I posted back in April how the rains had come, and that I expected to get a lot of new friends in the house because of it. Well the rains have been scarce, but I think that post served as an invitation of sorts, because I’ve had some creepy crawlies. I saw this guy a few nights ago in the kitchen as I was cooking dinner. The scary thing to me is that it was on the ceiling; the five or so scorpions I’ve seen previously were all chillin’ on the floor.

I read a bit about scorpions on Wikipedia and was somewhat relieved to read:

Of the ~1500 scorpion species, the vast majority are only capable of producing a local reaction similar in scope and effect to a bee sting. Only around 50 species are known to produce venom that causes serious systemic effects in humans. Of these 50 species, only half (mostly in the family Buthidae) produce enough venom to pose a lethal risk to humans.

… but I nearly jumped on top of my chair after reading:

Still, severe reactions and death from stings are very common, accounting for thousands of deaths a year worldwide, 10 times as many as snake bites.[11] Most of the deaths attributed to scorpion stings occur in children, the elderly and the infirm in rural, agricultural areas of Africa, South America and Mexico, where the most venomous species are ubiquitous.

I’ll have you know that ubiquitous basically means “everywhere.” That, combined with the fact that these guys are nocturnal, means I need to stop walking around in my backyard at night wearing sandals. I feel like Yossarian in Catch-22 (everyone is trying to kill me!). Sleep tight!