Southern or Wood Scorpion Cercophonius squama

Evan - another method that can help with keeping scorpions outside of the house is to install draught excluders on external doors. Tony - Museum Victoria specialises in the distribution of insect species within Victoria. Might you try the SA Museum regarding your Loxton enquiry?

Hi Carol - the species of scorpion found in Australia are not considered to be dangerous, although they can give a painful sting. More information on these fascinating creatures can be found at our information sheet here: http://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/infosheets/scorpion-facts-and-fallacies/

or a fact sheet from the Australian Museum here:

http://australianmuseum.net.au/Scorpions

Hi Beau - There are 9 known species of scorpion in Australia, and whilst they are fairly common, they do not generally seek to come indoors, rather coming in accidentally. Draught excluders along doors can help prevent further unwanted visitors! The links given in a previous reply will give you more information about their habits and habitat.

Dear Jennifer,

scorpions have no interest in people so a sting usually results either from accidental interaction, i.e. standing on a scorpion or if people try to handle them and the animal feels under threat. We get many enquiries on scorpions and not one that I can remember has involved someone being stung. So despite the fact that they can be relatively common in some areas as long as people treat them with respect and are aware of their behaviours and habits, it seems stings are rare.

If you or someone in your family is stung we recommend you seek medical advice but the scorpions in Australia are not considered highly dangerous like some of the species in other countries.

 

 

Hi Vicki,

scorpions are found in Tasmania and as in Melbourne they can be quite common. Finding one on the doona would give you a scare; you can try those draft excluders if you think they may be wandering in under the door. Also be aware that they may be brought into the home under the bark on firewood.

 

Hi Jeremy,

sorry to hear about your wife being stung; she has been very unlucky as we get many enquiries to the Museum regarding scorpions and I can't remember the last time someone contacted us having been stung. Unfortunately the Museum is not involved in pest control so I can't say whether spraying will definitely exclude them and if so how long this may remain effective for. If you want to go ahead with treatment try to ring at least three professional pest control companies and see what sort of guarantees, services they can offer you.

Scorpions can also be brought into the home under bark, so if you have a pile of wood for an open fire, this may also be a way of inadvertently bringing them in. 

Hi Zacc, thanks for your enquiry. We suggest you look at some online stores when looking to purchase scorpions.  If they are sold by these online stores, they are probably captive bred or responsibliy collected.  Perhaps consider contacting The Green Scorpion.

Hi Russ, the mature female scorpion is generally larger and more robust than the male, but the sting at the tip of their tail is generally shorter. The pincers and/or the tail are longer in males. The pectines, (sensory organs on the underside of the scorpion) are also longer and the teeth of the pectines are more bent in males. As you can see it is not easy to differentiate the sexes.  

Hi Travis, we have looked into this and we have found that there is research being undertaken into the possible use of scorpion venom in new insecticides and cancer treatments. I could not find any reference to scorpion venom containing traces of metal. To follow this up you may want to contact the Australian Venom Research Unit. 

Hi Sandra,

Small scorpions like the wood scorpion do remain quite still if they are disturbed. This is often for 2 reasons: Over winter they are quite cold and they will minimise movement as their body temperatures are not warm enough to allow for high levels of activity. The other reason we see scorpions ‘playing dead’ when we disturb them is as a predator defence mechanism; they only tend to remain this way for a short period of time when they think pretending to be a piece of wood is working, then we find that they will suddenly become very active and will make a big effort to get away.

The group of animals you observed scattering away from under a neighbouring log are unlikely to be the young of this scorpion. The only time they are clustered as a group is upon the females back. Once they have moulted and left the females back they disperse and if they encounter each other they are more likely to have each other for dinner rather than hang out together.

Hi Debbie,

All scorpions are predators. Your wood scorpion in the wild would be feeding on a range of small insects and other invertebrates it finds in your backyard. If you can find some small insects such as grasshoppers and cockroaches from the backyard you can offer them to the scorpion. Make sure the food you offer them is around 1/3 the size of your pet.

Hi Yvette, as you are in Perth it might be a good idea to contact the Western Australian Museum and see if they can identify the species for you. If you can take some images you could contact the Museum here. They will have a better knowledge of WA fauna than we will.

