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When camping, invert and shake out sleeping bags, clothes, and
other items that have been in contact with the ground, and shake out shoes
before putting them on in the morning. Always wear shoes when walking at
night.
All members of the family should be able
to recognize scorpions, and everyone should be aware of the
danger they pose; special care should be taken to caution
children, and older persons who have recently moved to Arizona
from more northern latitudes. An infant's crib can be protected
by placing the legs of the crib in clean wide mouth jars.
Scorpions cannot climb clean glass.
In areas with scorpions, it is also necessary to watch out for dark
hiding places indoors: in cupboards, under the duvet and bed, or
in shoes look under the bed and shake your shoes
thoroughly before putting them on.
Scorpions are not aggressive toward non prey, and only sting when
handled or otherwise molested. When defending themselves, they
usually hold the victim with their pincers and sting repeatedly
by thrusting the tail over the body and the stinger into the
victim's flesh. Obviously a person who has been clasped by a
scorpion should quickly remove it to avoid multiple stings.
Only about 25 of the 1500 species of scorpions found worldwide
have venom deadly to humans, and only one of those, the bark
scorpion, makes its home in the United States. This species, Centruruoides exilicauda, is most common in southern Arizona but
it also occurs in Grand Canyon, southern Nevada and southern
California. At least 30 scorpion species are desert dwellers,
including the giant desert (Hadrurus spadix), the largest at
five-plus inches, and the boreal (Paruroctonus boreus), the most
common and widespread. Baja California has the greatest variety
with over 50 species.
Venom from only one of the 30 species of Arizona scorpions is
considered to be life-threatening. This is the bark scorpion,
Centruroides sculpturatus (actually a synonym of C. exilicauda).
This species can be distinguished from all others in Arizona by
the following set of characteristics:
1. The chelae or pincers (on the pedipalps) of C. sculpturatus
are very slender, so that they are about six times as long as
the broadest part.
2. At the base of the stinger is a little tubercle or tooth.
This can be seen with a hand lens or with the naked eye if the
profile of the vesicle is silhouetted against a light
background.
Be careful when camping or during other outdoor activities to
make sure that a scorpion has not made a home in your clothes,
shoes or sleeping bags. Scorpions glow brightly under UV light black light.
Scorpions are basically immune to most pesticides.
If you
suspect your house has scorpions, call a professional
exterminator.
Very few people die from scorpion stings, even the sting of the
Arizona bark scorpion. Scorpion stings are most dangerous to the
very young and the very old. Pets are also at risk.
Many bugs are edible
Military survival manuals indicate that insects are an ideal
food alternative. Nutritionists likewise report most bugs are
good for your health.
Rotting logs lying on the ground are excellent places to look for a
variety of insects including ants, termites, beetles, and grubs,
which are beetle larvae.
Do not overlook insect nests on or in
the ground. Grassy areas, such as fields, are good areas to
search because the insects are easily seen. Stones, boards, or
other materials lying on the ground provide the insects with
good nesting sites. Insect larvae are also
edible. Insects such as beetles and grasshoppers that have a
hard outer shell will have parasites. Cook them before eating.
Remove any wings and barbed legs also. You can eat most insects
raw.
The taste varies from one species to another. Wood grubs
are bland, while some species of ants store honey in their
bodies, giving them a sweet taste. You can grind a collection of
insects into a paste. You can mix them with edible
vegetation. You can cook them to improve their taste.
Worms
Worms (Annelidea) are an excellent protein source. Dig for them
in damp humus soil or watch for them on the ground after a rain.
After capturing them, drop them into clean, potable water for a
few minutes. The worms will naturally purge or wash themselves
out, after which you can eat them raw.
Reptiles
Reptiles are a good protein source and relatively easy to catch.
You should cook them, but in an emergency, you can eat them raw.
Their raw flesh may transmit parasites, but because reptiles are
cold-blooded, they do not carry the blood diseases of the
warm-blooded animals.
The box turtle is a commonly encountered turtle that you should
not eat. It feeds on poisonous mushrooms and may build up a
highly toxic poison in its flesh. Cooking does not destroy this
toxin. Avoid the hawksbill turtle, found in the Atlantic Ocean,
because of its poisonous thorax gland. Poisonous snakes,
alligators, crocodiles, and large sea turtles present obvious
hazards to the survivor.
Dandelions
Rank in the top 4 green vegetables in overall nutritional value.
out of
all vegetables, including grains, seeds and greens, as tied for
9th best. dandelions are nature's
richest green vegetable source of beta-carotene, from which
Vitamin A is created, and the third richest source of Vitamin A
of all foods, after cod-liver oil and beef liver! They also are
particularly rich in fiber, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium,
phosphorus and the B vitamins, thiamine and riboflavin, and are
a good source of protein.
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