# Blacklights for Scorpion Collecting Discussion Thread



## extrovertinvert (Apr 2, 2004)

ok the bvlacklight I have is one used for fishing its bulky and doesn't emit a strong enough light to really light up the scorps so I have to walk around bent over looking for scorps.   ok my question is is there any really good scorp hunting blacklights I can order online for around 30 bucks?  I have seen the one in the baner for 70 bucks but thats  little steep in my opinion...   so if you guys can tell me which is the best then that would be great.


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## Eurypterid (Apr 2, 2004)

The ones I like are LED UV headlamps made by a company called Optronics. They aren't massively powerful, but I can spot a scorp from about 10-15 feet. The light is a small light-weight plastic headlamp, so carrying it is no big deal, and you can put it on your head if you need both hands. It has a low (4 LED) or high (8 LED) setting, runs for several hours on 4 AA batteries, and is waterproof to boot. Plus, LEDs are rated for a 10 year burn-life. The only thing I don't like is the strap and forehead pad, which are made of black neoprene (they market it for night fishing, hence all the water stuff). It's not the greatest headband material, and if you start sweating, the forehead pad gets slippery. But otherwise they are fantastic scorp lights.

Nightblaster HL 7800

I don't know where you can get them right now. Blacklightworld used to carry them, but they no longer stock them. I've searched and not found any other retailers, but I wrote to the company to see if they can point me to a retailer or will sell direct.

Gary


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## Kugellager (Apr 3, 2004)

Personally I prefer the Kugellager 2004 UV Scorpfinder with 2x24 UV LED heads, each controlable by a separate heavy-duty switch. 

John
];')


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## da_illest (Apr 3, 2004)

Kugellager said:
			
		

> Personally I prefer the Kugellager 2004 UV Scorpfinder with 2x24 UV LED heads, each controlable by a separate heavy-duty switch.
> 
> John
> ];')


did you make that yourself?


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## Critterfarm (Apr 3, 2004)

http://www.maxmax.com/aUVOrder.asp
there are quite a few hand held ones here.  
Although Kugellager has a point.  You can easily make one with parts from Digi-Key or Newark Electronics and maybe your local Radio Shack.  I've a nice one made into an old hardhat floating around in the garage somewhere, but not the deluxe double header job like Kugellager's   

You using 9volts to run that?
How much battery life do you get?
BTW you know I have to copy it now


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## genious_gr (Apr 4, 2004)

Critterfarm said:
			
		

> BTW you know I have to copy it now


No need to. After all he *WILL* post a how-to thread

Won't you Kuggi?


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## da_illest (Apr 4, 2004)

canada sucks! all we have is racoons, beaver's and blue jays, etc... nothing interesting enough to go hunting for.. except maybe garter snakes, stupid garter snakes!


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## skinheaddave (Apr 4, 2004)

da_illest said:
			
		

> canada sucks! all we have is racoons, beaver's and blue jays, etc... nothing interesting enough to go hunting for.. except maybe garter snakes, stupid garter snakes!


And P.boreus if you live far enough west.

Cheers,
Dave


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## Critterfarm (Apr 4, 2004)

da_illest said:
			
		

> canada sucks! all we have is racoons, beaver's and blue jays, etc... nothing interesting enough to go hunting for.. except maybe garter snakes, stupid garter snakes!


Dont forget my favorite snake, the Eastern Fox Snake.  Southern Ontario is suppodsedly prime habitat for them.
If I'm correct, milk snakes and Eastern Hognose also can be found in southeastern Canada.


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## skinheaddave (Apr 4, 2004)

Well, if you do want snakes, Ontario has the following:

Black Rat Snake
Eastern Fox Snake
Blue Racer
Eastern Milk Snake
Eastern Hognose Snake
Eastern Garter Snake
Northern Ribbon Snake
Queen Snake
Northern Water Snake
Eastern Smooth Green Snake
Brown Snake
Northern Redbelly Snake
Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake

We also have the five-lined skink, many species of turtles, salamanders, frogs etc.  Of course we have lots of different invert species including various arachnids.  No scorpions, though.

