SCORPIONS

I have rarely seen scorpions throughout my years on Bequia, and those I DO see are usually dead. I was still new to the island when Mac showed me a scorpion he had found under some rotten wood, and I watched with fascination as he picked up the strange-looking creature. The scorpion was no longer alive, but I could see that it had a curved, segmented tail, and sported some pretty wicked-looking pincers.  Having read about the scorpion’s poisonous venom I worried about their presence on Bequia, but Mac assured me that the sting from a scorpion didn’t hurt much, certainly not as much as that of the dreaded centipede. He claimed it felt kind of like a bee sting, a bit of pain and swelling that lingered for a while before wearing off, and I hoped he  was right!

I have only had one uncomfortable encounter with a scorpion, and it was a very strange experience! I was staying on the mainland with a friend, and had walked onto the hotel’s 2^nd story balcony to drink a morning cup of coffee. Feeling a sudden, sharp pain on my ankle I looked down, and my first thought was;

“What the HELL is a crayfish doing on the balcony?”

The scorpion was huge, and it DID resemble a crayfish, with large pincers waving at me in an irritated way. It was only when I noticed the tail that I realized I’d either been pinched or stung by a scorpion, and my friend and I waited to see what kind of reaction I would have. My ankle swelled a little, then throbbed throughout breakfast before fading into just a memory. I suspect the creature had pinched me instead of injecting venom with its tail, and perhaps that’s why I didn’t experience much discomfort. They DO say that the smaller the scorpion the hotter the sting, probably because small scorpions can’t defend themselves with large pincers and use their venomous tails instead. I guess I was lucky – my scorpion had pincers like that of a Maine lobster!

Scorpions are nocturnal creatures and tend to hide during the day. They don’t move around much except at night, and even when they ARE on the prowl for food they sit and wait for their prey instead of hunting for it. They prefer dark, dampish spots and are therefore often found in and around shower drains. Not long ago, I put my hand up to close the shower curtain and, noticing what I thought might be a small toad, I put my glasses back on for a closer inspection. I’m glad I took the time to be careful because it wasn’t a toad clinging to the shower curtain, rather    a scorpion! I thought it was dead because it wasn’t moving, but Nik assured me that the creature was indeed alive, and removed it so that   I could shower in peace.

Scorpions are evidently good to eat, and considered a delicacy in several countries. Vanessa’s step-son visited Thailand recently, and took it upon himself to eat anything and everything that was foreign to him. He tried scorpions, something I’m sure I could never do unless I was starving to death, but I’m not very adventurous when it comes to weird food. Evidently the fried scorpions on a stick sold by street vendors in Thailand taste a bit like French fries, and are reportedly a hell of a lot healthier!

Am I afraid of scorpions on Bequia? No, not really, and I probably never will be. I AM, however, afraid of scorpion FISH, but that’s an entirely different story…..