I live in Tucson. I'm on the far northeast side. I've lived here for a few years. The vermin are traumatizing me. I just had an encounter with the BIGGEST SPIDER I HAVE EVER SEEN INSIDE. I'm still shaking. I realized after I saw it that it was too big to kill with a shoe. Long story short, it has left this world and its corpse is on my patio.
I am moving to Phoenix for nursing school soon, when my pre-reqs are done. I know that the newly developed areas have the most insects indoors, but still? Are certain areas worse than others? Does Phoenix have as many 'vermin' as Tucson? Here's what I experience outside: tarantulas on my sidewalk last week, bobcat by trash can a few days ago, a snake by my drive a few weeks ago, and javelina come by my bedroom window at night. Indoors: spiders, roaches, and the occasional scorpion. I have been stung by a scorpion. It actually wasn't too bad. A little nausea, cramps, rapid heart beat, and numbness. (((It's the large spiders that I cannot handle.)))
I have no idea how I was bit, that's what's scary... I noticed a perfectly circular bruise on my inner right ankle about a year and a half ago... didn't think much of it b/c I am a klutz. However, it turned black, then gray. When it was gray I looked up close, the reason it looked grey was that there were thousands of tiny holes going deep into my ankle *shudder*. I put neosporin on it with a bandage, that evening when I took off the bandage there was about a 3/4 inch deep round hole. I tried to get it to heal, then threw in the towel when bone began showing at the bottom of the hole. I went to the MD and was told it was a brown recluse bite and that I should have gone much sooner. Who knew?
I had to have surgery to cut out the ulceration, have a nasty scar but learned a lesson!
That is horrible. It must have been so painful. How long did it take to completely heal and be free of pain?
Well. I've never been so upset over an encounter with indoor vermin, as last night. I'm quite good actually, at killing spiders and scorpions. I have to be. I live alone.
Anyway, I couldn't get to sleep until 4am. Today I'm skiddish and walking around in shoes in the house. Normally I'm barefoot. I took my cat to bed with me, hoping he would be alert to any incoming vermin and of course he was so excited to sleep with me that he slept on my pillow curled around my head. Made me wheeze - I'm allergic.
Ok, sorry to ramble. Back to my Phoenix questions.
I know urban, established buildings reduce the indoor vermin encounters. Besides that, are there certain areas in the suberbs that are known for lots of scorpions, for example? Or spiders? I'm leaning towards Phoenix College for my first choice and Scottsdale second.
I am in urban Phoenix and I have so many scorpions I keep track of the annual kills on a white board on my refrigerator! Last year we killed 18 IN THE HOUSE! Exterminators just piss the scorpions off, you have to SMASH them to kill them. We killed two in the house just last week and found one drowned in the pool! BTW, scorpions mate for life and if you kill one scorpion you will eventually kill the mate in the next couple of months!
Yes, there are certain areas of Phoenix known for scorpions. Anywhere at a base of a mountain or on a mountain has scorpions. Moon Valley, Paradise Valley, Carefree, and the base of South Mountain are reknown for scorpions.
Black widows are everywhere around Phoenix. There bites are much worse than scorpion bites. I probably have about 20 black widows right now between the front and back yards. You rarely find them indoors.
Now to find javelina or mountain lions you really have to live in the extreme suburbs of Phoenix. Extremely north Scottsdale, Carefree, Cave Creek have these critters in abundance. Rattlesnakes can be found around mountains and the extreme suburbs. Or smashed crossing any major thouroghfare
ternerzero- thanks for your posts. however, those of us who have lived in this desert our whole lives know pretty well how to deal with critters and vermin. heck, they teach us in grade school how to survive out in the desert, and how to identify said creatures. we even had to learn poision control's number. i've even used it a few times.
but, i have to tell you-you can have the cleanest house. you can leave no food out, and spray all you want. we live in the desert and it's monsoon time. the bugs are-a-coming. telling people that we have roaches (or in my case, roach legs) is not saying that we are filthy people incapable of taking care of ourselves. i have seen one alive roach in the past few months. it was the day after our 3 straight days of awesome monsoons. it's been dry a few days now and i don't see any.
that's just the way it goes around here.
