Scorpions are a special fear for those of us who live in desert areas. They are the “bogeyman” insect of the Southwestern US. Movies have given them a bad name but they haven’t taught us much about these fascinating creatures. They won’t tell you which ones are truly dangerous and which are just kind of big and scary-looking. Let’s take a look at the Bark scorpion versus the Desert Hairy scorpion.
Desert Hairy Scorpion
This denizen of Arizona and frequent cause for calls to your Phoenix exterminator is the largest scorpion found in the US. It can grow to between 5 and 7 inches in length, an impressive and intimidating bug to see in your home. It’s yellowish, usually with a darker top and a paler underbelly. Not surprisingly, considering the name, it’s covered in short brown hairs. It comes fully-equipped with a nasty looking set of pincers and a stinger-tipped tail.
While it’s big and admittedly scary-looking, the sting from this scorpion will just hurt. It won’t kill you (unless you’re allergic). They are venomous but not terribly potent.
Bark Scorpion
The Bark scorpion also calls Arizona home. It’s much smaller at around 3 inches in length. It’s light brown in color with the requisite scorpion pincers and curved, stinger-tipped tail. The tail and appendages are rather slender compared to the Desert Hairy scorpion and, of the two, the Bark is much less intimidating in appearance.
Appearances can be deceiving, however. This is the most venomous scorpion found in North America. Bark scorpions can climb and even scale walls. They also have a habit of living in large groups so if you find one, you’ve probably got more but since they’re nocturnal you may not see them until it’s too late. Common household insecticides don’t work on these guys either!
Any scorpion is reason enough to call a pest exterminator in Phoenix. (Most people don’t want to get close enough to discern the difference between species!) They’ll help you identify your problem and eradicate it.