What to Do After a Scorpion Sting in Texas
Nearly every scorpion sting reported to poison centers in this country happens in a home, often from one hiding in a shoe, clothing or a towel. This article covers what a scorpion sting looks like, how to treat it, whether the scorpions in Texas are dangerous, when a sting needs a doctor, and what to do for a stung dog or cat.
- Texas averaged 1,743 scorpion exposures a year reported to poison centers from 2005 to 2015.
- The striped bark scorpion is the only scorpion found in the eastern part of Texas.
- In that poison center study, Texas stings peaked in May and June.
- Numbness and tingling can last 4 to 6 hours and usually clear within 24 hours.
- A sting on a young child, or trouble breathing, needs medical help at once.
What does a scorpion sting look like?
Often like very little. In Texas poison center reports, about 3 in 4 stings listed pain, while only about 1 in 8 listed redness and about as many swelling. Oklahoma State University says a sting from the scorpion common there brings considerable pain but generally limited swelling, and numbness and tingling can follow for 4 to 6 hours.
The pain is the main event. The Oklahoma State scorpion fact sheet says that for most people a sting is slightly more painful than a bee or wasp sting, and that the numbness and tingling start to fade after those hours and normally disappear within 24 hours.
That study, by Kang and Brooks in the Journal of Medical Toxicology, read every scorpion exposure reported to poison centers from 2005 to 2015. Pain was the most common effect across the country, and Texas reported an average of 1,743 exposures a year, second only to Arizona. So a sting may leave little to see beyond a small red spot, while it still hurts for hours.
What is the treatment for a scorpion sting?
For a healthy adult, care at home is usually enough. Oklahoma State University says to wash the sting with soap and water, use a cool compress and raise the arm or leg, and Texas A&M AgriLife says an ice pack relieves some pain. Get medical help at once for a young child, an older adult or breathing trouble.
Oklahoma State adds more cautions. Ask a doctor before giving any over-the-counter pain reliever, and with a child ask which one is safe. Give no alcohol or other sedatives. Get medical attention immediately for anyone sensitive to stings, and if the swelling or pain will not settle. It says to take no chances with small children or older people.
For a question about a sting at any hour, the Texas Poison Center Network answers 1-800-222-1222, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, staffed by specially trained physicians, pharmacists and nurses.
Are scorpions in Texas dangerous?
Painful, but rarely dangerous. Texas A&M AgriLife says stings from Texas scorpions cause only moderate reactions in most people, because the venom has little effect on the nervous system. The dangerous one, the Arizona bark scorpion, lives in Arizona and nearby areas, and the striped bark scorpion is the only scorpion in eastern Texas.
Rarely is not never. The Texas A&M AgriLife scorpion fact sheet says a person who is stung should be watched closely, that allergic reactions are possible, and that scorpions with even relatively low poison levels can produce fatal reactions in young children and in adults who are allergic to the toxin.
Fire ants raise the stakes here. Kang and Brooks say that in Texas and its neighbors there is a risk of an allergic reaction with repeated stings, or even on a first scorpion sting, because the venom can cross-react with that of the imported fire ant. Our article on fire ant bites covers that reaction.
The University of California says the Arizona bark scorpion, a different species from the striped bark scorpion of Texas, lives throughout Arizona, in the far southeast of California and in southwestern New Mexico. Its sting can cause severe pain, numbness, trouble breathing and convulsions, which is why stories from Arizona do not describe a sting in McKinney.
Scorpions are venomous rather than poisonous, and the University of California says death from a scorpion sting is rare. Kang and Brooks say the striped bark scorpion causes a large number of stings in summer but only rarely major effects. Across the country, children under 10 had the highest rates of hospital and intensive care admission after a sting, mostly in Arizona and Nevada.
What happens if a scorpion stings a dog or cat?
A stung dog or cat usually limps, holds up a leg or moves slowly, Texas A&M’s veterinary college says. Many pets feel something like a limb falling asleep more than pain, and coughing can follow. Severe reactions are rare, but its advice is to bring the pet to a veterinarian if you suspect a sting.
One of its emergency veterinarians, writing in Pet Talk, says that in more than 4 years at a small animal emergency room he never saw a dangerous or life-threatening scorpion sting in a dog or cat. An exam tells whether the pet needs treatment at all, and a pet in more pain may go home with a pain medicine chosen by the vet. Ask the vet before giving a dog or cat any medicine of your own.
The same college says scorpion sightings in Texas peak in the hottest, driest months, typically July and August, and that rare, more venomous stings can cause skin or tissue damage that needs extra care.
Scorpion sting signs, and what each one calls for
These come from the Oklahoma State and Texas A&M fact sheets and the poison center study.
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Pain at the spot | Wash it, cool it, raise the arm or leg |
| Numbness or tingling nearby | Expect 4 to 6 hours, gone within 24 |
| A young child or an older adult | Get medical attention at once |
| Trouble breathing | Get medical attention at once |
| Signs of an allergic reaction | Get medical attention at once |
| Swelling or pain that lasts | Get medical attention, Oklahoma State says |
When in doubt about a sting, call 1-800-222-1222, day or night.
What to do in the first hour after a scorpion sting
- Step away, and catch the scorpion only if it is safe. Texas A&M AgriLife says to set a glass over it and slide a card underneath, and the University of California says a caught scorpion helps identify it.
- Wash the sting with soap and water, and hold a cool compress or ice pack on it, as Oklahoma State and Texas A&M advise.
- Raise the arm or leg and keep the person calm. Give no alcohol or sedatives, and ask a doctor or the poison center which pain reliever is safe, above all for a child.
- Call the Texas Poison Center Network at 1-800-222-1222 with any question about how the sting is going.
- Watch closely for the next few hours, and go for medical help at once for a young child, an older adult, anyone sensitive to stings, trouble breathing or any sign of an allergic reaction.
Keeping the next scorpion from stinging
The University of California says to shake out shoes, clothing and towels before using them, not to leave them outdoors, wear shoes outside in the evening and wear gloves for yard work. Scorpions glow under a black light, so a UV flashlight after dark shows where they are.
Oklahoma State says most indoor stings happen in summer, when scorpions move out of the hot attic and walls into the cooler rooms. Our article on the signs of a scorpion infestation covers how to tell whether one scorpion means more, and our striped bark scorpion page shows what the Collin County one looks like.
How Pest Me Off handles scorpions after a sting
On a scorpion control visit, Pest Me Off starts with a UV blacklight inspection after dark, because scorpions glow bright green and it shows the true population, not just the one that stung. We treat the scorpions and the crickets and roaches they hunt, then install the Scorched Earth Barrier around the foundation and seal the brick weep holes, the garage door seal, door thresholds and the gaps around utility lines. A scorpion fits through a 1/16-inch gap, so the sealing is what makes the barrier hold.
Pets and kids are back inside in 1 to 2 hours, and quarterly visits keep the barrier live through the April-to-October season. The inspection and estimate are free, with same-day service when you call before noon, in McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Allen and across Collin County.
Stung by a scorpion in the house? Same-day pest control in McKinney and the surrounding cities when you call before noon.
We find them with a UV light after dark, treat the scorpions and the insects they hunt, and seal the gaps they climb through. Free inspection and estimate.
