Here’s the story: Many fantastic superstitions have arisen concerning the scorpion. Probably no other related animal has been the subject of so many folk tales. However, scorpions are usually not aggressive and raise their pinchers and tail to merely scare away intruders.
Scorpions are not insects. They are classified as arachnids. They are related to spiders and ticks. Scorpions use their large pincher like front legs for defense, climbing, courtship, and to capture prey. Their stinger is at the tip of a long, narrow tail and is used for defense and killing prey. Scorpions feed on a wide variety of organisms, including insects, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, and even small reptiles. Their vision is very poor, so they often hide in ambush for their prey. They prefer a moist habitat, as that is where their prey also resides. Scorpions are commonly found in rock and woodpiles, stacks of rubble, in brick or rock walls, crawl spaces or in leaf litter or mulch materials.
Scorpions rarely sting people; but when they do, it's only after provocation. Fortunately, only a few species are deadly. The venom apparently varies in its potency from season to season. Persons stung in the spring, when scorpions first emerge, have more severe reactions because of the larger amount of venom present in their bodies at this time. Also, susceptibility to scorpion poison is extremely variable, even among individuals of the same age. For most people, a scorpion sting produces a sharp sensation like a bee-sting that lasts for 10-20 minutes.
