UV model needed for scorpion hunting

Hi Mates,

New member, first post; been doing some searches on the 'net looking for a good reliable Ultraviolet LED flashlight/torch for use in detecting scorpions in and around my home. Scorpions have the wonderful ability to fluoresce or glow under UV light, so I have hopeful I'll be able to rid the house by using this light.

I live in the South-West part of the country in Nevada.

Since this summer, I have found and eliminated 4 scorpions in my home and some babies in my yard. I'm concerned as most of the scorpions are bark scorpions, are able climbers, and can really injure if not kill my small pets.

Does anyone have experience with Ultraviolet LED flashlights/torches or recommendations on brands/models?

Thanks in advance.

i own an Inova X5 UV, it doesn't have a very good throw. it would at most light up about 10 feet effectively, illuminating an area about 7 feet across.

i chose it for its compact size over Streamlight's Twin-Task 3C.

X5 UV review: http://www.imagometrics.com/FLReviews/In_X5_UV.htm

Twin-Task 3C: http://www.streamlight.com/product/product.aspx?pid=47

look at the wavelength, don't bother getting anything above 385nm.

The Inova X5 is an excellent choice. the wavelength is 395. if you want a lower wavelength, i believe that the Streamlight Twintask 3C UV, comes in two flavors, the silver one with 395 nm, and the black one is a mixture of 395 in one level and 375 on the other. both will be fine. The twintask will be brighter, but the visible light will be less. in amazon, is around 39 USD.

Not a thing we have a big problem with here in the UK,we have only one type of Scorpion as far as I know of which is the European Yellow-Tailed Scorpion.

Have a look at this one.

Photon UV 'Scorpion Finder' - UV/Blacklight scorpion detection

Keychain-sized UV scorpion detection. Photon's "Scorpion Finder" is a customized Photon Freedom Micro with a purple 'blacklight' beam, featuring an ACU 'Army Combat Uniform' camouflage body for full compliance with military uniform regulations.

The deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan are home to a number of different species of scorpions, many of which are highly toxic and pose a very real medical risk to humans stung by the scorpion. In fact, Iraq's "Death Stalker" Scorpion has one of the most toxic scorpion stings on earth. One unique feature of nearly all scorpions however, is that their bodies will fluoresce brightly under any UV light, which makes Photon's keychain-sized 'Scorpion Finder' perfect for sweeping dark rooms in the middle of the night to check for scorpions before climbing into bed, putting on boots, going to the bathroom, taking a shower, or just reaching into dark places. The Photon 'Scorpion Finder' is so small it can easily be carried at all times, to always be close at hand when needed. The light features a custom black quick-release keyring for easy attachment to gear, and a necklace clip is included to allow the light to be worn around the neck. The body of the light is water resistant so it can even be worn in the shower.

Hope that helps you.

YES! the iNova UV LED works great.
Recently I stepped up my UV LED capapility using a powerful LED "drop in" and a Ultrafire 6 P clone from BatteryJunction. I run this light on a 18650 and it is the best I have seen. thinking:Hope it's the right wavelegnth for scorpions).

"Happy Hunting"

Ugh, scorpions! I sure wouldn't want to find one of those guys near my home. How do you kill them, stomp on them?

I believe Andrew Zimmern (Bizzare Foods program) just toasts 'em up! Appears as though that "diet" hasn't hurt his weight much....:devil:

Inova worked fine for me the last time I was in the SouthWest looking for them.


Karl

SolarForce makes a P60 UV drop-in that and a basic L2 w/ regular LED drop-in, battery & charger isn't $$$$.

Also, does NailBender make a UV drop-in??

I bought this one for setting Norland 61 - it is 365nm wavelength. Works great and runs on 2 AAA batts. I've used it and left it on for couple of hours total and it still has plenty of juice in the batteries. Fits nicely in the pocket like a pen and has a pocket clip.

I can't offer any helpful advice other than to research wavelengths carefully. When you read reviews, understand what the reviewer is using the UV light for. Wavelengths suitable for currency and fake IDs may not do much for you, in terms of glowing stuff around the house. I was playing with GSwitters ARC AAA, and while it brightly lit up the hidden details on my driver's license... it did nothing to charge the lume on my watch.

