In this ‘Ask the Entomologist’ post, we’re going to answer 3 common questions about scorpions in Arizona.
‘Ask the Entomologist’ is here to dive deep into questions that “bug” you or that you may have about certain creepy crawlers common to Arizona. Scorpions have long fascinated and frightened those who encounter them, especially in the scorching deserts here in the Phoenix area.
Question #1 About Scorpions: Why do scorpions get into homes?
Ah yes great question and it’s a little like asking why did the chicken cross the road? There are multiple reasons why bark scorpions get into homes. Probably in most cases it is because they walk into homes the same way we do, and for some of the same reasons. From indoors, if you can see light under or around an external doorway, it is likely a bark scorpion can squeeze through, so although the door may be closed to us, a small gap is an open doorway to a scorpion. Just as we like to escape the cold during winter, the sizzling temperatures and dry conditions of early summer, or monsoon rainstorms, bark scorpions will seek refuge by squeezing under or around doors. Unlike us, they can also enter homes via the weepholes that keep our external walls ventilated, scoot in under roof eaves and gaps around wall penetrating pipes and conduits.
Question #2 About Scorpions: Do scorpions come in for our AC, like some commercials suggest? Probably a lot like how you don’t hear about polar bears breaking into home for their heat, right?
Right. Scorpions are desert adapted, but will avoid extremes and in dry conditions the dark, higher humidity, cooler wall voids of stucco homes are particularly attractive to wandering scorpions. Once inside our wall voids, they enter home interiors around electrical faceplates, pipe collars, and other interior entry points. If you have ever found bark scorpions in kitchen cabinets they likely found their way into those locations from the wall.
Question #3 About Scorpions: You keep mentioning bark scorpions, what other scorpions are there? Do you have a favorite?
We have dozens of different scorpion species in Arizona, but we most frequently encounter the super climbing bark scorpion, the burrowing striped scorpion (striped tail aka devil’s scorpion), and our largest “built like a tank” species the giant hairy scorpion (Arizona Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion). The only medically significant scorpion is the bark scorpion. These are my favorite due to their amazing adaptive ability and gregarious nature.
Most scorpion species are quite territorial, solitary creatures; but bark scorpions thrive in groups which can become quite high in numbers. Adults will allow unrelated immature scorpions to ride around on their backs for prolonged periods of time. Their courtship is quite an elegant dance and they are reported to stridulate in groups which involves scraping their tails over their backs to generate a scraping sound (similar to how crickets rub their legs to make a noise). What an eerie experience that would be out in the desert at night.
If you’ve enjoyed this post about 3 common questions about scorpions, or if you have a burning question about other Arizona bugs. Please send an email to info@greenorganicspest.com with ‘Ask the Entomologist’ in the subject line and we just may highlight your question in a future post.
This edition of ‘Ask the Entomologist’ was brought to you by:
Dawn H. Gouge Ph.D.
Medical Entomology Professor & Public Health IPM Specialist
University of Arizona – Department of Entomology,
College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences.
MAC Experiment Station
Medical Entomology: Preventing illness and injury in the future, and saving lives today!