Catching in Austin TX?

[Malwarewolf404]

Hi there. For the past week I have been trying my hardest to find and catch some scorpions in Austin Texas to no avail. I’ve flipped rocks. I’ve been in parks before the sun rose. I’ve searched logs. I’ve used a black light. Thankfully it hasn’t been a total waste (I did find some other beautiful inverts, namely two Fiery Searcher beetles, an Eastern Eyed Click beetle, and one absolutely magnificent Texas Brown Tarantula,) but I have been coming up squat with what else I should do to find and catch scorpions. I’m not looking for any rare species in my area, (though that would be cool to brag about,) Striped Barks will do just fine for what I want to accomplish. I’m looking for any suggestions as far as methods and suggestions. I’d prefer to stay in the greater Austin/San Antonio area, but if someone suggests a place I am guaranteed to find a dozen scorpions in West Texas or up near Dallas, I suppose I could make the drive. Other than that though, is the weather not right? The season? Should I lay no-kill traps? Any help is appreciated! Thank you!

 

[Frogdaddy]

I lived in Austin for 10 years. All I had to do was wait for them to come into my apartment on their own. I even had a Texas Brown Tarantula wander in once.

 

[Malwarewolf404]

I lived in Austin for 10 years. All I had to do was wait for them to come into my apartment on their own. I even had a Texas Brown Tarantula wander in once.

As much as I’d like to do that I don’t move in to my apartment until next week! Plus, it’s on the second story! XD

In all seriousness though for me personally nothing beats the thrill of going out into the wilderness and catching bugs. I’m sure once I’ve lived here long enough I’ll be tired of Striped Barks just chilling on my kitchen counter, but until then I’m going to try and find/catch/release as many as I can.

And that’s awesome you had a Tarantula just wander in! As I mentioned I did catch a Texas Brown earlier and I’ll show them off to you just for the heck of it. Anyway thanks for your input!

 

[Frogdaddy]

As much as I’d like to do that I don’t move in to my apartment until next week! Plus, it’s on the second story! XD

In all seriousness though for me personally nothing beats the thrill of going out into the wilderness and catching bugs. I’m sure once I’ve lived here long enough I’ll be tired of Striped Barks just chilling on my kitchen counter, but until then I’m going to try and find/catch/release as many as I can.

And that’s awesome you had a Tarantula just wander in! As I mentioned I did catch a Texas Brown earlier and I’ll show them off to you just for the heck of it. Anyway thanks for your input!

Try going out to Lago Vista. There a are a lot of undeveloped lots out in the hill country by Lake Travis. I bet you could find some stuff there. Be wary of snakes.

 

[Lyssa]

As much as I’d like to do that I don’t move in to my apartment until next week! Plus, it’s on the second story! XD

In all seriousness though for me personally nothing beats the thrill of going out into the wilderness and catching bugs. I’m sure once I’ve lived here long enough I’ll be tired of Striped Barks just chilling on my kitchen counter, but until then I’m going to try and find/catch/release as many as I can.

And that’s awesome you had a Tarantula just wander in! As I mentioned I did catch a Texas Brown earlier and I’ll show them off to you just for the heck of it. Anyway thanks for your input!

how beautiful! I caught a Texas brown about a week ago but mine was much smaller!

 

[CRX]

Talking about public collecting here is to going to rattle some people and I understand why. Largescale public collecting leads to species being extinct. For me, I know about a pristine spring always filled with salamander larvae and crawdads. It is the source of my aquarium. I only go there a few times a year, and no one else really knows about it so I don't think im doing much harm.

 

[jc55]

I used to find them in the house and garage when i lived in the Fort Worth/Benbrooke area in Texas.

 

[Frogdaddy]

Talking about public collecting here is to going to rattle some people and I understand why. Largescale public collecting leads to species being extinct. For me, I know about a pristine spring always filled with salamander larvae and crawdads. It is the source of my aquarium. I only go there a few times a year, and no one else really knows about it so I don't think im doing much harm.

Who's talking about large scale collecting? This is one guy looking for some native scorpions which are a nuisance and house pest in Austin, TX. They are all over and you can't keep them from coming in the house. I don't think he's going to collect thousands for the pet trade.

@Malwarewolf404 if you're interested in Black Widows, I always found them in the water valve boxes in subdivisions. It's cool, somewhat moist and I remember there being one in every valve box I opened in the summer.

