What is the medical step, and why does it come first?
The medical step is to get help for any bite or sting with symptoms before any pest work starts. The pest response can wait; a person who has been envenomated cannot.
A sting or bite can cause pain, swelling and redness that is limited to the spot. It can also cause symptoms away from the spot, such as muscle twitching, numbness, nausea, sweating or difficulty breathing. Any of those symptoms calls for medical help without delay. A caller who is not sure should ask a medical provider or the poison information service, and the call should come before anyone drives to a pest visit.
The University of New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center is the source the state material cites for these two kinds, and a caller can ring it for advice about a bite or a sting. The technician can help with the pest side afterward, but the first answer to a bite is medical.
How is a scorpion or spider identified?
A scorpion or spider is identified from a sample or a clear photo, by its body structure, its legs and, for a scorpion, its tail and pincers. A name is confirmed only when the features are visible; otherwise the report says the kind is unconfirmed.
The NMSU circular that covers common insects of the state has sections on scorpions and spiders, and a technician who uses it compares the sample against the features it describes. Scorpions are identified by the shape of the body and the tail and pincers; spiders by the number and arrangement of the eyes, the shape of the body and the legs. A photo that does not show those features is not enough for a firm name.
Where a name is not confirmed, the report keeps the question open. It records the place, the date and the number of finds, and it sends the sample to the Extension route if the caller wants a name from the state office. The report does not describe the unconfirmed creature as a venomous kind unless the name has been confirmed.
Why is the bark scorpion treated with a caveat?
The bark scorpion is named in the state material as a venomous kind that can cause serious illness, and the same material places it in the south-west corner of New Mexico. This site therefore does not claim it is established in Rio Rancho or in the Albuquerque area.
The University of New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center says the Arizona bark scorpion can cause serious illness and that it likes dark, damp places. That is a serious fact for anyone who finds a scorpion in the state, and this page keeps it in view. It is also a fact about where the kind is found, and the material places the kind in the south-west corner rather than the Albuquerque area.
A caller who finds a scorpion in Rio Rancho should not assume it is or is not a bark scorpion. The creature is identified, and the report says what was confirmed. Where a venomous kind is confirmed, the medical advice and the safety steps on this page apply whatever the place of the find.
What does the inspection look for after a find?
The inspection looks for the route the creature used, the shelter it found, and the other items that could have brought it in. The aim is to reduce the chance of a second find, not to search for a single animal.
Shelter matters more than the creature. A pile of firewood against a wall, a stack of boxes in a garage, a clutter of clothing on a floor, a gap under a door or a crack at a sill all give a creature somewhere to rest in the day. The technician notes each one, and the report recommends the change that reduces it. Removing a pile and moving a stack away from the wall often changes more than any treatment could.
The inspection also looks at the entry points. A gap under a door, a crack in a wall base, a vent without a screen and a gap around a utility line are checked. Each route is recorded on the plan, and the sealing is planned from the list. A find in a bedroom or a child’s room is treated with extra care, and the route to that room is checked first.
What does a homeowner do after a find?
The homeowner keeps the creature in a sealed container until the technician has seen it, moves stored items away from the walls, shakes out shoes and gloves before wearing them, and reports any repeat find with the date and the place.
The creature should be kept in a sealed rigid container, out of reach of children and pets, until the technician has seen it. A photo with a ruler is a useful second option. Do not spray the room before the technician has seen the place, because a treatment that scatters the creature can make the identification harder and the route harder to trace.
Over the next few weeks, shake out shoes, gloves and bedding before use, keep clutter off the floor and move firewood and boxes away from the walls. Write down any repeat find with the date and the room. That list is the most useful thing a homeowner can bring to the next visit.
