Inside the Watson man's shirt, which had been lying on the floor, was a scorpion about three centimetres long.

"I thought, 'What's that crawling up my neck?" the cabinet maker said, recalling the incident two weeks ago.

"And suddenly it was attached to my finger.

"It hurt a lot, like a bee sting. My finger swelled up, and the pain didn't go away until the evening."

After the news that Canberra snake catchers are expecting a busier than usual snake season in 2019-20, you're probably thinking, 'Great, here's another venomous creature to worry about'.

Indeed, Canberrans express surprise at discovering the ACT is home to scorpions whenever someone posts a picture of one online.

But fortunately for Mr Banlusak and contrary to popular opinion, Australian scorpions' venom is not deadly and generally won't cause severe symptoms.

According to ACT Health, just five people have visited Canberra emergency departments after being stung by scorpions since July 1, 2017.

If stung by a scorpion, the federal government's Healthdirect advice service says you should apply an ice pack to the wound, clean it with antiseptic or wash it with soap and water, and use a painkiller.

Emeritus Professor David Rowell, from the Australian National University's College of Science, said scorpions were "extremely common" in the ACT, but people didn't often see them.

"They tend to live in burrows under rocks and come out at night to hunt," he said.

"They're usually in undisturbed areas like Mount Ainslie, Black Mountain and out in the Brindabellas.

"None of our scorpions are considered dangerous. There are, of course, a couple of caveats there - one being that they certainly hurt, and the other being that you can never say something is completely harmless."

He used the example of bees, which many people consider innocuous. However, Australia's first study into venomous bites and stings, conducted in 2017, found bee stings resulted in almost as many deaths as snake bites in the 13 years prior.

Professor Rowell said scorpions in Australia probably had a bad reputation because there were a number of dangerous species found overseas, and because they looked so unusual.

"But there are no examples [in Australia] of a fatal scorpion sting," he said.

As it warms up, another stinging creature that will become more prominent in Canberra is the wasp.

According to the latest European Wasp Awareness and Entomological Advice Services annual report, the eWasp hotline received 60 reports of stinging incidents in the ACT in 2018-19. During that time, 436 European wasp nests were reported.

Nests were most commonly found in Belconnen, which had more than one-quarter of the total with 117. Summer was the peak period for nest discoveries.

Dr Juanita Rodriguez, a wasp expert at the CSIRO, said the vast majority of wasps in Australia were solitary creatures that generally did not attack.

She said the species that posed problems for people in Canberra tended to be more aggressive, introduced varieties like the European wasp.

While most people associated wasp nests with wall cavities, most European wasp nests were on the ground, where they could accidentally be stepped on.

"The way that people will get stung is if they disturb a nest," Dr Rodriguez said.

"If a nest is disturbed, get away as fast as possible and cover your neck, hair and any exposed skin. If you have a hoodie, that can help."

Healthdirect says wasps rarely leave their sting in the skin, and minor reactions can be treated with a cold pack and soothing cream, and an oral antihistamine. The most severe reactions to wasp venom can trigger anaphylactic shock, requiring urgent medical treatment.

Dr Rodriguez said people who were repeatedly stung by a group of wasps should go to the emergency department as a precaution.