Cheers,
Dave


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## da_illest (Apr 4, 2004)

skinheaddave said:
			
		

> Well, if you do want snakes, Ontario has the following:
> 
> Black Rat Snake
> Eastern Fox Snake
> ...


thanks for sharing that dave, i wanna go hunting now! mainly for the skinks, turtles, and salamanders.. i guess when i said what i said i kinda meant my area... we have nothing but racoons and squerrils with the garter snake popping up once in a while... i'd really like to know where i can get skinks.. in the summer i go up to wasaga beach for days at a time and i've found frogs and toads there, me and my girl would collect them and keep them in a bucket for a while and let them go, now though since i'm really into reptiles i might bring one back with me (if it's legal of course)...  there was one guy up there i met that went around collecting garter snakes to sell.. too bad we don't have t's...


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## skinheaddave (Apr 4, 2004)

Alex,

It is not legal to collect anything but bullfrogs -- and for those you need a valid fishing license.  If you have more questions re: Ontario herps, please PM me or post to the Not So Spineless Wonders section.

Cheers,
Dave


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## xenopus (Apr 4, 2004)

Kugellager said:
			
		

> Personally I prefer the Kugellager 2004 UV Scorpfinder with 2x24 UV LED heads, each controlable by a separate heavy-duty switch.
> 
> John
> ];')


Heh heh -- that's very cool!

Piers


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## Kugellager (Apr 5, 2004)

It will run off a 12v 8.5ah battery...I expect it will run 6-8 hours before the battery needs a re-charge...though I have not tested it with a battery yet.

...oh and I did build it myself...waitning to see what Dave comes up with though. 

John
];')


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## skinheaddave (Apr 5, 2004)

Kugellager said:
			
		

> ...oh and I did build it myself...waitning to see what Dave comes up with though.


I'm working away at it inbetween studying for exams.  Still have to work out the handle.  

Cheers,
Dave


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## redhourglass (Apr 5, 2004)

Hey all,

Actually I prefer the Kugellager 2004 UV Scorpfinder rather than the Maglites but look forward to Skinheaddave's 2004 UV model.

For those that don't know, I was actually refering to Kugs model c/o new technology when I posted at the scorpionfans  

Take Care,

Sinc. Chad


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## Eurypterid (Apr 20, 2004)

Eurypterid said:
			
		

> The ones I like are LED UV headlamps made by a company called Optronics. They aren't massively powerful, but I can spot a scorp from about 10-15 feet. The light is a small light-weight plastic headlamp, so carrying it is no big deal, and you can put it on your head if you need both hands. It has a low (4 LED) or high (8 LED) setting, runs for several hours on 4 AA batteries, and is waterproof to boot. Plus, LEDs are rated for a 10 year burn-life. The only thing I don't like is the strap and forehead pad, which are made of black neoprene (they market it for night fishing, hence all the water stuff). It's not the greatest headband material, and if you start sweating, the forehead pad gets slippery. But otherwise they are fantastic scorp lights.
> 
> Nightblaster HL 7800


Well, I contacted the manufacturer, and this light is discontinued. They still have their smaller version, but not this one. The good news is that I went ahead and asked if they had any old stock they wanted to unload, as this is a great scorp light, especially since you can easily keep it in the glove compartment for those impromptu scorp hunts.

Well, they did have a few, and I bought them out. I now have way more than I will ever need, so I'm selling them. For details see this thread in the "For Sale" forum.

Gary


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## skinheaddave (Apr 21, 2004)

And now, introducing my entry for the 2004 season.

It consists of an outside floodlight fixture I had lying around, a spatula from the dollar store, a blank wall plate, some extension cord, a 4-way switch I scavanged off something at some point (allows 1, 2 or all 3 LED arrays to be on), a couple connectors and one of the many 12V batteries I bought off ebay.  Overall this was a very affordable project for a very broke student.  Now all I have to do is put some small beads of silicone to seal the main compartment and I'm set.

Cheers,
Dave


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## Kugellager (Apr 21, 2004)

Pretty damn cool man!   I think I like the look of your design better than mine...They all swivel too...thats great.  I await your test results 

You'll have to fully charge one of the batteries and do longevity test to see how long a full charge will last. 

