UV LED flashlight for Scorpion problem

Just moved to Arizona and I have found out that I have a Scorpion problem in my back yard. I looking for the BRIGHTEST UV flashlight that I can get.. But I also dont want to spend a fortune.. Please help ... the wife wants to move back to the east coast unless I can find a solution to my problem...:thanks:

Try the INOVA X5 UV, it's plenty bright for scorpion spotting at night. It's not an UV cannon though...

Did you try getting something like a 20watt flourescent blacklight or a UV bugzapper type light?

jmsanchezny said:

Just moved to Arizona and I have found out that I have a Scorpion problem in my back yard. I looking for the BRIGHTEST UV flashlight that I can get.. But I also dont want to spend a fortune.. Please help ... the wife wants to move back to the east coast unless I can find a solution to my problem...:thanks:

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Pack. They are there for a reason and it probably has to do with a nice lawn, which attracks insects and is a source of water.

There are a few nasty species in the Sonora desert but for the most part they are like a bee sting - although I have seen a couple of big ones draw blood with the force of the delivery.

Mike-

I just got one of those led modules for a 3 cell Mag that has 32 UV 5mm leds. I like it--I got it off ebay for $25 shipped, and it came from goldengadgets.com Check it out--its much brighter than some of the smaller arrays I've seen--drops straight into a mag, and is a good price for its power I feel.

I think that Don (McGizmo) sells a UV version of his lights. I have one under development, but they will not ship until right before xmas.

As far as bugs and critters - I understand your problem, and you are just getting started. Without a winter freeze, you will encounter bugs and insects of qty that you are not used to.

In addition to the scorpions, there are fire ants, tarantulas, black widows, etc. (we have most of these as well). It is a constant battle, made worse in CA by our limited ability to purchase products that actually work. I find that household bleach is more effective than most of the other insecticide options that I have for outdoor use, and fogging the attic periodically helps with the spiders.

Either your wife will need to get more comfortable with more bugs (difficult as you know) or you will likely need a long term contract exterminator.

Oh yeah...we had fire ants in our backyard when we lived in Glendale! The oldest son (who was about 2 at the time - got into them, what a bad scene! He fell into some cactus as well, had enough cactus needles in his hand that it looked like fur...we applied rubber cement, let it dry and peeled "most" of them out -used tweezers on the rest. He's a "trooper"! I was freakin' out, because I didn't want him to rub his eyes while screaming & crying!

Reference black widows - take a good flashlight out at night and search around your house (inside & out) you'll probably find them. I used to work till midnight, come home and "go hunting" as much as possible (trying to protect the babies - who BTW are 19 and 16 now!).

Oh man, did we have an infestation of crickets as well!! Used borax (I think thats what it was?) to "draw a circle around the house and that seemed to help a lot!

Crickets and predators like black widows seem to go together. If you can eliminate some of the habitat or food that is attracting the crickets, you will have fewer black widows. If you kill a black widow, it won't be long until you find another in the same place. But if you can eliminate the holes and overhangs/nooks (under the edge of plastic flowerpots and trashcans seems to be a favorite spot) the black widow loves as habitat, you can shift the balance to other spider species.

Back to the scorpions though, they are not likely to be favoring your yard just for random "scorpion whimsy". If you can find out what they're eating or using for habitat, it may be easier to control them indirectly.

jmsanchezny said:

Just moved to Arizona and I have found out that I have a Scorpion problem in my back yard. I looking for the BRIGHTEST UV flashlight that I can get.. But I also dont want to spend a fortune.. Please help ... the wife wants to move back to the east coast unless I can find a solution to my problem...:thanks:

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If you want to search you entire yard from the safety of your deck while drinking a beer, you could check out one of our new lanterns!

For some reason, scorpions around here (Texas) seem to be attracted when you want to take your children out star-gazing...

Piers

What eats scorpions??



Blades

jmsanchezny,
Excuse my manners, I forgot to welcome you to CPF!!!

By the power of Google I found out that Shrews eat scorpions. Just thought I would answer my own question.



Blades

Look at chickens for your scorp problem and clear any stuff lying around from around your house.

My understanding is that scorpions are very territorial, and they battle to the death frequently. From what I have seen, I rarely encounter them closer than 10 meters apart, though in mating season?? The Mojave variety are strictly nocturnal and easy to find with a UV light. You can knock the population down to zero in an area very easily. You do have to stay on top of them. The Sandwich Shoppe has a real good UV light, but pricey. Welcome to CPF!

Larry

looks like you want 395nm uv if possible
http://www.xenopuselectronix.com/xeled/PDF/XeApplications.pdf