Expert on Stan Lee’s Superhumans

During the summer of 2011 our founder Ben Holland was invited to be a scorpion expert on the History Channel’s show Stan Lee’s Superhumans. Find out about the behind the scenes and watch the clip below.

We do not recommend handeling scorpions by hand, please do not reenact the scenes of the video.

Scorpion Man Video Clip

In this clip you will see "Scorpion Man" Dean Allan Sheldon place 22 live Texas Bark Scorpions (Centruroides vittatus) in his mouth. He is unharmed by the venomous stings and is truly superhuman.

Behind the Scenes

The History Channel shoot took a total of 12 hours, spanning 2 days. It was filmed in Cave Creek, Arizona. The ambulance and EMTs were real as were the scorpions.

Shoot First Day

Behind the scenes look of the crew at the Buffalo Chip Saloon in Cave Creek, Arizona

First we shot the intro section of the video at the Buffalo Chip Saloon. They chose this location because it appeared "especially Arizonan". The production company and crew were all from England so they were looking for the most stereotypical scenery possible.

At one point during this shoot Dean dropped a scorpion, the entire crew scattered in fear. While they were running the director called for Ben to come pick up the scorpion but before he was able to collect the scorpion Dean had picked it up by hand. By the end of the shoot a small crowed had gathered and took pictures.

That evening Dean, Ben, Daniel and the crew went to a 200 archer horse ranch in North Cave Creek Foothills. There the scorpion hunt shots were filmed. They traveled up a single horse trail and found around 20 scorpions in a half hour. Dean was really excited and placed almost all of them in his mouth. The producers finally had to tell him to stop because there were no paramedics and they did not want Dean to injure himself.

Shoot Second Day

Group photo taken at the end of the second day

On the second day of the shoot most of the interviews and the feat was filmed. The paramedics were brought in to ensure Dean did not die, they were real EMTs on loan from the local hospital. The ambulance had a really hard time getting up to the ranch and almost got stuck on the road a couple of times.

The act of placing the scorpions in Dean’s mouth was completely real. The scorpions were Texas Bark Scorpions also know as Striped Bark Scorpions. He had sent them to Ben a couple of days before hand to hold until the day of the shoot. The scorpions were not altered at all, his feat was completely on the up and up.

After the filming was completed Dean went back to the Buffalo Chip to do a show for about 100 people. He has also appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.

Video Transcription

Daniel: The Arizona Desert lays claim to the most venomous scorpion in North America, the Arizona bark scorpion. In the legendary freak period of 1980 in Mexico, this variety killed over 800 people.

Daniel: You must be Dean.

Dean: Yes, sir.

Daniel: I can tell. You’ve got scorpions crawling all over you.

Dean: Yes, sir.

Daniel: Baby scorpions?

Dean: No, these are actually full grown Arizona bark scorpions, which is our nation’s most deadliest scorpion.

Daniel: When I was coming to look for the Scorpion Man, I expected to see some big, giant scorpions.

Dean: The giant ones aren’t any worse than a bee sting. These are the ones that most people need to worry about. If you get stung by one of these, you’re going to spend a couple days in the hospital.

Narrator: But Dean claims to be able to put them on his face without being stung.

Dean: You want to take a look? As you see right now, I’m moving my lip, they’re by my eye, and they’re not doing anything to me at all.

Daniel: So why aren’t the scorpions stinging you?

Dean: No one’s been able to figure that out, doctors and things like that. No one’s been able to figure it out. I don’t know if it’s my chemical makeup, the rapport I have with them. I do know that we have trust in each other. These ones I happened to catch last night, and within a 24-hour period I’ve got them to the point where I can do what I want with them.

Daniel: So you just see a scorpion, you walk up, and pick it up?

Dean: Yes, sir.

Daniel: Any scorpion?

Dean: Any scorpion. It doesn’t matter what scorpion it is that’s on the planet, I’ll pick it up and play with it.

Narrator: He claims it’s 100% real and can even put them in his mouth.

Dean: I can’t layer my mouth with anything. I actually have to make my mouth dry because the more saliva that’s in my mouth, the more willing, they’re ready to sting.

Daniel: Could you have squeezed the venom sac and shot out the venom?

Dean: No, the only way to really get the venom out of them is by taking a sting.

Daniel: It’s just so hard to believe, and I want to take your word on it, Dean, but I’m going to have to ask for someone else’s help.

Dean: Sounds good.

Narrator: Dean wants to prove beyond a doubt he’s immune to the lethal poison by forcing them to sting him in his mouth. He could have drugged these scorpions in some way, so we’re headed to their territory with professional scorpion wranglers to find wild ones.