Conversely (at the same CPF meet) I was playing around with a Quark-RGB and to my surprise the blue color had a TON of light in the UV spectrum, glowing all kinds of stuff.... when I least expected it too.

There are a lot of google topics on fluorescing scorpions... I am sure there is some info already out there on whats the best wavelength.

Hmpffff, good luck! I'd kill them all with fire

does it have to be an extremely portable solution? I think you could get a blacklight fluorescent tube which would be much brighter but at the correct wavelength. problem is, you would be tethered to the wall outlet.

csshih said:

does it have to be an extremely portable solution? I think you could get a blacklight fluorescent tube which would be much brighter but at the correct wavelength. problem is, you would be tethered to the wall outlet.

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no he wont.

but you have an excellent point.

op. look up urine gone kit in department stores, also in pet stores, the kit is cleaning spray, and small fluorescent 6" tube running on 4aa cells.
to get the same wavelength from led you'd need to spend ALOT more. entire kit is like $20 or so
http://www.asseenontvguys.com/urine-gone.aspx

^Gurthang said:

SolarForce makes a P60 UV drop-in that and a basic L2 w/ regular LED drop-in, battery & charger isn't $$$$.

Also, does NailBender make a UV drop-in??

Click to expand...

Yes, Nailbender makes two different wavelengths in UV as P60 drop ins.


Karl

This topic hits home for me because I was stung by a scorpion in the middle of the night while sleeping in bed at home in suburban Austin, Texas. Happened about a year ago. The next day the wife called the exterminator, and I bought a fluorescent black light bulb. Unfortunately, the bulb wouldn't work in my trouble light, so I cataloged a blacklight as a nice-to-have item in the back of my mind. A couple weeks ago I spotted another scorpion in the house, so now the subject of a blacklight is in the forefront of my mind.

After doing a bit of googling, it seems UV light in the high 300 nM range will work. Here's a link I found particularly interesting:

http://atshq.org/forum/showthread.php?t=25468

That page has a few links to products that look interesting though not so portable.

295-300 nm will work, but the scorpions can see the light and boy are they fast. You light em up and they're gone. 265-285 nm lights em up and they don't move, they don't seem to be able to see this wavelength, so you've got more time to dispose of them.

scot said:

295-300 nm will work, but the scorpions can see the light and boy are they fast. You light em up and they're gone. 265-285 nm lights em up and they don't move, they don't seem to be able to see this wavelength, so you've got more time to dispose of them.

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Where else besides CPF could a person get this kind of answer/data this fast, I ask you?

NOWHERE!

I'm with you on the scorpion dilemma, and after using a generic UV light last year I started the quest for a better light this year by asking a similar question on cpf and got almost no response, so I went ahead on my own and tried different lights to get something that will work. First, so you know I'm serious about this topic, I've found (and exterminated) 148 scorpions since March 20, when they first came out here. I live in Phoenix, AZ in a residential neighborhood. Go figure.

The Inova lights don't throw nearly far enough, and I'd be wary of the wavelengths. I tried Battery Junction's UV drop-in, and the wavelength was all wrong - instead of making scorpions glow purple, they glowed yellow and ran as soon as the light hit them. I PM'd Nailbender, but I didn't buy his UV because I wasn't convinced it was a different wavelength than the one from from Battery Junction.

So far, the best light for me is still the generic, clunker 51 LED AA3 light I bought on scam-bay last year for about $15. Good throw on fresh batteries, the scorpions are oblivious to it, and that's all that matters. The only problem is that it chews through alkaline primaries and Eneloops won't fit. But for the price of the light, I'm happy.

Post again if you find something different that actually works, I'd like to get something a bit more efficient or that used rechargeables.

scot said:

295-300 nm will work, but the scorpions can see the light and boy are they fast. You light em up and they're gone. 265-285 nm lights em up and they don't move, they don't seem to be able to see this wavelength, so you've got more time to dispose of them.

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Scot has the right numbers from what I can tell, only he needs to add 100 to them. 385-390 seems to be optimum, but hard to tell what the UV light is rated at. I have called one manufacturer here in the US and have corresponded with 4 others via email and none of them could tell me the wavelengths of their lights. Amazing.