Art Peekel

Scorpions are menacing looking cretures if you ask me. Even the tiny ones floating in bottles of tequila look deadly. People who wear them encased in amber or globs of plastic on chains around their necks must think they look threatening, right?

No one ever mentioned the possibility of encountering scorpins when I visited here last April. And none ever crossed my path. So I was not "on the lookout" when I arrived here in early November.

It wasn't until mid December that the first scorpion made its dramatic appearance. Lesa M. and Scott S. had spent a week visiting with me and were packed for the trip back to San Jose. They stoped briefly under my "tree house" and put their baggage down on the cement pad. Just a few moments later out from under the pile crawled a rather large insect.

"Scorpion!" yelled Scott, jumping back several steps.

Lesa and I quickly scattered, then looked to where Scott was pointing. Sure enough it was a scorpion. There was no mistaking that cute little turned up tail. It was heading for the bathroom.

"Kill it!" I nervously shouted. The thought of it residing in my bathroom struck fear in me. "Hurry, Scott, step on it!"

"You step on it!"was his instant reply.

"You've got shoes on! I'm wearing sandals!" I argued.

"Just go and crush it with your shoe, Scott!" Lesa urged from a safe distance.

There was more coaxing. Then Scott did the dastardly deed. The first stomp was sufficient. The crushed remains lay just inches from the opening under the dorr to the bathroom.

"Scott the Scorpion Slayer!" I announced in gratitude.

I wish I could tell you that was the end of the scorpions instead of just the beginning. To date there have been a total of half a dozen. Regrettably only five were exterminated.

Steve P., a friend and former RMHS student, discovered a rather large one crawling in the kitchen sink. Together we attacked it. I wounded it with an empty wine bottle and he went on to drown it.

Another appeared under the sink a few days later. It surprised me when I went to get a pan that was stored there. A quick maneuver with a wooden spoon eliminated it.

The mother of all scorpions was hiding behind the monthly calendar on the wall by the dry box that contains my computer. When I went to rip off December it greeted me. Fortunately a can of "Baygon" was handy. I had already used it to kill cucarachas and termites. It took several direct blasts to bring this one down.

The lifeless body of the fifth one was found on the floor by the door to the outside porch. The cause of death remains a mystery. Could I possibly have stepped on it without knowing?

The last one got away. It was near my bed when I first spotted it. Before I could react it scurried behind some boxes stacked in the corner. I decided not to go looking for it by moving the boxes around. No sense asking for trouble.

Locals have told me there's no reason to be "deathly" afraid. They assure me the sting is not fatal. These scorpions are not like the ones found in Mexico.

"It's like getting stung by a wasp or hornet" one neighbor told me. "The first time a scorpion stun me I took some Benadryl and went to bed like the doctor said. I was fine twelve hours later. The next time wasn't nearly as bad."

Another neighbor told me of getting stung when putting on his pants. "You've got to be careful at all times! Make sure you check your shoes before putting them on too" he advised.

His wife said she got stung when she went to dry her hands on a towel. "Scorpions like to hid in the folds of fabric" she warned. "Shake them out careflly before using them."

I now inform all my friends who come to stay with me about the dangers of scorpions. I explain that the sting is not fatal, but painful like that of a wasp or hornet. A bottle of Benadryl is on hand should the need arise.

"Welcome to my jungle tree house!" I say. "Be prepared to enjoy the wonders of Nature. And be on the lookout for scorpions twenty-four, seven!"