John
];')


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## skinheaddave (Apr 22, 2004)

Well, the light does fine on my scorpion rack.  I haven't tested it for distance yet.  As for longevity, it was on for 5 1/2 hours before Tamara turned it off last night with no sign of fading.

Cheers,
Dave


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## MrDeranged (Apr 22, 2004)

skinheaddave said:
			
		

> Well, the light does fine on my scorpion rack.  I haven't tested it for distance yet.  As for longevity, it was on for 5 1/2 hours before Tamara turned it off last night with no sign of fading.
> 
> Cheers,
> Dave


Have you been working out to carry the battery all over the desert?

Seriously though, have you??? ;P

It looks nice Dave, good luck with it

Scott


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## skinheaddave (Apr 22, 2004)

Scott,

The battery only weighs about 5 lbs and is supposed to go in a backpack.  It actually fits quite well in a pocket on some webbing I have, but I don't know whether I want to be parading around at night looking even the slightest bit paramilitary.

EDIT:  In answer to John's question, it seems to go about 12 hours before it starts to fade.  At this point it is good to only about 8' for picking up a scorpion M.martensii size.  That being said, these are surpluss batteries, so results may vary from battery to battery.  I will try to determine the best ones over the next month or so when I have the time.

Cheers,
Dave


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## heyjeyniceid (Apr 22, 2004)

SkinHeadDave,

whats your motivation for building a blacklight like that when you live in canada, which, if i remember correctly, has no native scorps?

Do you take trips to the southern united states or something?


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## conipto (Apr 22, 2004)

heyjeyniceid said:
			
		

> SkinHeadDave,
> 
> whats your motivation for building a blacklight like that when you live in canada, which, if i remember correctly, has no native scorps?
> 
> Do you take trips to the southern united states or something?



Yep, the ATS convention is coming up, and the skinheads will all be there this year..

Bill


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## da_illest (May 17, 2004)

hey, i just found another scorp light that's pretty cheap and looks good quality... it's actually a Mag-Lite with a UV bulb in it.. i know you may be able to build one yourself but since i have no clue how that works and i'm sure others here don't i'm posting it anyways.. i believe it's $70 canadian which makes it just over $50 american i believe.. anyways, here's the link

CLICK ME


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## carpe scorpio (May 17, 2004)

Kugellager, that thing is totally cool!, If I didn't live in Alaska, I would have to have one.


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## Kugellager (May 18, 2004)

carpe scorpio said:
			
		

> Kugellager, that thing is totally cool!, If I didn't live in Alaska, I would have to have one.


Thanks...I'm going to a bit of experimentation and compare it with the $70 32 LED mag light in the banner which I also bought and the 12" battery operated tube ones...I know already the LED lams will far outlast the AA powered tube lamps and save on the back pain from having to hold the tub lamp close to the groung...we'll see how it goes...Dave made one as well...slightly different design but using the same LED heads as I used...should be interesting in the real world testing.

As far as living in AK...You'll just have to come to Carlsbad and do some collecting with us...Plan to do alot this year. 

John
];')


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## carpe scorpio (May 18, 2004)

Thanks, I might just do that. I always wondered, If one could design a snake-proof suit that had 360 degree UV emitters to provide hands-free collecting?


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## skinheaddave (May 18, 2004)

carpe scorpio said:
			
		

> Thanks, I might just do that. I always wondered, If one could design a snake-proof suit that had 360 degree UV emitters to provide hands-free collecting?


Don't forget an air conditioning system.  I can't help but picture something based on hip-waders -- hot!

Cheers,
Dave


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## pandinus (May 18, 2004)

really? i was more invisioning something like in Dr. NO :}


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## carpe scorpio (May 18, 2004)

Actually I was thinking of a sort of ultra-fine titanium/kevlar mesh setup, but a backpack mounted battery array with refrigerant capillary tubing would be a good idea for those hot evenings.


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## pandinus (May 18, 2004)

easy for you to  say! :}


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## da_illest (May 19, 2004)

kug, i never noticed the mag lite in the banner.. lol..  :8o ..


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## Kugellager (May 19, 2004)

da_illest said:
			
		

> kug, i never noticed the mag lite in the banner.. lol..  :8o ..



Snicker snicker....well...now you know 

Carpe...I have found the evenings in Carlsbad to be quite comfptrable actually...usually a cool desert breeze as well.

