Scorpions found around Sisters

This may be the year of the scorpion; they are popping up everywhere around Sisters: bedrooms; kitchens; garages; backyards; and gardens.

A concerned mother, who found one in her children's bedroom and brought it to The Nugget office, is typical of most people when they encounter scorpions and spiders. She reacted to an innate fear that it could harm her or her family.

The concern is unfounded. The most abundant scorpion found in the Sisters area is the harmless northern scorpion, Paruroctonus boreus, a relative of the innocuous mordant scorpion.

"Harmless" means that under normal situations, the venom from this scorpion is less painful than a bee sting and will not cause any problems to a healthy child, adult or senior citizen.

Scorpions do not "bite" to administer their venom. Although they do have formidable-looking "jaws" (pincers, actually, which they use to hold their prey), it is the telson on the end of their "tail" that administers venom to enemies and prey.

For anyone who is more curious than fearful of scorpions, the rule of thumb is "the bigger the pincers the less menacing the venom." Those with powerful venom do not need the large pincers to catch prey or ward of enemies, they just smack them with their powerful toxin and the enemy is dead, or the meal is on the plate.

Another good rule to remember is that the farther north you go, the less harm from the venom of snakes, scorpions and spiders (except the female black widow; she's a deadly little lady no matter where you find her).

The northern scorpion is a member of the order Scorpionida (it is not an insect, but related to spiders). They have lobster-like pincers, and their long upcurved "tail" ends in a venomous stinger they use to kill spiders, large insects and small rodents.

Most scorpions are nocturnal, have two eyes in the center of the cephalothorax and two to five eyes on each side, but some are blind. Females give birth to living young that resemble tiny adults and they ride on the back of the female until they molt for the first time. Then the young become solitary and catch their own prey.

Scorpions grow slowly, some taking as long as five years to become adults.

Northern scorpions are not dangerous and do not attack people. If disturbed, a scorpion may inflict a sting that can cause slight swelling, but the venom of most North American species is not lethal to people. This is not so in Egypt, Africa and other tropical and subtropical countries where scorpions sting people frequently; in those areas, an antivenin has been developed.

Why are so many scorpion scares taking place around Sisters? It may be that there was a bumper crop a few years back and we're seeing the "surplus" wandering around looking for unoccupied territory. Or it may be that time of year when males are out wandering around looking for unattached females.