read on to see how to avoid them.
The basics
Scorpions are arachnids, cousins of spiders. In the U.S., they’re found mostly in warm, dry climates and are usually active at night. Called ambush hunters, they hide under rocks, logs, and woodpiles and detect prey through their sensitive leg hairs.
If the scorpions are hiding inside shoes, sleeping bags or tents, they might think you’re the prey — and attack with a sting. That’s why you should close your tent when you step out and shake out shoes, clothing and sleeping bags before using. And of course, don’t stick your hands under rocks or logs without checking what’s there first.
And even if you do get a surprise sting, scorpions — like quicksand and piranhas — sound scarier than they usually are. The stings of North American scorpions are painful but not life-threatening.
“It’s more like a wasp or hornet sting,” Tree says.
What to do if you’re stung
The American Red Cross says to keep an eye on scorpion stings since — though rare — some people might experience breathing trouble, seizures or severe swelling. Most of us will probably just feel some pain or burning, tingling or numbness, and mild swelling or redness. Here’s what to do:
- Wash the area with soap and water.
- Apply a cold pack wrapped in a thin towel.
- Keep the affected area still and elevated if possible.
- Call 911 if serious symptoms arise.
Fun facts about scorpions
- The bark scorpion of Arizona has the strongest venom of all the U.S. species.
- Scorpions glow under ultraviolet light. Shine a blacklight on one at night, and it lights up with a blue-green color because of chemicals in its exoskeleton.
- Scorpions are older than dinosaurs. Their ancestors were crawling around more than 400 million years ago.
- Some species can slow their metabolism and live for months with very little food.
- They’re excellent pest controllers. Scorpions eat flies, roaches and termites.