Daniel: So you’re a professional scorpion wrangler?

Ben: Mm-hmm.

Daniel: Would you put a scorpion in your mouth?

Ben: No, I would not, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend it either. The initial putting in is when the greatest danger would be, and I would hate to see one crawl down the back of his throat.

Dean: They will have an issue with the moisture in my mouth, though. As you can see, they’re used to a dry area. They’re not used to a wet, damp area, so once they’re in that dampness, they’re not going to want to be there. And I believe they’re also non-commutative, correct?

Ben: They’re not going to be happy being with a whole lot of other ones.

Dean: So they’re going to be fighting in my mouth?

Daniel: The scorpions will actually be fighting in his mouth?

Ben: Yes, yes, and they’re not happy being around other scorpions, so they will definitely be fighting for their territory in his mouth.

Narrator: Once in his mouth, Dean says he will no longer be able to stop them from stinging him.

Dean: They’re stinging each other. They’re trying to sting me. I acquire hundreds of stings at a time.

Narrator: So his claim to be immune to their venom will come into play.

Daniel: So is there some way this could be a trick, like Dean could do some kind of protective thing in his mouth, like cover it in wax or something like that?

Ben: I don’t believe so, no. I would be very surprised if he could fake this.

Daniel: I’m challenging Dean to take on scorpions straight from the wild. We’re hunting after dark because their exoskeletons glow in ultraviolet light, making them much easier to spot. With our legs protected by scorpion-proof boots, we head off. So, Ben, this is a good place to find scorpions right here?

Ben: Oh, definitely, they always come under this brush because there are a lot of insects in there they can eat.

Dean: That’s a good size Arizona there.

Ben: And they’re everywhere out here.

Daniel: So that is the most lethal scorpion in America?

Ben: Yes, it is.

Daniel: You can put that scorpion in your mouth?

Dean: Yes, sir.

Narrator: Scorpions use their venom to hunt, but also for defense, so in his mouth, it will be stinging to its max. We want as many as possible for his final challenge.

Ben: Here’s one. Here’s a small one.

Dean: Watch your hand. There’s a spider coming . . .

Ben: Yeah.

Dean: Right by your hand there, Ben.

Ben: That’s a black widow.

Narrator: This really is home of America’s deadliest critters.

Daniel: How much venom do they have?

Ben: Just a few micro ounces.

Daniel: And that’s enough to kill a man?

Ben: Definitely.

Daniel: So he’s there ready to ambush something, huh?

Ben: Yep, totally.

Narrator: The experts may use tweezers, but Dean doesn’t.

Ben: Wow.

Daniel: So you grab it by the tail so it doesn’t sting you?

Dean: Yeah, there’s his stinger right there, right on the end of the glowing part.

Daniel: Uh-huh.

Dean: That’s the part that goes into you. The part that’s glowing right below that, that’s the poison sac. That stinger will pack a punch.

Narrator: Dean has this scorpion under control.

Dean: I don’t know, maybe a have a connection with them or something. I don’t know.

Narrator: He claims even if he was stung, it’d be no problem.

Dean: Yeah, I mean, I don’t want to get stung, but, yeah, I would be fine. Physically, nothing’s going to happen to me.

Daniel: All right. What do you think about what we’re seeing right here, a guy who just picks up a wild scorpion with no gloves or anything?

Ben: Well, I think he’s a bit mad, that’s for sure, but more power to him. He’s doing a good job. It’s not stinging him or anything. He seems to have a real camaraderie with this animal.

Daniel: What do you think about this scorpion? How dangerous is it?

Ben: Oh, it’s venomous. It’s a desert hairy scorpion, so it’s not as venomous as the other ones we’ve caught, but that will definitely pack a punch and leave you hurting if you get stung.

Narrator: It’s time for Dean to prove his claims are for real.

Daniel: You mind showing them what you do?

Dean: Not at all. Not at all.

Daniel: All right. So, I mean, this is a pretty big scorpion.

Ben: Yeah, it is.

Daniel: And you’re going to put that right in your mouth, huh?

Dean: Mm-hmm…

Daniel: Wow. Oh, my goodness. Wow. You’ve got to be kidding me, man. Can’t get me? Wow. So it stung you right there. I can see where it stung you. What would happen to a normal person? What’s the first thing that would happen when they get stung?

Ben: I imagine they would scream really loud.

Daniel: Have you heard of anyone being immune to scorpion stings?

Ben: Never. This is the first time in my life.

Daniel: What are your limits with this?

Dean: Honestly, I’m not really sure.