John
];')


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## John Bokma (May 31, 2005)

*Scorpion detection with UV LEDs*

I made my own Scorpion detection unit using UV LEDs based on an article I found on the Internet.

Since I have Centruroides flavopictus living on my roof (caugt 3 already, and the female I caught turned out to be pregnant), I didn't made a portable version yet.

See Scorpion detection using UV LEDs for circuit diagram.






 Male Centruroides flavopictus under UV light

There is also a movie showing a C. flavopictus walking under blacklight.


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## Kugellager (Jun 1, 2005)

Very cool...what do they look like in natural light...we don't see that species very much...actually we never do as we can not have or collect scorpions from Mexico in the US.

LED lights work very well for collecting.

John
];')


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## pandinus (Jun 2, 2005)

i have more sucess collecting centruroides in the day. I may see more at night, but these are far more difficult to capture as they are awake and aware.


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## carpe scorpio (Jun 2, 2005)

Excellent, where can one obtain individual UV LED bulbs?.


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## Kugellager (Jun 2, 2005)

carpe scorpio said:
			
		

> Excellent, where can one obtain individual UV LED bulbs?.


http://www.superbrightleds.com/

This link is posted all over the place. There are lots of other places to get UV LED's as well...google it.

Note...LED's are not lightbulbs by the way. LED=Light Emitting Diode.

Nice sig by the way ;P

John
];')

EDIT: I have started a thread *HERE* that has lots of LED/UV lighting information.


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## John Bokma (Jun 3, 2005)

Kugellager said:
			
		

> Very cool...what do they look like in natural light...we don't see that species very much...actually we never do as we can not have or collect scorpions from Mexico in the US.
> ];')


Didn't know that, but I can imagine why.

http://johnbokma.com/mexit/2005/05/31/ has a pic with scorplings (yay!),
http://johnbokma.com/pet/scorpion/ has links to more articles with pics.

For looks, I would recommend the c. gracilis (or at least the one I got):
http://johnbokma.com/mexit/2005/05/24/


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## ScorpDemon (Jun 7, 2005)

not a source for lighting.. but definately on the subject.. is 390 NM sufficient for scorp hunting?


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## OneSickPuppy (Jun 8, 2005)

how about you guys quit teasin already and draw plans for building one. i know this newb would greatly appreciate it.


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## misfitsfiend (Jun 8, 2005)

I would also love some plans and an estimated cost to build one of those. But if this doesnt happen, which LED flashlight works best?

 Also, I know NOTHING of electronics, and am clueless about how to make one of those :? . So a list of matterials, some plans and an estimated cost would be VERY appresciated by me and MANY others on this board. Thanks!

Btw, excellent work on those! :clap:  :worship:


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## misfitsfiend (Jun 21, 2005)

*how about this?*

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=16037&item=5210821291&rd=1



 Since I dont know anything at all about electronics, I would love it, if some one could help me out. ... so what do you guys think? would that flash light work... 14 sounds small compared to the home made ones posted here. :?


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## Kugellager (Jun 21, 2005)

Mine cost me about $85US to build.  IMO, other than the lights Dave and I made, the Maglight-styled UV flashlights are the best flashlights available w/o having to make your own.  Drawing up plans is very time consuming and loaded with liability.  We specifically did not make plans available for those reasons. 

We just cobbled them together from miscellaneous stuff we had lying around or that we purchased from a hardware store for the most part. The lightheads were bought at suberbrightLEDs for $15USD each and the batteries we used were a lucky fluke Dave found on eBay.

Check the *FAQ Sticky* for a the thread on UV light suppliers.

John
];')


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## OneSickPuppy (Jun 21, 2005)

any way a simplistic idea can be concocted for the rest of us?


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## xenopus (Jun 21, 2005)

ScorpDemon said:
			
		

> not a source for lighting.. but definately on the subject.. is 390 NM sufficient for scorp hunting?


Yes -- that will work well.  We have several new products now, the most suitable for scorpion hunging uses the new Cree xLamps, and is about 3X brighter than our 32-LED models.  You can light up targets well from 100 feet, but my eyesight isn't good enough to see what they are   Part number XeLED-Cr3UV-395.

