As a general rule, I pretty much like all living things, but even I have my limits. There are a few creatures (and certain human beings) on this planet that I see absolutely no use for. Still, it is my policy to live and let live most of the time. I do draw the line at most of them living in my home, but I’m that person who takes the spider or the lizard outside and turns it loose rather than killing it. I’ve even been known on occasion to take mice away from the cats and let them go (luckily we don’t get mice inside very often!). One creature that I just can’t stand, though, is a cockroach (although I did think that the green Cuban cockroach was pretty cool), and unfortunately Florida is full of cockroaches. But even cockroaches are allowed to live as long as they stay outside!

Another animal that I really don’t care for, especially inside my house, are scorpions. But at least scorpions do actually have a use, especially the most common Florida scorpion, the Hentz striped scorpion (Centruroides hentzi). They love to eat cockroaches! When I first moved up here I frequently went outside barefooted, which really wasn’t a smart thing to do. One day, I got stung by something that really, really hurt, but I was never able to find whatever it was in the grass. It wasn’t until years later while working on some building project or other, I got the same sharp, stinging pain on my hand as I lifted a piece of wood off a pile. But this time, I saw the culprit, a small, brown scorpion. I did kill that one, almost on instinct. Later that evening when I was researching scorpions and discovered that they eat roaches, I felt badly, and I’ve never killed one since. They don’t get into the house often, but when they do, I handle them very carefully (with some sort of container) and remove them. I’m still not overly fond of them (the way they move creeps me out), but I tolerate them.

Last week, when I was putting up the dogs for the night, I discovered this little scorpion on one of the wooden railings. At first, I really thought that it was dead because it didn’t move at all. It let me take quite a few photos while not moving, and then suddenly, it just scuttled off. I’m not sure why, but it meant that our photo session was over. There are three species of scorpions that live here Florida, and this guy was a Hentz striped scorpion. As I stated before, they’re the most common one in Florida, and they’re found throughout the state except in the Keys, but they are found almost no where else. The locals call them wood scorpions because hiding in piles of wood is one of their favorite things to do. They can also be found under rocks, downed limbs, leaf debris, and under buildings. Because they like to stay hidden and because they are nocturnal, most people don’t see them very often. They are also fairly long lived, and can survive for 5-8 years. None of our Florida scorpions are aggressive, and the most common way that people get stung is when moving wood. Fortunately, none of them are really harmful to people, either. Although the sting definitely is uncomfortable, it’s not fatal to people unless they are seriously allergic.

As you can see, even the creatures that are not on my most loved list definitely can have their uses. Even though I will never be thrilled to see a scorpion (and even less thrilled to get stung again), anything that eats cockroaches can’t be all bad!

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