 

[Malwarewolf404]

Who's talking about large scale collecting? This is one guy looking for some native scorpions which are a nuisance and house pest in Austin, TX. They are all over and you can't keep them from coming in the house. I don't think he's going to collect thousands for the pet trade.

@Malwarewolf404 if you're interested in Black Widows, I always found them in the water valve boxes in subdivisions. It's cool, somewhat moist and I remember there being one in every valve box I opened in the summer.

Yeah who’s talking about collecting thousands for the pet trade? All I wanna do is collect a couple dozen, not sex them, put them all in a 60-gallon breeder with some potting soil and no hides, and sell the brood I think I’ll get from that set-up for $15 a pop. NOT!

(Could you imagine though? I’m sure some lunatic has done something similar at some point. Hunger Games for Scorpions. Good grief!)

Anyways it’s funny you mention the water boxes because that is also one of the places I’ve been looking, and still nothing! You’d think Scorpions would just looooove those things; nice and damp and dark, plenty of crickets and roaches would surely wander in, but yeah I have still had zero luck. Grah!

Talking about public collecting here is to going to rattle some people and I understand why. Largescale public collecting leads to species being extinct. For me, I know about a pristine spring always filled with salamander larvae and crawdads. It is the source of my aquarium. I only go there a few times a year, and no one else really knows about it so I don't think im doing much harm.

Honestly I think it all just comes down to personal responsibility. For example, I doubt you would go to that pond if you were aware one of the crawfish species was threatened, or that several people regularly caught salamanders there to keep and attempt to breed. And if you did, you would still be very wary about what you caught (presuming you’re not releasing the animals you find cyclically.)

Just as a disclaimer for anyone reading who might feel somewhat twisted about me looking to catch my own scorpions rather than buying them:

• Striped Bark Scorpions are a thriving species and are actually considered pests in Austin
• I’ve kept Scorpions before, I know what I’m doing as far as care and set-up
• Wild-catching scorpions for the pet trade is not common like it is with Tarantulas, at least as far as I know.
• At the present time I have no plans on breeding my catches, at most I will be keeping them as pets. That is, assuming I ever manage to find any!
• I’m just looking for advice on finding scorpions, not running a breeding mill set up.
• Someday soon I’ll be making a large desert tank for a couple Hadrurus Arizonensis, so the exotic pet store will get their $50 from me, do not worry.

And that’s all I have to say about it!

Also I think it’s pretty cool you keep wild caught Crawdads. My first Crawdad was from a pet store that I’m relatively sure somehow sold wild caught crawdads that were originally meant for seafood restaurants. Not sure how they bribed the guy at the seafood store though.

 

[Joey Spijkers]

Wild-catching scorpions for the pet trade is not common like it is with Tarantulas, at least as far as I know.

Most scorpions in the hobby are actually wild caught, especially in the US.

 

[Dry Desert]

Most scorpions in the hobby are actually wild caught, especially in the US.

Yes but there comes a point when they have to bred in captivity, as there are very few left, or their native country bans the export, as in the case of Pandinus.
We just jolly along - like we do with most things in the exotic hobby - then whinge when we can't have due to legislation.

Most scorpions in the trade are wild caught, because again in the case of Pandinus, they can be collected en mass, sold for pea nuts, so why bother to captive breed -

Unless of course - there is MONEY to be made.

 

[Joey Spijkers]

Yes but there comes a point when they have to bred in captivity, as there are very few left, or their native country bans the export, as in the case of Pandinus.
We just jolly along - like we do with most things in the exotic hobby - then whinge when we can't have due to legislation.

Most scorpions in the trade are wild caught, because again in the case of Pandinus, they can be collected en mass, sold for pea nuts, so why bother to captive breed -

Unless of course - there is MONEY to be made.

Oh yeah, definitely.
I simply stated this as a fact. Definitely not something I agree with. Most of the 150 scorps I have are CB.

 

[Malwarewolf404]

Most scorpions in the hobby are actually wild caught, especially in the US.

On second analysis I actually DID know that, I just forgot about it in my sleep deprived state this morning XD I learned that after trying to track down ANY H. Arizonensis in my area and couldn’t find a single one, except for some wild caught specimens on an arachnid seller website.

Personally I’d rather either by captive bred specimens or wild catch my own just so I know I’m not personally removing hundreds of specimens from their natural habitat. Maybe that’s still just as bad as people going out and snatching hundreds of them off the land, but I think it’s preferable personally.