Cheers,
Piers


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## xenopus (Jun 21, 2005)

John Bokma said:
			
		

> http://johnbokma.com/pet/scorpion/detection-using-uv-leds.html has a link to LSDiodes. I ordered once with them, and have no real complaints, well, except that two LEDs died, after a short time. No idea if that's normal.


If you run too much current and/or they get too hot, that can happen.  Otherwise, good quality UV LEDs will provide 10,000 hours or more -- avoid any that are known to last only 200, and beware of claims for 100,000 hours!  You can spend a long time finding "quality" LEDs, there sure is a lot of product misrepresentation out there!

Hope that helps,
Piers


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## Black Hawk (Jun 21, 2005)

MrDeranged said:
			
		

> Have you been working out to carry the battery all over the desert?


couldn't he just hold it in a fanny pack on his waist behind him? plus he could get work pants with a hammer loop and hold it to the side of him when not in use by that handle. that'd be pretty cool  i love the lights u guys


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## Kugellager (Jun 21, 2005)

OneSickPuppy said:
			
		

> any way a simplistic idea can be concocted for the rest of us?


See posts 10 and 11 in the in the *UV lighting thread* .

John
];')


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## Cooper (Jun 21, 2005)

I live in canada and I catch scorps all the time here, in reference to the person on the first page' comment.


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## misfitsfiend (Jun 22, 2005)

Would I be able to power a AC 110V - 18 LEDs UV on a battery?


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## Kugellager (Feb 13, 2006)

*Kugellager 2006 Ultimate Scorpion Hunting Vehicle*

Dave was just asking me earlier today what modifications I plan to do on the ole' Kugellager 2004 Scorpion Collecting Lamp in preperation for the Arachnocon in San Antonio this July.  Well guys the last two years have been pretty good to me and I have decided to start from scratch and build the ultimate scorpion collecting system.  It is a fully equipped offroad vehicle with 2400 watts of UV collecting power, extra lift for those rocky areas and a high-power CB set-up for safety.  This vehicle will get you to just about any area where scorpions can be found with the minimum of effort. It can also be used to get a nice even tan at over 1/4 mile away!

I call my latest UV creation:

Kugellager 2006
The Ultimate Scorpion Hunting Vehicle






John
];')


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## fusion121 (Feb 13, 2006)

If your going all out why not mix in scorpion pheromones with the fuel so every horny male scorpion within miles will hunt down your exhaust trail


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## Malhavoc's (Feb 13, 2006)

Leave it to Kuge...Does it cook eggs too?


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## Nazgul (Feb 13, 2006)

Hi,

nice one  . What are you planning to hunt? Brontoscorpio, Gigantoscorpio, Praearcturus?

Regards
Alex


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## skinheaddave (Feb 13, 2006)

fusion121 said:
			
		

> If your going all out why not mix in scorpion pheromones with the fuel so every horny male scorpion within miles will hunt down your exhaust trail


It'll skew your sex ratios -- duh! ... and that's the only objection I can think of. 

Cheers,
Dave


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## fusion121 (Feb 13, 2006)

Nazgul said:
			
		

> Hi,
> 
> nice one  . What are you planning to hunt? Brontoscorpio, Gigantoscorpio, Praearcturus?
> 
> ...


Don't forget the harpoons


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## redhourglass (Feb 13, 2006)

Hi.

I have no comments for I've been blinded by technology LOL.  

Great custom outfit in/on the vehichle John.

Cheers.

Sinc. Chad


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## Kugellager (Feb 13, 2006)

Malhavoc's said:
			
		

> Leave it to Kuge...Does it cook eggs too?


Yes at almost 2km away! 



			
				redhourglass said:
			
		

> I have no comments for I've been blinded by technology LOL.


It's quite amazing what photoshop and too much time on my hands can do... 

John
];')


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## Malhavoc's (Feb 13, 2006)

Ahh The Kugellager'Mobile! Hunting scorpions where ever they can be found all night long, And yet still supprisingly Tanned to blend in with the normal crowd and can cook a Decent Egg! Supplying us all with our arachnogoodness One UV light at a time...


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## Travis K (May 28, 2008)

So is there any new info for cheap uv blacklights for hunting scorps?


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