Rivertrash
Reged: 08/02/05
Posts: 960
Loc: Tyler, Texas and Beaver Creek,...
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I've seen scallopods discussed a couple of times but don't even know what they are. Have I been caught by the joke or is this something I need to know about?
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JEK
Moderator
Reged: 01/20/04
Posts: 10983
Loc: Northern Virginia
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Quote:
I've seen scallopods discussed a couple of times but don't even know what they are. Have I been caught by the joke or is this something I need to know about?
No joke. A BIG centipede. Shake out your shoes before putting them on and don't play with critters and you should be fine.
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Carnaval 2009: Mardi 24 Février 2009!!!!
JEK
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15947
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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treat them like any other nasty insect..shake out towels and shoes...you'll be fine..
are you in my neighborhood right now???
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LauraB
Reged: 10/08/02
Posts: 199
Loc: NC, USA
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I've been there 3 times and never seen one, and I'm rather phobic about such things. So it's nothing to worry about really. Equivalent hazards in the US would be black widow or brown recluse spiders or scorpions. As long as you're staying in a well-kept place you aren't likely to see one. They show up in construction sites and perhaps dank basements, under rocks, etc. Chickens reportedly find them quite tasty. In case you want to google it I think it's spelled "scalapoid."
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Rivertrash
Reged: 08/02/05
Posts: 960
Loc: Tyler, Texas and Beaver Creek,...
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Thanks. Looked at some of the pics and I think we had some of them at Villa JBA back in August. Is there something similar but more benign and maybe a little lighter in color that we may have been seeing?
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sbdreamin
Reged: 03/22/03
Posts: 308
Loc: S. Fla.
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Had one in our villa this past June. They are very ugly, sort of shiny reddish in color, and the sting will ruin your holiday.. If you are in the hills or near any types of construction that may displace them, definitely shake out shoes, towels, etc...
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ProLurker
Reged: 03/15/03
Posts: 1826
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Scalapoids are typically anywhere from about 1 inch up to about 6/7 inches. The smaller ones are more dangerous as they 'unload' all of their venom in one bite, while the larger ones 'control' theirs.
The larger ones tend to be reddish/orange & brown, while the smaller ones can be lighter in color until mature. Often times I see them during drier times seeking water or damper areas, and that may explain them searching inside villas. If you see one that acts more docile or moving slowly, its probably due to the Exterminator who has recently been. They are slow to die.
They are more common in the hills than around the beach areas.
Ric
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GayleR
Reged: 11/18/02
Posts: 1206
Loc: Toronto, Canada
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LauraB, you couldn't be more incorrect. We stay in top end, spotless villas and this past May had quite the encounter.
Excerpted from my original trip report:
Some of you may remember a thread about these horrible critters:
Well, we got to experience it close up...One morning I went to pick up a bathing suit I had left on the settee in our room and this huge, and I mean HUGE 8" red/brown worm-like thing with a zillion legs went skating across the floor at light speed. I yelled an expletive and jumped on the bed, dropping the suit of course. We had never left our bedroom doors open so I wondered where he came from. But more importantly, I wondered where he went!
We waited for Marie-Claude to arrive and when I told her, she went white and her eyes went wide..."This is a big problem...they are very dangerous...we must find him and kill him!" She grabbed a broom and a can of high powered extermination spray and I got tongs. We crept stealthily into the bedroom. I picked up each clothing item with the tongs as MC stood at the ready. I flicked a shirt of Michael's on the floor and screamed, "There it is...there it is!!!" Marie-Claude was beating the shirt with her shoe and spaying like crazy. She declared, "He is dead!" and we moved the t-shirt to check but it turned out only to be the washing label of the shirt!!! We were hysterical and deemed that was our practice run. I then moved Michael's jeans and yup, it came slithering out, moving very quickly towards us. Marie-Claude and I went into combat mode again smashing it to smithereens. Got him! Phew! We had hung our bathing suits on an outdoor hook which was near the wooden part of the deck. The gardeners had sprayed for bugs and according to Marie-Claude, it likely came through the slats of the deck and cozied up in my bathing suit.
So the moral of the story is always check your shoes and also shake out any clothing BEFORE you put it on.
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wickhamlane
Reged: 09/15/03
Posts: 1374
Loc: pittsburgh
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Yep,saw one emerge from between our deck planks in Feb.Andy killed it with a butcher knife.A condominium, or what looked to be a condominium was under construction nearby.Love the open air living, but I always keep the sliding glass doors to the bedroom shut tight.These creatures are big and fast.I know several people who've been bitten by them, and they experienced fever, swelling and severe discomfort for about 2 weeks.They are as ugly as they look.
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JimD
Reged: 05/16/04
Posts: 712
Loc: St Barts of Course
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They can be very dangerous! I had one in my flat, went to hit it with my shoe, caught my thumb on the edge of the coffee table, and it hurt like hell!!
The other one to watch out for the the vingt-quatre heures, or 24 hours. Big ugly looking spiders 2-3 inches across with kind of claws like crabs. They are hideously magnificent things. Big Dom at the Do Brazil had one in a jar of rum.
If bitten you will feel rough for 24 hours, hence the name.
Have only seen two in two years
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Premium IV
St Barts
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wickhamlane
Reged: 09/15/03
Posts: 1374
Loc: pittsburgh
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What color was the spider?I've seen big red spiders,big orange-brown spotted spiders, black furry spiders and heard of a large white spider my friend encountered in her Samurai.I treat them all the same, with a liberal dose of insect spray.But really, from impeccable sources, the Scalapoid bite isn't something they want to experience again.Fortunately, I've only seen the squirmy thing once.
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