AFRICANIZED BEES
When to watch out: Africanized bees, which swarm and sting when their hive is threatened, are active year-round, but especially during warm spring months when flowers are blooming.
Sting signs: The sting causes pain and swelling. When the bee stings, its stinger remains in the wound.
Avoidance strategy: When Africanized bees feel their hive is threatened, they attack in swarms of thousands. If you're attacked, get indoors or inside a car or run away. You might have to run as much as a quarter-mile, but don't jump in water. They'll wait for you.
SCORPIONS
When to watch out: Like rattlesnakes, scorpions like the heat and come out when it's between 70 and 90 degrees.
Sting signs: People often encounter bark scorpions, small and sand-colored Its sting is potentially life-threatening. The sting causes pain, though not necessarily severe. But then it spreads away from the sting with an intense pins-and-needles sensation.
Avoidance strategy: Close windows and doors tightly and remove clutter from around your house and yard, so they'll have fewer places to hide. They like to hide under pieces of wood.
BLACK WIDOW AND BROWN SPIDERS
When to watch out: They follow their prey into warm weather and especially like dark corners.
Bite signs: For black widows — pain around the bite, sometimes muscle pain and cramping. For brown spiders — people don't usually feel the bite. Eventually a dark spot surrounded by a light halo appears. Then the venom digests the skin, forming an ulcer. Medical attention is needed because of the tissue damage.
Avoidance tactic: Clear out the clutter around your house. Scorpions and spiders like dark corners.
RATTLESNAKES
When to watch out: Rattlesnakes are most active between March and October when the temperature is between 70 and 90 degrees.
Bite signs: Vary depending on the amount of poison that enters the body. But people who get bitten usually feel intense pain.
Avoidance strategy: Stay aware of your surroundings, especially in rocky or shrubby areas where the snakes like to hang out. Only contact the Fire Department for snake removal when the snake poses an immediate threat. Otherwise leave it alone.
Whom to call
If you think you're having an unusual or life-threatening reaction to a bite or sting call 911. If you feel an unidentified sting, pinch or bite while outdoors, especially on an arm or ankle, you may have been bitten or stung. Call Arizona Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 and someone will help identify what may have gotten you depending on your symptoms.
All information provided by Craig Ivanyi, the general curator of living collections at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.