Narrator: For his final demonstration, we’re collecting 22 of the deadliest in America. Tomorrow, he intends to put them in his mouth all at once. The experts predict he could receive hundreds of stings from the lethal cocktail. These paramedics know the results of scorpion attacks, as they deal with more than any other state in the U.S.

Daniel: How many stings would it take to kill a man?

Paramedic 1: 22 would definitely do it.

Paramedic 2: You’re going to be in extreme pain immediately, from even a single stick. If it has venom or not venom, it usually causes some significant pain.

Paramedic 1: We have him hooked up to the cardiac monitor just to see if his heart changes, starts racing, if he gets tachycardic, which is a common symptom secondary to envenomation.

Paramedic 2: 142/70 and a pulse at 88.

Daniel: Do you think he’ll be able to survive this?

Paramedic 1: A normal person would not be able to.

Paramedic 2: I think he’s crazy, and I wouldn’t advise it at all. It’s very dangerous.

Daniel: Are you ready to do this, Dean?

Dean: I’m ready. Let’s try it. I’ll pour them all inside of here, and then I’ll go ahead and just pour them right all into my mouth.

Daniel: This will be the deadliest drink known to man, huh?

Dean: Yes, sir.

Daniel: So let’s get this started.

Narrator: We’ve already seen Dean put a scorpion in his mouth, but now he intends to put 22 of the deadliest in America in his mouth all at once.

Daniel: Are you ready to do this, Dean?

Dean: I’m ready.

Paramedic 1: All 22 are in there now.

Daniel: This will be the deadliest drink know to man, huh?

Dean: Yes, sir.

Daniel: So let’s get this started.

Dean: All right. I’ve got to sift them around a little bit, get them into a nice pile.

Daniel: Whoa.

Paramedic 1: They’re definitely in there. I just saw a sting on his lip.

Daniel: Wow. Oh, they’re going everywhere. They do not like it in there. Any change in his vital signs, whatsoever?

Paramedic 2: No change in his pulse.

Paramedic 1: No.

Daniel: Oh.

Narrator: The experts said 22 stings would kill. There are 22 in his mouth, and they’re stinging continuously.

Dean: All right. That’s his claw.

Daniel: And that’s pinching you.

Dean: Yeah.

Daniel: You just have two of them fighting on you.

Dean: I don’t feel anything at all.

Daniel: Wow. That just goes against . . .

Dean: It actually hurts me more when they pinch me than it does when they sting me.

Daniel: So what do you think about what you just witnessed?

Paramedic 1: That’s amazing.

Paramedic 2: It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. He should be dead.

Daniel: But how are his vital signs?

Paramedic 2: Vital signs are normal. They’re the exact same before he put them in his mouth as they are now.

Daniel: Have you ever seen anything like this?

Paramedic 2: Nothing like this, no. He should be lying on the stretcher right now, being rushed to the hospital, trying to maintain his airway. I expected at least his pulse to significantly increase, if not be in excruciating pain, and his pulse did not change in the least bit, no pain noticed at all.

Daniel: So he’s defying science?

Paramedic 2: It appears to be so. I can’t explain it.

Narrator: As a precaution, they continue to monitor Dean, but he showed absolutely no ill effect.

Daniel: Serious stuff right there, man. Without a doubt, you are superhuman.

Narrator: Dean Sheldon appears immune.

Pest Control House Sealing

Sealing your house can solve many in home infestations. Pests often will enter a home through an unsealed door, torn screen, crack in the foundation or walls. After entry the pest will inhabit a portion of your home and reproduce. To prevent these pest from entering your home specific measures can be taken to seal these entry points. In this article we will cover all aspects of a home seal for pest prevention.

11 Tips to Prevent Pests

There are many ways to make your home and property less habitable for scorpions and other pests. All Eleven of these tips are simple and can be completed in a matter or hours at any home for very little cost. By pruning your landscaping, removing pest habitats and repairing entry points you can limit pests in your home and yard.

Pruning Landscaping

It is important to maintain a well groomed landscape. Unattended bushes and trees can be perfect homes for pests, a single Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) can harbor dozens of scorpions.

Clear Ground Cover

Plants that hang over the ground are perfect for almost all pests. They provide protection from the sun during the day. The organic materials provided by the plants are perfect for pests to eat and thrive. Irrigation of plants is a suitable water source for most pest, these three elements combine for a perfect habitat for arthropods.

Removing branches of shrubs and trees that are within eight inches of the ground will force pests to find other shelter during the hot daytime hours.

Trim Overhanging Branches

Trees that hang above your home and other structures provide pests access to roofs. Roof rats (Rattus rattus) often find themselves with access to your roof and attic by using these branches as access points.