insects live in all climates, i am certain that people in cities like new york can testify to that.
many rentals have walls that are attached to other units and we all know that everyone has a different definition of daily cleaning.
i do my best to offer valuable information that is generic, so readers in the forum can look at the list and use or share the information to create a safer home for their families.
if a nurse offers general information for hygiene for lets say a wound, she is not implying that a person is a slob, they must disclose all information, each step necessary to cleanse the wound.
too often people are searching or reading between the lines, please note, filthy people, were not my words.
i live in california we are fairly well reheorificed about earthquake procedures, but i am open to suggestions without feeling offended. i enjoy receiving and sharing informative or lifesaving tips.
you never know, what if a reader(s) just moved to arizona from a different region and they discovered that the previous tenants had a serious roach and insect problem that they were forced to inherited.
if i am correct, the author and several other forum members did mention moving to arizona.
if i am incorrect, then i should carefully re-read the forum notes .
I am in urban Phoenix and I have so many scorpions I keep track of the annual kills on a white board on my refrigerator! Last year we killed 18 IN THE HOUSE! Exterminators just piss the scorpions off, you have to SMASH them to kill them. We killed two in the house just last week and found one drowned in the pool! BTW, scorpions mate for life and if you kill one scorpion you will eventually kill the mate in the next couple of months!
Yes, there are certain areas of Phoenix known for scorpions. Anywhere at a base of a mountain or on a mountain has scorpions. Moon Valley, Paradise Valley, Carefree, and the base of South Mountain are reknown for scorpions.
Black widows are everywhere around Phoenix. There bites are much worse than scorpion bites. I probably have about 20 black widows right now between the front and back yards. You rarely find them indoors.
Now to find javelina or mountain lions you really have to live in the extreme suburbs of Phoenix. Extremely north Scottsdale, Carefree, Cave Creek have these critters in abundance. Rattlesnakes can be found around mountains and the extreme suburbs. Or smashed crossing any major thouroghfare
Wow, that sounds serious, all those critters you mentioned (scorpions and spiders) -- gives me the hibee jibees'. We have some big rattlesnakes here, I live next to a greenbelt, more than likely full of them.
An earlier forum post mentioned a serious spider bite.
An emphatic YES! I never had a cat in my life until I bought a house in my scorpion infested neighborhood. I didn't even know if I liked them. I got two kittens at the Humane Society and discovered I LOVE CATS! They are really easy to take care of too. After I got two kittens; I got two more. Then I rescued some kittens at work and eventually ended up with 7 cats! My husband didn't care for that too much so I had to name them after NBA players Cats are also immune to scorpion bites, (vet verified this.) Due to pet death attrition I currently have 4 cats.
I now also have 2 dogs from the Humane Society. The dogs are actually better about alerting me to scorpions or any other bug than the cats are! One of my dogs actually sniffs the scorpions path on the floor until she finds it and alerts me.
Yeah, we have brown recluses in Phoenix too. I have been bitten by one.....but it was in the best spot possible to be bitten, my BUTT! The bad thing about brown recluse bites is that they do not hurt until after you have been bitten. I did not have a clue when or where the bite happened. I just know that I had a spot on my butt that seemed to resemble a boil at first. That went on for one day, it hurt so much that I actually sterilized a pin, (before I was a nurse), and stuck it right into the area to see if it had pus in it. I figured it wouldn't hurt worse than it already did even if I stuck a pin in it! The next day I could hardly walk and went to the ER. They told me what it was, (very embarassing to pull my pants down and show my butt to the staff.) They told me I might need surgery to cut that chunk of my butt out. I ended up not needing surgery but the bite festered for about 2 years. First becoming boil like, then drying out, chunks of tissue necrosing and falling out.....then the whole cycle repeated itself. I have a big scar there now - but it's only my butt! It is a good thing I had mucho fat there to absorb that venom!
BTW, I am loving this thread. I have lived in AZ all of my life and have lots of critter and vermin stories!
I have been bitten by one.....but it was in the best spot possible to be bitten, my BUTT!
We have something in common. When I was stung by a scorpion it's because I sat on it - on my carpet. Darn beige carpet! The butt is an excellent place to get bitten/stung if one must!
