Sydney scorpion: Straying suburban stinger wanders into northern beaches kitchen

A straying scorpion, which wandered into a home in suburban Sydney, has prompted a reminder that the little stingers live among us. See the video.

A straying scorpion sent a scare through a suburban Sydney home after the little stinger had lost its way and wandered into the kitchen.

The northern beaches householder managed to capture the eight-legged arachnid — which she named Sylvester — in a clear plastic container.

An Australian museum expert explained though that the critter, which he identified as a “Wood Scorpion”, was probably “extremely lost” after its burrow was flooded by recent heavy rain.

But when the householder posted a video of the creature to a community Facebook group, it triggered an avalanche of responses from locals who did not realise that scorpions can be found in the suburbs.

And they can make their way into people’s homes.

A wood scorpion, which can be found in Sydney’s suburbs, can make its way into homes if its hidden burrow is flooded. Picture: Australian Museum

One local posted that he “never thought about there being scorpions in this area”.

“Never seen one in my life,” he wrote.

Another local added: “I would never have believed we had them here!”.

“Sylvester” the wood scorpion was not happy to be captured in a Sydney kitchen. The householder later released him unharmed. Picture: Facebook

A resident wrote: “I’ve seen one in my time on the Beaches (25 years) — inside the house. I was quite surprised as I also didn’t know we had them.”

“We had one at Church Point in the living room,” a startled resident wrote.

Others posted that they had seen scorpions multiples times.

“When we were kids we used to catch them all over the place,” a local posted. “Bilgola used to have heaps.”

Wood scorpions, found across south eastern Australia, like to live hidden in burrows under leaf litter and wood piles. Picture: Supplied

Others said they had seen scorpions in Elanora Heights, Ingleside Warriewood and Bayview.

The woman who caught “Sylvester” released it unharmed.

“Found this little fella in my kitchen,” she said.

“I will let him go of course, just having a little look at something I’ve never seen before.”

The museum advised that wood scorpions lived in burrows under leaf litter, or under bark on trees in well wooded areas. They prefer habitats with high levels of moisture and usually spend much of the summer months in their burrows.

The museum’s collection manager (arachnology), Matt Shaw, told this masthead that what he described as the “small attractively-marked” scorpion were not often seen because they prefer to remain hidden.

“Unless you go fossicking through dead wood, leaf litter, eucalyptus bark, or wood piles, you are unlikely to encounter them,” Dr Shaw said.

A wood scorpion can give you a nasty sting, which usually does not result in medical problems. Picture: Supplied

“(Wood scorpions) are one of the many native species that can persist if habitats can be allowed to retain enough natural values.

“This scorpion is usually a sedentary homebody, and it likes areas with good rainfall. Hence after heavy rain a variety of small invertebrates move about and can be encountered in unexpected places.

“If inside a house, it is extremely lost, and away from its habitat of moist litter etc. It is like being in an arid hell; they wouldn’t survive for long.”

Dr Shaw also advised that if a person was stung, it was not expected to cause medical difficulties.

He said sting symptoms for the wood scorpion) included a “few hours of local pain and inflammation”.

“However stings seem rare, and easy to avoid if you avoid putting bare hands where you can’t see). Seeking medical advice would still be advised out of an abundance of caution.

“It is easy to live with these creatures without fear or problems, and they are a sign that your local nature is still harbouring some decent local diversity.”

Originally published as Sydney scorpion: Straying suburban stinger wanders into northern beaches kitchen