Scorpions Like Your Air-Conditioned Homes While It’s Still Hot in Central Texas

I saw this posted on my Facebook timeline this morning and I immediately laughed, thinking, "Only in Texas". But then fear took hold of me. Wait, if it crawled up from her sink in Harker Heights, what's stopping one of these insanely creepy and often poisonous arachnids from doing the same in my Belton home?

So what do you do when you're scared of something: run to the Internet for answers. Texas is home to approximately 20 species of scorpion, but the one you'll find most often here in Texas is the Striped Black Scorpion, according to Texas Hill Country. You can identify these buggers by noting the yellowish-to-tan-color accompanied by two dark stripes down its back.

Sightings are hopefully dying down in Central Texas as we enter the fall season, but it's still pushing 95+ degrees Fahrenheit, which means these eight-legged creatures are searching for cool areas like under logs, rocks, and even your air-conditioned home.

Now, these scorpions can most certainly hurt you, but humans are definitely not on their menu. In most cases scorpions sting humans because they're startled or feel like they're in danger. There have been some cases of scorpions killing people with their sting, but like bees, it's primarily because of an allergic reaction. Texas Hill Country let me rest easy with this statement:

The sting of the Striped Bark Scorpion yields about 20 minutes of sharp pain followed by another day or two of mild discomfort. An ice pack usually helps.

How to Keep Scorpions Out!

Ok, so lesson learned. On hot days, (which are rare in Texas, right?) scorpions tend to seek cooler environments. Well instead of shutting off your air conditioner and sweating it out, you can use lavender to repel the creepy crawlers. Planting lavender plants around your house is a helpful way to keep scorpions at bay. Lavender is know to be a naturall repellent to scorpions as they find the aroma too strong.

Since scorpions like to crawl up drainage areas, it's also suggested you pour pure lavender oil or lavender-scented bleach down the drain.

Remember when this photo from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department went viral earlier this year? Goosebumps, to say the least.

And then I found this. I mean, who takes their 4-year-old scorpion hunting in Central Texas!? I guess people who are trained in dealing with these beasts.