Funny stuff...

Went to see Seal last night, but strangely enough it's not Seal that's running thru my head, it's a song that was playing on the loudspeakers during intermission. I've heard it maybe once before, but I don't know who it's by, or what it's called. It's fairly new, has this driving tribal beat to it, the singers are sort of shout-singing - the only words I could really make out above Jody's yelling at me was something like "We are... we are, we are...". Jody says it's Peter Gabriel, but I don't think so. It could very well be Afro-Celtic Sound System, but I've only heard one song by them & it had Peter Gabriel as a guest singer (When You're Falling.) Tomorrow me & Rob are taking our dead-scorpion-in-a-jar to the Dept. of Agriculture for identification, so I'm gonna get him to take me to either Virgin Records or Odyssey to see if I can find who it's by or what it's named. Virgin would probably be niftier, as I can buy some "Virgin" brand condoms while I'm there.
Last night, as I lay in my bed, throbbing w/mingled bass vibrations & pain, waiting for the Darvocet & Flexiril to kick in, I popped in my Shamanic drumming CD. I got the weird sensation of me getting up out of bed & walking counter-clockwise around the house, checking all the doors & windows. Even now, it's half remembered, because I was still laying in bed watching myself do this. Why widdershins? Rattling windows & locks. I was in this comatose paralysis, drifting in & out of sleep, but my fetch is roaming around doing a security patrol. Then the call-back on the CD started & panicked me in the worst way. Lay there w/my heart pounding blood into my head, adrenaline rush, everything. My heart beating hard enough to shake the bed. I'd like to listen to it again tonight, but Rob's already asleep.
Rob's confessed jealousy of Eric, which was never present before my mentioning that he would be coming out in March. I laughed at Rob, which was mean, but o fucking well. (I'm mean. It's what I do best.) Anyway, it just kills me. Now Rob's walking around w/his Mr. Insecurity face on. I told him that I'm tired of being over-protected & worried about, I'm tired of never being able to do things on my own, I'm getting tired of being a married person because I have no space or time to myself. He just told me he could feel it, but he "protects what he cherishes". I just don't want to be cherished anymore. I'm getting to be like Greta Garbo - "I vant to be alone."
It's funny - I've always felt a kindred towards Persephone, that chthonic Goddess Who is a footnote in the tale of Demeter. I was reading an old mythology book, & in it the author said that someone (maybe Herakles, maybe Jason & the Argonauts? Odysseus?) briefly considered an attempt to steal Persephone from Hades, but changed his mind because "She is that most closely guarded & protected of Queens". Sometimes I feel so much like that.
Hoping I didn't give Lisa's family the flu when I visited. Even tho I'm just feeling like it's the change-of-weather related respiratory problems.

Centruroides exilicauda, the Bark Scorpion

"Poisonous Scorpions in Nevada", by Jeff B. Knight, Entomologist, State of NV. Dept. of Business & Industry, Div. of Agriculture

(Sarcastic commentary by yours truly.)

Intro:
Approx. 23 species of scorpions are found in Nevada. Often more than one species will live in close proximity to others. In fact, 8 species were found at one location in northern NV. Of all the species in NV., only one is considered to be seriously poisonous, a bark scorpion - Centruroides exilicauda. All the other species have venom and can sting when provoked or trapped, but the reaction to the sting is usually mild.

(Of all the 23 species in Nevada, which one do we have? You guessed it - the Bark scorpion. Woohoo. The irony strikes me strongly here - I hate the house, my mother-in-law owns it, and she is a Scorpio... Of course, I also have an affinity for poisonous things, so we also have black widows in our back yard, but they've stayed where they belong - the back yard.)

Distribution:
In N. America, bark scorpions occur from Arizona to Florida. C. exilicauda occurs primarily in Arizona, but ranges into New Mexico, Nevada, Mexico & has been transported into several other states. In drier climates, they tend to prefer riparian areas. Bark scorpions occur naturally in a small area in southern Nevada bounded by the Virgin River, Lake Mead & the Arizona border. These scorpions were first found in this area in 1984. Not until 1993 was the scorpion found outside of this area, even though exhaustive surveys were conducted in southern Nevada. At least 6 separate locations in Las Vegas have submitted this scorpion for identification in 1993.

(Well, make me number whatever for 2003. We took our dead-scorpion-in-a-jar to Shirlene at the Dept. of Agriculture today, & she said, "Yup, that's a bark scorpion. See the thin tail & delicate pincers?" Said something else about angled incisions on the pincers & some organ under their head only really visible under a microscope. It's being sent to Reno for scientific identification & logging into their databases.)

