http://entomology.wsu.edu/courses/coursefiles/ENT102/21Ent102%20sorp&solpug%2007.pdf
While Lorne was in Hamilton and the kids had gone home I was on my own in Casa Metta – a very large house for one person to say the least. The whole time we have been there we have not had one scary bug, so of course when I’m on my own the expected occurred. I walked down the hall to go to bed and there in the middle of the hallway was one fierce scorpion, tail held high in the air in attack pose! My first ever scorpion that I have found in all the years we have come down here. Big breath, be still my heart… I retreated rapidly, thinking fast….. what to do? Found a jar and a piece of paper and yes I did, I trapped that scorpion in the jar! I was very proud of my self. I placed it on the counter to save for Lorne so he could see just how brave I was while he was away. That accomplished my heart calmed and I once again thought of bed although I must say I was a bit more wary now. So of course now I step into the bano and there on the floor in the corner is the biggest black and furry spider I have ever seen! My heart really begins pounding now – spiders are totally my phobia – and knowing that the spiders here in Baja are the very fastest spiders ever, knowing this I know that I will have one chance and only one chance to get it. I raced back into the kitchen to get our trusty electronic swatter, looks like a tennis racket – excellent for flies but not having tested the voltage personally I’m not too sure of its effect on huge spiders the size of a mouse. I stood poised at the bathroom doorway armed with my trusty bug slayer and, well, I simply could not do it. What if I missed? What if it started to run? Swallowing all pride I turned and fled to our neighbour Bill and Julie’s house for expert assistance. They are long time residents, Bill has battled rabid skunks before, he is a friend and he is a biologist so he has the appropriate credentials. I had just had dinner with them so I knew they were still up. Thankfully he was good humoured enough to come to my rescue and also thankfully the spider was still there when we returned. He successfully and with no problem dispatched the enemy. Bill, knowledgeable of the identity of much of the flora and fauna of the Baja, informed me it was a deer killer spider, the locals call it mata venados. They are desert scorpion spiders (not a true spider) also known as wind spiders or camel spiders. They don’t like the light and if you see one in the daytime it may appear to be chasing you as it wants to stay in your shadow. How scary is that?! They have been clocked at 20 km/hr! See, I knew it was dangerous! Check it out on the internet, quite a honey believe me.
Needless to say, sleep evaded me that night.
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