UPDATED: Recently I’ve found a couple of scorpions in my house. I was able to deal with them but have a few questions. How do they get into the house and how do you stop them from coming? Also, am I correct that the scorpions found here are not lethal?

Cayman National Bank

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Auntie’s answer: I have just about recovered from last week’s column on rats and now I have to contend with scorpions. But I am determined to soldier on.

I, too, have had my run-ins with scorpions and I am happy to report that the two little beasts I found on my front porch one day did not come out well from our encounter.

Anyway, to your questions. The numbers of scorpions found in Cayman are enough to prompt pest-control companies to offer their services to deal with them. However, and very unfortunately, none of the companies that I contacted for information could even bother to respond.

But, the Department of Environment (DoE) has a very helpful page on its website on all things scorpion (scroll down past all the spider stuff) along with several photos that may not be appropriate for anyone the least bit squeamish about creepy crawlies of all types.

In case you are unwilling to chance a look at the pictures, I will summarise the relevant facts the DoE provides.

Perhaps most importantly, the DoE says there have been no deaths recorded in Cayman from scorpion stings, but they can be very painful. In addition, and not surprising, they pose the greatest danger to the elderly, infirm and very young, with small children and babies the most susceptible to the effects of the scorpion venom. People can also have an adverse reaction to the stings.

The DoE provides a lot more information on the venom of the scorpion, along with the symptoms and treatment of stings, but I will leave readers interested in those specific details to check out the website.

Scorpions are nocturnal and prefer dry places. However, the DoE says, “They will often emerge en-masse in the event of heavy rains and flooding, in search of dry ground.” I, for one, am trying to keep the image of marauding scorpions out of my head.

Moving on, they are attracted to narrow spaces, and the DoE points out they therefore wind up in such things as wood piles, under plant pots, in the undersides of drawers, behind pictures and even inside piles of laundry and under bed sheets.

Not only that, the DoE explains that scorpions are “adept climbers and can easily scale a tin guttering to gain access to a house through a hole in the roof” and that the gaps beneath doors are also a “favoured means of entry into homes”.

If that weren’t bad enough, then comes this warning: “Once scorpions are inside your house, they can be difficult to locate and control, so prevention is better than cure.”

Here are some tips from the DoE to make scorpions feel unwelcome:

  • Ensure your house is in a good state of repair. Replace missing roof tiles and broken soffits, such as the underside of overhanging eaves
  • Ensure doors are well-fitting and use brush guards or rubber guards to plug gaps around the frames
  • Do not leave your doors open unnecessarily, especially during heavy rain

Now, as with my column on rats, I am happy to end my discussion on scorpions. Does anyone have a question on fluffy bunnies or rainbows?

Update: Following the publication of this article, I received this nugget of information from Fred Burton, who heads the DoE’s Terrestrial Unit: “A UV flashlight is a remarkably effective tool for checking for scorpion presence in a house or elsewhere – scorpions glow brightly in ultra-violet light. LED-based UV flashlights are easily available and not particularly expensive.”