Trees foliage will accumulate on roofs providing a food source and shelter for pests. The best prevention for any pest is eliminating their food source. If a pests' food source is eliminated the pest population will be eliminated quickly. Consequently any species that are higher in the food chain like the scorpion will see population decreases as well.

Trim Palm Tree Bark

Palm Trees are a great habitat for scorpions and other pests. Scorpions will often spend daytime hours sleeping at the base of palm tree bark. The shade and moisture from the plant is the ideal habitat for scorpions. The Arizona Bark Scorpion (Centruroides sculpturatus) is named for its ability to live and blend in with the bark of trees.

Trimming this bark will not only remove scorpion habitats it will also lower the amount of leaf litter the palm tree creates. Palm trees are one of the best habitats for scorpions on any property. If you have a serious scorpion infestation you may want to remove all palm trees. Scorpions have been found from the leaf litter all the way to the top of the tree. This tree can create an oasis for scorpions and other pests in an other wise seemingly inhabitable area.

Repairing Property

Many times pest will enter your home or property threw degraded structures like walls and foundation. By fixing these issues you can eliminate the entry points to your home. If the pest cannot enter your home they cannot populate it. A few dollars and some elbow grease is all it takes to seal you home against pests.

Repair Property Walls

In the Phoenix Metropolitan Area property walls are often the main habitat for Arizona Bark Scorpions (Centruroides sculpturatus). Hundreds will aggregate during the winter months in these dark, small, cool and humid environments waiting for the temperatures to rise. Scorpions will live in these walls for years breeding making it nearly impossible to eliminate an infestation. Some neighborhoods in Tempe, Arizona are so inundated with scorpions that you can find twenty or more scorpions along a single property wall.

Sealing crack and crevasses with a concrete patch will prevent the scorpions from entering the wall and eliminate their shelter. These homeless scorpions will then look for other habitats lowing the numbers living in your property. Some home owners will seal their property walls with a coat of paint, stucco, concrete or other weatherproof substance to eliminate entry points tot he inside.

Fill Cracks in Driveways

Many homes in Phoenix have rock driveways composed of pavers evenly spaced with small gaps in between. These gaps can collect organic materials, water or provide shelter for pests. Filling these gaps with sand or a weatherproof grout will prevent things from collecting keeping your driveway pest free.

When garages have a scorpion infestation we will often find many scorpions just outside the doors in these cracks. Moths are attracted to garage and motion lights providing an ample food supply. The driveway is often one of the first spots someone will encounter a scorpion. Because of their nocturnal nature humans interact with them when taking out the trash or arriving home late.

Repair Damaged Screens

Holes in screens can provide entry points through open or improperly sealed windows and doors. Even a small tear can provide enough space for an American Cockroach (Periplaneta americana) to enter, this single cockroach then can lead to hundreds infestation your home in a matter of months.

Some infestations are caused solely because of o gap in window or door. Black Carpenter Ants (Camponotus pennsylvanicus) will enter the home from one of these points and then colonize somewhere in the walls, slowing destroying your home.

Screen Air Vents

All homes have air vents in the attic to prevent over heating. On some properties these vents are uncovered providing a huge entry point into the attic. Attics provide shelter from rain and wind they are a perfect places for Wasps, Hornets and Bees. Huge Americanized Honey Bee (Apis mellifera scutellata) hives can be created in an attic in a matter of weeks, these colonies can go unnoticed for years until someone gets attacked.

These holes are essential to prevent mold in attics so it is best to cover them with a screen rather than filling them in. Any opening into your home should be covered or sealed in some way. Screen are a great way to let air flow in and keep pests out.

Keep Doorways Flush

Small gaps in door frames allow many species to enter your home. An Arizona Bark Scorpion (Centruroides sculpturatus) can fit through a gap that is as thin as a sixteenth of an inch. A good way to check if an opening is large enough for a scorpion to pass through is to see if a quarter will slide through. Placing a door seal under doors will eliminate this entry point.

Garage doors should also be flush, pests can thrive in a garage especially if prey items are able to come in and out as they please. Door seals are available for garage doors as well. Many home infestations start in the garage so it important that your garage stay pest free.

Removing Pest Habitats

Eliminating pest habitats will force them to find new places to live. There are many places in any backyard that are perfect habitats. When these are identified and removed populations of pest decrease considerably. Many forms of landscaping while beautiful are habitates for pests allowing them to thrive on your property.

Removing Rocks

Large rocks provide shelter from the sun and a space for pests to hunt. The many nooks and crannies that are created by those landscaping features supplies an almost endless amount of living space. Scorpions will use the rocks during the night to ambush prey. Many pools are surrounded by rocks, be very cautious while playing around pools as they are often prime locations for scorpion activity.

