From page 22
SCORPIONS
If the victim was stung by
collecting firewood.
Gauteng: Uroplectes
Never handle scorpions with
triangulifer, Hadogenes
your bare hands.
gunning, Pseudolychas
Never sleep directly on the
ochraceus and
ground when you are
Opistophthalmus pugnax.
camping. Shake out footwear,
They are all small, ranging
clothes and bedding to make
from 28 mm to 70 mm and
sure nothing crawled in.
their stings are similar to that Clear clutter around your
of a bee. Antivenom is not
house – scorpions love to
necessary.
hide under rubble.
There are some precautions
If you have scorpions
that one can take. Scorpions
wandering into your house
are nocturnal, which of
regularly, clear clutter from
course means they wander
the floor, and shake out
around at night, so wear
bedding before you get into
footwear at night. Be careful
bed at night.
when lifting rocks and when
Lemming offers the following
advice in cases where
someone has been
stung:
K Keep calm. A
scorpion sting does not
mean instant death –
but you should go to a
hospital as soon as
possible.
K Try to identify the
scorpion – does it have
Found in Gauteng: Pseudolychas ochraceus a thick tail or thin tail?
a thick-tailed scorpion,
get some medical
attention immediately.
There is antivenom
available for scorpion
stings.
K If the victim was stung
by a thin-tailed scorpion, Found in Gauteng: Hadogenes gunningi
on the sting site. Clean the
mild pain and local
wound and bandage.
inflammation are probably
K Give some paracetamol or
the only ill-effects he or she
aspirin for pain.
will suffer.
K Put ice or a cold compress
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