Proper hunting lights? Techniques?

driver

Arachnoknight
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I'm planning a trip to hunt for Paruroctonus Boreus in the next week or so and am looking at picking up a UV flashlight on ebay before I head out. The light I'm checking out is a 51 LED 380-385nM UV flashlight, is this a good choice?

As for techniques, I'm assuming the corpions come out to feed at night, do you just sweep an area with the UV flashlight across the ground in hopes of a little scorpion glowing?

Will this be an effective method for P. Boreus hunting? Or am I further off flipping stones in the day?
 
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quiz

Arachnoprince
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I'm planning a trip to hunt for Paruroctonus Boreus in the next week or so and am looking at picking up a UV flashlight on ebay before I head out. The light I'm checking out is a 51 LED 380-385nM UV flashlight, is this a good choice?

As for techniques, I'm assuming the corpions come out to feed at night, do you just sweep an area with the UV flashlight across the ground in hopes of a little scorpion glowing?

Will this be an effective method for P. Boreus hunting? Or am I further off flipping stones in the day?
flip stones during the day and use your flashlight at night. GL hunting.
 

driver

Arachnoknight
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What sort of areas will the scorps be feeding in during the nights? around grassy clumps? in the open? near the rocks/logs they hide under? I'm hoping I can find a half dozen or so females and a handful of males to go with them to start a small breeding project with them.

Does anyone know if at this time of year it would still be a possibility to snag already gravid females? I'm curious as to when the natural breeding of p boreus takes place, and when the birthing happens. Hopefully with a little more preparation next season I can make a few collection trips and attempt some personal studies of p. boreus's natural breeding habits, and it's life in the wild.

I'm pretty stoked that there's actually a cool little invert I can find locally.
 

cacoseraph

ArachnoGod
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for flatland vaejovids i still have to flip stuff, even at night

Anuroctonus were visible at burrow enterances and even out in the open.

ah, i take that back... we were catching vaejovids on a road during a new moon (well, one day before).

just remember... if you are only using a blacklight somestuff doesn't show up to save your life... like some kinds of cactus... just don't reflect back any visible light.
 

driver

Arachnoknight
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driver

Arachnoknight
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Anyone know if P. boreus even shine sunder a UV light? OR anyone with a UV light and a P. boreus care to do a little test for me before I go ahead and buy a lamp?
 

samantha

Arachnopeon
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mine DEFINITELY flouresces under BL. However, you gotta have it pretty close to the scorp.
 

driver

Arachnoknight
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mine DEFINITELY flouresces under BL. However, you gotta have it pretty close to the scorp.
what type of light are you using? the uv lamp i'm looking at has 51 LED's and supposedly carries a strong beam for a good distance. I'm hoping it will be enough.
 

JLDomestics

Arachnoknight
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I have a 28 led blacklight and have only ever used it to locate P. boreus at night and it works real good. I am sure your light will be sweeeeeeeet.
 

driver

Arachnoknight
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Thanks everyone for your comments, hopefully all goes well on the hunt. Dos anyone have any experience night hunting for p. boreus here? I'd love any tips that will help to assure my trip is a success. Aside from a little getaway, the scorps are my main interest in taking time off for this little adventure. I'd like to see it go well :)
 

JLDomestics

Arachnoknight
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They don't like windy nights and don't like rainy nights. I find I have way better success on a warm clear calm night.
 

driver

Arachnoknight
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They don't like windy nights and don't like rainy nights. I find I have way better success on a warm clear calm night.
Good to know, did you find you had better luck with logs/rocks? Were you hunting in more open flat/sandy areas, or on rockier slopes? do they burrow under settled stones, or stuff sitting up loose from the ground a bit? I'm pretty stoked for my new light to show up now :) I'll definitely be putting some night hunting in...
 

driver

Arachnoknight
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So I have this flashlight on its way http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=220133137426&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=012 and I expect it should do the job quite well.

I read a little about technique in the other thread which was posted here, but I'm still wondering just what you all do to make the UV flashlight use a success. Do you sweep open areas with it, around rocks and shrubs, in tall grass? What spots do you have the best luck catching scorps feeding in?

I'm hoping to catch a couple in my daylight rock flipping so I can find an area I know they are in, and do some nighttime sweeps there.
 

JLDomestics

Arachnoknight
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I flip rocks and logs during the day, and it seems the best ones to flip are the ones on relatively steep cliffs. At night it is much easier to find them (usually) and I find them just by walking and sweeping with the black light. There is really very little (if any) skill involved.
 

driver

Arachnoknight
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I flip rocks and logs during the day, and it seems the best ones to flip are the ones on relatively steep cliffs. At night it is much easier to find them (usually) and I find them just by walking and sweeping with the black light. There is really very little (if any) skill involved.
sorry if i'm carrying on what with the stupid questions, but do you flips rocks that are rock on rock, or rock over soil/sand? do they like to climb in between sheeted rock, or between soil/rock?
 

Mark Newton

Arachnobaron
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You should be looking for a light that operates at 395nm, 380 is too short. The cheap lights on ebay are good, I have two of them and have seen another. The only issue with them is that the switches are not very good quality.There is every chance you may be sent one with a dicky switch. I have seen 4 of the small cheap LED torches, one had a switch that wouldnt work at all and another has a touchy switch that only just operates, the other two were fine. The other odd thing about them too is that the switch must click before it will come on at all, where most torch switches will come on partly depressed so that when you release pressure they go off. Its also virtually impossible to fix the switches, they are tiny and very flimsy with ultra small wires and soldering. At least the torches are cheap. I also have a Maglite, that is brilliant, very strong and totally reliable.

Make sure you get 395nm, thats the main thing, they are available.
 

JLDomestics

Arachnoknight
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sorry if i'm carrying on what with the stupid questions, but do you flips rocks that are rock on rock, or rock over soil/sand? do they like to climb in between sheeted rock, or between soil/rock?
Can't really help you there. I pretty much flip every rock, log, metal scrap, and piece of garbage I happen to be walking by.
 
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