THANK YOU for the tips on specific areas regarding Phoenix and vermin. I really appreciate it.
insects live in all climates, i am certain that people in cities like new york can testify to that.
many rentals have walls that are attached to other units and we all know that everyone has a different definition of daily cleaning.
i do my best to offer valuable information that is generic, so readers in the forum can look at the list and use or share the information to create a safer home for their families.
if a nurse offers general information for hygiene for lets say a wound, she is not implying that a person is a slob, they must disclose all information, each step necessary to cleanse the wound.
too often people are searching or reading between the lines, please note, filthy people, were not my words.
i live in california we are fairly well reheorificed about earthquake procedures, but i am open to suggestions without feeling offended. i enjoy receiving and sharing informative or lifesaving tips.
you never know, what if a reader(s) just moved to arizona from a different region and they discovered that the previous tenants had a serious roach and insect problem that they were forced to inherited.
if i am correct, the author and several other forum members did mention moving to arizona.
if i am incorrect, then i should carefully re-read the forum notes .
An emphatic YES! I never had a cat in my life until I bought a house in my scorpion infested neighborhood. I didn't even know if I liked them. I got two kittens at the Humane Society and discovered I LOVE CATS! They are really easy to take care of too. After I got two kittens; I got two more. Then I rescued some kittens at work and eventually ended up with 7 cats! My husband didn't care for that too much so I had to name them after NBA players Cats are also immune to scorpion bites, (vet verified this.) Due to pet death attrition I currently have 4 cats.
I now also have 2 dogs from the Humane Society. The dogs are actually better about alerting me to scorpions or any other bug than the cats are! One of my dogs actually sniffs the scorpions path on the floor until she finds it and alerts me.
Yeah, we have brown recluses in Phoenix too. I have been bitten by one.....but it was in the best spot possible to be bitten, my BUTT! The bad thing about brown recluse bites is that they do not hurt until after you have been bitten. I did not have a clue when or where the bite happened. I just know that I had a spot on my butt that seemed to resemble a boil at first. That went on for one day, it hurt so much that I actually sterilized a pin, (before I was a nurse), and stuck it right into the area to see if it had pus in it. I figured it wouldn't hurt worse than it already did even if I stuck a pin in it! The next day I could hardly walk and went to the ER. They told me what it was, (very embarassing to pull my pants down and show my butt to the staff.) They told me I might need surgery to cut that chunk of my butt out. I ended up not needing surgery but the bite festered for about 2 years. First becoming boil like, then drying out, chunks of tissue necrosing and falling out.....then the whole cycle repeated itself. I have a big scar there now - but it's only my butt! It is a good thing I had mucho fat there to absorb that venom!
BTW, I am loving this thread. I have lived in AZ all of my life and have lots of critter and vermin stories!
Wow that is a great story-but now I am even more terrified than yesterday:lol2:
Specializes in renal,peritoneal dialysis, medicine.
great isnt how i would describe it more like flaming horrible!, i feel abit worried about all this, my poor kids are gonna freak when i tell them about it all
i suppose you forget about the nature side of things when choosing an area to live, suddenly it seems to be very important lol
great isnt how i would describe it more like flaming horrible!, i feel abit worried about all this, my poor kids are gonna freak when i tell them about it all
i suppose you forget about the nature side of things when choosing an area to live, suddenly it seems to be very important lol
I didn't mean to scare anybody, sorry. Honestly, the biggest challenge to living in Phoenix is the heat of summer. The critters pale in comparison. The summers in Phoenix are brutal. First tell your kids to never go anywhere without a water bottle. Keep bottled water in your trunk incase your car breaks down. Hermetically seal your self inside in the air conditioning when it's hotter than 115 unless you are neck deep in water in a pool. Probably the WORST thing in Phx you will encounter is getting in your car after a long day at work and having it parked on black asphalt in the sun all day. Pretty, pretty toasty - so much so that you can't touch a metal gearshift or ignition with bare skin!
Please don't be afraid to come here due to critters. You just have to be careful and aware of them.
Multicollinearity, BSN, RN
3,119 Posts
That is horrible. It must have been so painful. How long did it take to completely heal and be free of pain?