Catching scorpions!

[scorpionowner]

Hey guys, me and a friend are going out to catch some scorpions for the first time, and I was wondering. how do you guys pick them up? I'm catching c. Hentzi, so they'll be on trees and I don't want to accidentally squish them. I thought gloves first off, but then thought I wouldn't be able to feel when I had a good grip on one until it was crushed. Then tweezers came to mind, but I've tried moving the ones I have now, and they're nearly impossible to get and that's in a container, let alone a tree. So anyone have some proven methods of being able to get them? I really just don't want to cause any harm to the animal.

 

[Olsin]

Simple.......butterfly net with a hole cut in the end of the net and then tied up with a bit of lace or whatever....locate scorp, put net over scorp, undo lace, poke small container through hole and put over scorp, slide credit card or whatever under container to trap scorp....screw top back on container.

 

[lancej]

I use a pair of tongs or long tweezers. You just have to be very careful when you grasp them. The tongs I use are kitchen tongs (like for grasping corn on the cob), because it is easier to control the pressure used. When I use the tongs, I gently pin them on the body with one side of the tongs, and when they sting the tongs, I close them gently on the tail. I then lift them off the tree or log and put them in a container. If you have to use a lot of force, then let it go. Some will get wedged into crevices so tight its impossible to remove them without hurting them. Just move on, there will be more in the area once you find one. I try to coax them into containers whenever I can, but this is almost impossible to do on pine trees (which is where most are found when blacklighting). Good luck!

 

[Smokehound714]

You could always just make a trap for them, since centruroides is such an active genus, I bet simple cylinders adhered to the tree would make attractive hiding places for them. Kinda reminds me of crayfish trapping, lol

 

[thevez2]

I put a container (like a deli cup or peanut butter jar) against the tree, underneath them, and then scoot them from above with my 10" forceps. They fall right into the container. Simple, easy, and no worries about harming the scorpions.