I've just found a scorpion in my house. I did not know we had them in UK. Is this anything to worry about?

Question

I moved a parcel from the floor and on it was a small creature walking. It was about an inch long and thinnish. Then I noticed its back end was bent over towards its front and I though, that looks like a scorpion! I then flicked it off with a shoe and and then I could see its pincers at the back. I don't like killing things but I whacked it with the shoe as I was shocked at what it was - it took several attempts. Is this a one off and I've just never seen one or has it come from somewhere on something?

Answer 1

It sounds very much like a Devil's Coach Horse.  They're very common in the UK but you rarely see them.

They can give you a nasty nip if you pick them up, but they aren't poisonous and they certainly aren't scorpions.

Scorpions have a single sting in their 'tail'.  If you saw pincers, it wasn't a scorpion so don't worry!

Here's some more info on them

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocypus_olen...

The ones I've seen have had slightly bigger 'bits' on their rear end than these show, so maybe there are regional variations.

Edit after your additional info:

No, Devil's Coach Horses aren't pretty!  They do seem to fit your description though - they curl their bodies exactly like scorpions and can look very threatening (despite only being an inch or so long).

They aren't dangerous as such, but as I said before, they can give you a nasty nip.

Edit after your further info:

If it's reddish brown, it sounds more like an Earwig.  The pincers can be straight or curved depending on whether the insect is male or female - the picture in the link below shows a female while the male pincers curve round almost to form a circle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forficula_a...

These are extremely common in the UK and at this time of year often come indoors.  They almost always run away if frightened but they do occassionally stand their ground and raise their pincers over their body which can give them that kind of 'scorpion look' (they generally only do this after they've been hurt or if they can't escape - is that when you saw the 'curling'?).

I don't like killing things either but earwigs do sometimes come into my kitchen, through an airbrick, at this time of year and I won't have them there.  Despite being small, they are hard to kill if you bash at them - if you need to do it again, either step firmly on the earwig or give it a single hard squash.

Answer 2

Scorpions are actually quite common in the UK, especially around the ports, but it has almost certainly escaped from a tank.

Answer 3

As the previous poster said, it could have arrived with the parcel, but there are scorpions native to England. Five colonies of scorpions (Euscorpius flavicaudis) have established themselves in southern England having probably arrived with imported fruit from Africa, but the number of colonies could be lower now because of the destruction of their habitats. This scorpion species is small and completely harmless to humans.

Answer 4

Scorpions are not native to the UK. nor do they have pincers although some get transported to this country in imports but there sting is not fatal to humans  

Answer 5

If the parcel came from abroad it is possible.

I found a thing that looked like a scorpion in my back garden a few years ago, turned out to be called a something horseback (I think it was devil but i'm not sure), they're not common but do live in the UK.

edit - now I feel silly, monkeymoo got the name right!

at least I was close.

Answer 6

Your descriptions scream earwig to me.  

Answer 7

well its a posability it came in the parcel if it was imported from somewhere outside the uk

or if you live in a flat where a neighbours pet one could have escaped

if not it could have came in fruit like grapes or bananas

many possabilitys