Residents of 12 apartments have evacuated their building after scorpion larvae escaped from one of the units, it was learned Wednesday.
According to officials in the Okayama Municipal Government, the larvae are those of a type of scorpion found in Africa. Some 50 larvae were born about a month ago and apparently escaped between gaps in a tank where a man in his 20s had been keeping the insects as pets.
Two shrimplike bugs about 1 to 2 cm long were found in a next-door unit, whose resident contacted health officials last week. An examination showed they were scorpion larvae.
The residents have been staying at hotels and other places since Oct. 22, city officials said.
Officials said no other larvae except for the two have been found outside the man's apartment, and that their toxicity is weak.
Given that they cannot thrive in cool climates, it is likely the remaining larvae have died by now, they said.
However, as a precaution, the man who owned the scorpions plans to call in exterminators to spray the building, possibly this week, and has vowed to never keep scorpions again.