The Dread of Phoenix Summer

If you are considering moving to Phoenix please don't read any further. I really want you to move here!

So what do you suppose would be the worst thing about living in Phoenix during the summer? I'm sure that your first thought is the heat. Hmmm, I am actually going to say NO. Scorpions are definitely the worst! And it seems that scorpion season is upon us now as Darren killed our first one of the season the other night! EEEEEEEEEK!

After 4 years in Arizona we had never had a scorpion or even seen one. They we moved into our current house. I guess the combination of the new construction and living right next to the hill and some washes meant that we would have a problem. Last summer we had more scorpions than we could count. I was already losing my mind and then one morning I saw one on the floor right before Livi stepped on it. Luckily she didn't get stung but it went after her. I unleashed the mama bear instinct and went bolistic on that scorpion. After that I did a lot of research online. If you do go online to read about them try really hard not to look at the pictures...they are freaky. Here are some of the things that I learned about scorpions:

1. There are many different species of scorpion and only one is fatal (to small children and older people) it is called the Arizona bark scorpion and yep it lives at my house!!!!!! It is smaller and it's stinger rests curled to the side. It is a light brown color - same as my stucco, tile, carpet, rocks and walls...YIKES!
2. The bark scorpion is a great climber so walls and ceilings need to be checked.
3. They can flatten themselves down to the width of a credit card and slip into boxes, under doors, etc.
4. At least in AZ all hospitals carry anti-venom.
5. Even though this scorpion is potentially fatal I read on multiple sites that there have only been two fatalities in the state of Arizona since 1968. (this statistic made me feel better).

Here are some things that we do to help alleviate the scorpion problem at our house:
1. Black light!!!!! Very useful for checking inside and outside the house at night. If you kill them outside then they'll never make it inside. Since scorpions come out at night I try to do the black light in the morning as well since my kids get up so early. This is where you can find a great little black light -

http://www.blacklightshop.com/newmini.htm

2. Pest Control - We have a contract so if we see anything they will come out and spray for no charge. Last summer we utilized this aspect of their service many many times. Some people say that pesticides cannot kill scorpions but I do find them dead after getting sprayed. By the way, a stinger could still sting you even if you step on a dead scorpion.
3. Glass cups and bowls on the legs of the kids beds...they can't climb clean glass.
4. No beds under vents...except ours...there isn't another spot for our bed. Last summer I got so freaked that I CLOSED the vent above our bed. Not so great for cooling down but I had to weigh my priorities there.
5. We have had our home sealed...they didn't do a great job the first time though so even though they came back out to fix things it caused a loss of confidence for me.

Ultimately Scorpions make my life miserable!