If you have a bad scorpion problem rocks should be replaced with grass. Scorpions have a very hard time traversing grass, it also provides very little habitat for them. If you must use rocks in your landscaping use many small rocks about the size of a quarter. These rocks will provide little shelter and are hard to traverse.

Clean Leaf Litter

Piles of organic material around a yard provided shelter and food for pests. German Cockroaches (Blattella germanica) can often be found in massive numbers underneath yard debris.

This organic matter is at the bottom of the food chain and can provide enough food to support an entire ecosystem of pests. Cleaning up leaf litter does not only help prevent cockroaches, ants and beetles but the other pests like spiders and scorpions that feed on these species.

Remove Piles of Extra Materials

Stocked wood, concrete blocks, shingles, rocks or brush can be hotels for pests. An entire population of a species can be supported by just a few stacked shingles. These piles often go unattended for months or years allowing leaf litter to pile up underneath leaving an ample food source for House Crickets (Acheta domestica).

Be careful when removing these piles, venomous creatures may be resting on the undersides of items and sting you when you pick them up. Be sure to wear gloves, closed toed shoes and long sleeves to avoid bites, stings and scratches.

Expert on Inside Edition

After a baby was stung by a scorpion in the summer of 2011 our founder Ben Holland was asked to be interviewed as a scorpion expert on Inside Edition. The producer and cameraman flew out to Scottsdale from Los Angeles to interview him at his home.

Arizona Baby Survives Scorpion Sting

In this clip from Inside Edition you will see the story of a baby that was stung by a scorpion in Oracle, Arizona. The child was rushed to the University of Arizona Medical Center, after five agonizing days she was released having fully recovered.

Read more on the Inside Edition website

Behind the Scenes

Ben Holland looking for scorpions on a tree

After a reporter from Inside Edition read an interview Ben Holland had done KTVK Channel 3 he called our founder for his own interview. A producer flew out from Los Angeles the next day with a camera man to shoot videos of scorpions and Ben conducting a sweep. The entire shoot lasted about an hour and was done outside of his home.

Fun Facts

In the video you see Ben searching for scorpions in the middle of the day, despite the nocturnal nature of the creatures. The producer wanted to get an idea of Scorpion Sweepers methods even though none would be found.

The scorpions filmed in for the piece were all caught be Scorpion Sweepers and filmed prior to the interview with Ben.

In the report the reporter misspoke on a couple of unimportant facts:

• Scorpions are Venomous not Poisonous
• The child was Stung by the scorpion not Bitten

Video Transcription

Female: A baby’s lucky to be alive after a scorpion bite sent her to the hospital, and dangerously near death. As Jim Moret reports, if not for the quick action of her mother, this story might not have a happy ending.

Stephanie: Hello, baby. Hi.

Jim: It’s hard to believe that this adorable, happy baby looked like this just a week earlier; hooked up to tubes and clinging to life. The reason? A poisonous sting from a creepy, crawly scorpion.

Stephanie: The worst thing that could possibly happen was happening.

Jim: Stephanie Moors was on a yoga retreat with her 6-month-old daughter, Daisy, in Oracle, Arizona. She had just laid her daughter down on the floor to feed her, when a scorpion suddenly crawled under Daisy’s head.

Stephanie: I knew what it was and I panicked. I picked her up as quickly as I could.

Jim: The scorpion had already stung the little girl behind her ear.

Stephanie: She was vomiting and convulsing.

Jim: Daisy was airlifted to the hospital. Nothing could have prepared her parents for what happened next. Little Daisy wasn’t breathing; her lung had collapsed, and the scorpion sting triggered a staph infection. This video shows the effect of scorpion stings on young children. Their muscles are twitching and their eyes roll backwards. The young patients were treated at the University of Arizona with a new anti-venom that’s being tested, and they recovered quickly. The anti-venom wasn’t available for Daisy. She struggled for 5 days in the hospital, before finally recovering.
8,000 scorpion stings are reported each year in Arizona. Ben Holland actually hunts down the creatures on people’s property.

Ben: Recently, we did an initial sweep at a home, and we found about 35 scorpions in one person’s home. Then we proceeded, and in a month, we’ve pulled 200 from them.

Jim: Scorpions usually only sting when they’re surprised or cornered, but that doesn’t bring any comfort to these parents who watched their daughter nearly die.

Stephanie: I’m terrified of scorpions now. I hope I never see one ever again.

Female: On top of everything else, the family does not have health insurance. It was due to kick in about a week after the baby was stung. If you’d like to know how you can help, just come to InsideEdition.com for details.