The rapid increase & spread of this scorpion could have only come from multiple introductions. The most likely sources of introduction being nursery stock (especially palm trees) and possibly building materials.

(What have I been saying about the Gods-be-damned palm trees all along?!!! Hey, my m.i.l. has a coupla palm trees in her front yard...)

Description:
Mature bark scorpions average between 2 - 3" in length, including the tail. Their color ranges from a light yellow to a reddish tan. They are very delicate looking, w/long, slender tails & thin claws, compared to other scorpions. The tail is often as long or longer than the body. The sting, which is used for defense & killing prey, is located at the end of the tail.

(Yup. Pretty, delicate, lacy looking scorpions. Something so fine & artful hides an interesting secret. Even their small little faces, which look so curious & monkey-like for being a bug, don't let you in on their private joke. Foxy, sly little creatures. A scorpion's sting, btw, is known as a "telsor".)

Life Cycle: Bark scorpions give birth to their young from about May - Oct. A litter of young averages about 20 individuals. The female scorpion will carry her young on her back until their first molt (7 - 12 days). The average life span of a bark scorpion is about 5 years. The scorpions may take from 6 mos. to 1 year to mature & begin reproducing.

(5 years - long-lived for an invertebrate. Average female, having 1 litter a year... means she can have about 80 - 120 young in her life. Falsehood: the young are not more poisonous than the adults. They have the same poison, & inject it in smaller amounts, so they are actually less likely to cause harm than an adult scorpion. But they are more likely to sting in self-defense. Watching a scorpion's tail, it doesn't just arch over its head to sting - that sucker can sting in every direction - sideways, backwards, straight up, down... full circular motion. Scorpions are very good mothers, though. Like possums, carrying their young around. Talk about family baggage!)

Habits: Most literature reports that these scorpions tend to like riparian habitats. However, in Nevada, we find them in rock outcroppings as well as in trees, both near water & in what appear to be very dry areas. Bark scorpions, unlike most other species, tend to be more gregarious & may be found in large numbers together, especially during winter months. In Las Vegas, specimens have been caught from both inside homes (on walls & behind pictures) & outside. Outdoors, they have been collected from palm trees, outer walls of buildings & concrete block walls. Another peculiar habit of bark scorpions is their tendency to climb. They are often found fair distances off the ground. They may even spend most of their lives in trees seeking cover during the daylight under the bark & in cracks & crevices of the tree (this is especially true w/palm trees). Most of our other species of scorpions prefer to be ground dwellers.
All scorpions are nocturnal & come out at night to hunt for food or mate. However, it is important to realize that only a small portion of the population may be out on any one night.

(There are more of them.) (Gods-be-damned palm trees.)

Pest Status & Symptoms: Bark scorpions are the only species in NV that are considered seriously or deadly poisonous. If stung by this species, you may exhibit a variety of symptoms. Stings are usually immediately painful. The limb or area around the sting may exhibit numbness, weakness & even paralysis. Other symptoms that may show up are hyperactivity, anxiety, profuse salivation, dizziness, respiratory distress & even convulsions. The sting site does not swell & become discolored as it does w/other species of scorpions. If a person has been stung by a bark scorpion, a physician should be contacted. However, most treatments can be done at home w/the use of mild analgesics & cold compresses for discomfort. Children 2 years old & younger are especially susceptible & often require hospitalization. Antivenin does exist in Arizona, but should only be given when absolutely necessary. Deaths in recent years are very rare.

(Sorry, Lisa, honey, but you can’t come over any more. Deaths are rare – but not unknown. I don’t think I’ll be having much company at all, not even Jody. The toxin is a neurotoxin, similar to black widows, but stronger, more potent. And scorpions, like wasps, don’t die when they sting, they just keep on stinging.)

Controls: The most effective method of control is finding the scorpions at night w/a blacklight. Scorpions fluoresce a yellow-green color when exposed to blacklight. Once detected they can be physically killed or sprayed w/a chemical. Spraying is most effective when the scorpion is directly sprayed. Spraying infested areas w/residual-type sprays may have some effect in controlling the species.

(We’ll probably be moving, yet again. Soon as we save up 1st/last & security deposits. Maybe we’ll go back to The Pointes, where Josh lives. Make him paranoid. The m.i.l. is laying plans to sell the house. Can’t say I’m especially sorry.)