Recommendations: blacklights for hunthing

tabor

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
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Jun 26, 2003
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planning on doing some scorp hunting in southern georgia/northern florida. however, im having terrible luck and think a black like would help a lot. what do most people use? flood lights hooked up to something like the electrical socket in a car? blacklight flashlights? any recommendations would be handy.

this was the item i was eyeballing:
http://www.blacklight.com/items/SCRPH2-28

for those who care this is why im so anxious to get a good light:

I've heard from one of my friends who lives on a some what isolated island off the coast of north western florida that the area around his house is infested with scorps. my initial guess was that they were the one species indigenous to this area: C. hentzi. However, after showing him many pics of said species he assured me that the ones he's been seeing are different.

So, a possible unique color morph? Maybe some C. gracilis made it up here... either way, althought he claims he regularly sees them (once or twice a week) he refuses to catch any for me. so for the last two nights ive been scoping out the woods around his house, with no luck. cathcing tons of roaches, beetles, and spiders... but no damn scorps. So this my friends is why i need a black light!
 

Mark Newton

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 9, 2007
Messages
400
I use LED black lights and they work very well. I have 2 of the small ones as in your link and I also have a more rugged Maglite. I much prefer the LED torches over the fluros, heaps better. I can easily spot the tiniest of scorpions using the LED torches...great investment.
 

tabor

Arachnoprince
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Jun 26, 2003
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hmm... i will definitely pick up a couple then... how effective of an "area" can they cover. I realize this is a dificult question, and thus do not a very specific answer. Is it essential the same as a decent flashlight of the same size, just with black light? Hows the battery life?

also, thanks for the quick reply :clap:
 

Mark Newton

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 9, 2007
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400
As you say similar to a standard flash light in area, only black light. Of course the torch also gives off a visible blue light so you can see with it too, no need to carry a white light IMO, they are quite bright. Battery life is very good. I would manage 5 or 6 nights at 5 hours each with the one set of batteries...more with the Maglite, it uses 3xD's and lasts forever.
 

drapion

Arachnobaron
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Oct 24, 2004
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519
I use a 32 LED uv light that you just put in a c or d cell mag light and it works awesome for me!!! Just check Ebay..I picked it up for like 20$ and it worked so well that I bought one more and sent it to one of my friends in Florida so he would have a great black light as well...Who knows you might just have one show up at your door when you least expect it!!!{D {D {D
 

Thaedion

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
894
I bought my BL UV flashlights from ebay ---> HERE 41 led, for about $15, works great, looks the same as the one you were looking at.

It's the same torch I used to shoot this UV vid:

[YOUTUBE]bd66wn0dyuY[/YOUTUBE]​

Tabor, if you want I have two of them, I'll send you one when I send your scorps. :D
 

hamfoto

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 9, 2004
Messages
777
Mine is made by Xenopus Electronics and is a converted Mag-Lite. It freakin' rocks!

Chris
 

tabor

Arachnoprince
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Jun 26, 2003
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1,620
went back out tonight.

still no black light and no scorps, but tons of Heteropoda venatoria if anyone is interested in them. Caught so many i ran out of jars :eek:
 

cacoseraph

ArachnoGod
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Jan 5, 2005
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8,325
i used a hacked maglite with a ~25 element UV LED array. battery life is unbelievably long and i can light scorps farther than i can see (i have crappy eyesight, but i think my point is made, none-the-less). i would say you can see the green from my flashlight hitting a scorp from well over 10' and possibly as much as 20' (3m and 6m respectively) in good conditions.


i'm going to disagree with the no need to carry a white light... some stuff shows up ok in the blacklight... but some stuff is just about impossible to see without a whitelight. there are some very spiky plants in california that just refuse to be seen in UV. also, i would be afraid of missing a rattlesnake or something like that if i didn't have a whitelight with me too.


typically when i flip hunt i sweep with the black and then the white, in quick succession. scorpions typically show up so well that i can sweep quite fast and see them. i also want to keep my first black sweep fast so i can do the white sweep and like, secure the perimeter as soon as possible. if i lived in an area with more hideous animals i would definitely sweep with the white first.
 

drapion

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 24, 2004
Messages
519
I agree with Andrew on having a white light with you..The last thing you want to find is a rattle snake that you just stepped on and now it's bitting you.I use a little head lamp made by energizer that has 2 white leds and 1 red led..It's great because you can see every thing around you with the white leds and as soon as you find a scorp with you uv lamp you can switch right to the red led and shut down all other lights and not scare the scorp. Scorps can't detect red light so they have no clue whats about to happen to them..It makes it easy and safe..
 

tabor

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 26, 2003
Messages
1,620
I agree with Andrew on having a white light with you..The last thing you want to find is a rattle snake that you just stepped on and now it's bitting you.I use a little head lamp made by energizer that has 2 white leds and 1 red led..It's great because you can see every thing around you with the white leds and as soon as you find a scorp with you uv lamp you can switch right to the red led and shut down all other lights and not scare the scorp. Scorps can't detect red light so they have no clue whats about to happen to them..It makes it easy and safe..
got your package to day man, thanks! (just in case you didnt get my message on VL) ;)
 

Michiel

Arachnoking
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Joined
May 22, 2006
Messages
3,478
I use the same as hamfoto, the converted maglite (40 leds, 395 Nm, you can switch between 20 leds and 40 leds) from Xenopus electrics. It sure does ROCK:D
 

lychas

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 2, 2005
Messages
645
i got my 51led uv off ebay, very bright, would be able to spot most 2nd instar scorps i would say.
 

HufnPuf

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
May 30, 2007
Messages
72
i have scorps in my yard...no need for hacked maglite's that can fluoresce a scorp from outer space for me...

i like Thaedion's...great value, much better than mine.

i use a 3 LED visor light (clips to underside of hat brim for hands free operation) made by Master Vision. you can buy it at Walmart for $10.
 
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