From: Louis Boyd <boyd@pegasus.la.asu.edu>
Subject: Re: New Mexico and critters
Date: 28 Aug 1996
Newsgroups: misc.rural

martaj@fc.hp.com (Marta Jackson) wrote:
>My husband and I have bought some land in southern New Mexico and are
>considering building a home there.  I would be interested in hearing from
>others in the area regarding little critters in their house (i.e.
>scorpions, tarantulas, etc).  Should I be anxious about this?
                              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

If you know that you have an alergic reaction to scorpion venom then this
can be a real concern. A few species of scorpions of the southwest,
particularly the small "bark" scorpions, can be deadly for a rare few
people but will be very painful for anyone. Scorpions aren't very
agressive but will sting if you press against them.  They are hard to get
rid of as they don't respond very well to poisons.  I live in the
mountains of southern Arizona and my wife is alergic to them. She keeps
an epinephrine injection kit and oxygen.  We have found and killed four
inside our house this summer.  As we have exotic birds we can't use the
more agressive insecticies. They respond well to a HEAVY blow from a
flyswatter. They are fairly fast and if you see one on the wall they can
get into a crevace by the time you get the swatter.  They like to hide in
dark enclosed places. This includes inside shoes which is an easy way to
get stung. She's been lucky so far.  I'm not alergic an don't worry about
them but kill them if I see them.  We occasionly do a hunt by turning off
all the lights then using a "black light" fluorescent lamp.  Scorpions
light up a bright yellow-green under long wave UV and can easily be seen
at a distance.  If you want a real shock go out in the woods at night
with a UV lamp.  You may not go camping again. It just proves they really
aren't after you.

Tarantulas are another matter.  They have a mild poison in their bite but
are very non agressive and will only bite if handled roughly.  If you
find one in your house just coax it into a shoebox or similar and let it
loose outdoors.  They aren't a worry.  Black widow spiders are much more
dangerous as are some of the wasps and yellowjackets.  You could also
have rattlesnakes.  They USUALLY give you a warning if you get too close
and a broom will get them out of the house safely if you keep your head
and keep your distance.

Should you be anxious? No.
Should you be careful? Yes

When you build your home think about the terrain.   Was that the home of
scorpions you invaded?  If so. You'll have them in your house at least for
a while.  If you build your house with frame construction and space between
the ground and floor you'll have them for a long time.  Less so with a
concrete slab.

The only "critter" which gave us real trouble this summer (it was because
of the 90 year record drought) was a mountain lion with a cub. It was
hungry and ate three cats, two ducks, and two chickens. It took them right
in the back yard.  I saw her once, found the carcasses to know what happened.
As soon as the summer monsoon started they were gone.

Enjoy sunny NM :-)

From: Louis Boyd <boyd@pegasus.la.asu.edu>
Subject: Re: New Mexico and critters
Date: 02 Sep 1996
Newsgroups: misc.rural

Louis Boyd <boyd@pegasus.la.asu.edu> wrote:
>martaj@fc.hp.com (Marta Jackson) wrote:
>>My husband and I have bought some land in southern New Mexico and are
>>considering building a home there.  I would be interested in hearing from
>>others in the area regarding little critters in their house (i.e.
>>scorpions, tarantulas, etc).  Should I be anxious about this?
>                              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>
>The only "critter" which gave us real trouble this summer (it was because
>of the 90 year record drought) was a mountain lion with a cub. It was
>hungry and ate three cats, two ducks, and two chickens. It took them right
>in the back yard.  I saw her once, found the carcasses to know what happened.
>As soon as the summer monsoon started they were gone.

Just when we thought it was safe....
Three nights ago our cat (the last of four, see above) came back into the
house acting disoriented and drooling.  Took it to the vet the next
morning. It died yesterday moring.  The wife and I started rabies shots
yesterday afternoon since we've been living in the house with the cat. It
sleeps on the bed with us and since we have large birds we usually have
scratches on our arms. Better safe than dead. Just thought I'd throw in rabies
as one of the fun parts of southwest living.

Suggestion. Keep your pets vaccinations current. If your animal gets bitten
by another animal or if you see it eating a bat, get it to a vet for shots.
Once you see symptoms it's usually too late. Rabies is a virus.  Some of the
little critters you can't see can be a problem too.