Hi Onna, despite the fact that scorpions can be found in reasonable numbers in the suburbs of Melbourne stings are rare so you have been unlucky. Scorpions have no interest in humans and stings usually result from people accidentally standing or lying on them. Of the nine species that are known to inhabit Victoria none of them are considered highly dangerous although a sting can result in inflammation and pain for several hours and you should get medical advice in the event of being stung. The Museum is not involved in the removal or control of insects and invertebrates but you may want to consider draught excluders if you have large cracks under the door. Scorpions can also be brought into the home under the bark of firewood. If you are interested in having a specimen identified by our Entomologist please submit an identification request by following the guidelines located here. 
Please follow these links to access our MV Resources for more information and facts on scorpions.

Hi Karen,

Its unlikely that they would be up in the ceiling as they are usually ground dwelling creatures - it is far more likely that they are coming in under outside doors.  Otherwise, they could also be brought in by a pet (dog/cat), or plants that are transferred from outside to inside, particularly if there is garden/mulch near these rooms.

Scorpions will eat small insects such as cockroaches and grasshoppers, not too big. They will also eat mealworms which can sometimes be bought from pet shops.  It is important not to over feed them and perhaps one meal every few days is sufficient.  Check out some of the information provided to other readers above.

Hi Dean, the Southern or Wood Scorpion is the only species of scorpion found in Tasmania but we haven't found any evidence suggesting that it is not naturally occurring in Tasmania. As they are nocturnal, small and well camouflaged they often pass unnoticed by people. The Australian Venom Research Unit states that 'on a world scale Australian scorpions are relatively innocuous, with very few deaths reliably documented as related to scorpion stings. Local pain and swelling are the major clinical problems following Australian scorpion stings.'

Pets definitely feel pain if stung by a scorpion, whether or not it hurts them as much as it hurts us I don't think anyone knows. 

Hi Iain, have a look at the answer we provided today to Darren regarding venom issues for this scorpion. In the event of a suspected sting seek medical attention if for nothing else than peace of mind. If you are getting scorpions in the house check if there are obvious gaps under the door and use those draught excluders to block them. Scorpions can also be brought into the house under the bark of firewoood. Scorpions have no interest in people and are likely to sting only if stood on or handled and stressed. Despite the fact that they can be locally common we get hardly any stings reported to us at the Museum.  

Hi Hamish,

Only tropical species require heating. Local species are best kept under local conditions, which means no additional heating.

Hi Lee, we are not aware of any scientifically published material that suggests Australian species of scorpion will be repelled by lavendar. As you have found this species of scorpion can be brought inside under the bark of firewood. The species is not considered highly dangerous but to avoid an accidental sting maybe wear gloves when carrying the firewood. Those draught excluders may stop any scorpions wandering under the door if you have large cracks. Despite the fact that scorpions can be quite common even into the inner suburbs of Melbourne we have very few stings reported to us. 

Hi Michelle, sorry to hear that, your son has been quite unlucky. We get many enquiries about scorpions each year and almost none of them are to report a sting. Hope all are well, although I imagine the scorpion may not have been popular.

Hi Jacob, the Live Exhibits Team have provided the following information for you.  Scorpions are common throughout most backyards in Victoria and Tasmania, but they rarely enter houses as the air inside buildings is too dry and they die quite quickly. So you may have had scorpions in your house in Melbourne, but they never lasted long enough for you to find them. The scorpions found around Melbourne and Hobart are relatively harmless - their sting is no worse than a bee sting.  Any large predatory invertebrate and any bird or small mammal will happily devour a scorpion - they have no particular predators that can be used to reduce their numbers. The best way is to keep them out, by reducing their entry points and by checking when bringing anything (such as firewood) from outside into the house.

Hi Zane, scorpions can enter homes via very small openings. They can be found in bathrooms where conditions are humid, not too dry and where water is available. If they are hunting for food they may be found in the bathroom if that is where the most invertebrates in the house are to be found. If you have a wood fire the scorpion may have been brought into the house with the wood or under the bark of the wood.