Hunting Scorpions

Collecting scorpions from the wild

Introduction
Equipment
UV Blacklight
Useful Tips

Introduction

Retail availability of European scorpions in the UK is limited. This is probably due to their small size and rather bland appearance. The alternative is collecting them from natural sites, both in the UK and continental Europe. It is important to avoid over-collecting scorpions from the wild.

Recommended Equipment

Here is a summary of useful items to take when collecting wild scorpions.

torch - for finding your way around in the dark
portable UV blacklight - to locate the scorpions
rubber-tipped forceps (min. 15cm) - to grab scorpions
numerous containers of various size - small sandwich boxes with snap-on lids are ideal
elastic bands - to secure container lids & prevent scorpions escaping
thick gardening gloves - to move stinging nettles, etc.
a strong knife - to cut away thick vegetation
long thick stick - always handy!
shoulder bag or backpack - to carry all the above

Wear a jacket or shirt which has lots of pockets - for storing tweezers, plastic containers, spare torch batteries, etc. Also wear socks, to help prevent irritation from various small bugs that live in tall grass.

As European scorpions are relatively small (< 50mm) I would advise carrying plenty of small containers, one for each scorpion, in which they will settle down quickly. Large containers only encourage the animals to run around excessively. The other advantage of using small ones is that they are pocket size - trying to juggle a torch, a container and a wriggling scorpion is not easy, so you will want the container to be easily accessible.

When collecting them the scorpions will become agitated and turn aggressive; transporting more than one in an individual container will cause them to fight and you may lose some of them before you arrive home.

Clear plastic containers are probably best, as you can easily determine how many you have caught. Opaque plastic makes checking more difficult, especially at night.

Ultra-Violet Blacklight

If you are lucky, you may occasionally find scorpions during daylight hours hiding away under rocks, etc. However, since scorpions are mostly nocturnal creatures, probably the best time to find them is after nightfall. To achieve this, the use of a UV blacklight is recommended. Essentially, this will make the scorpions "glow" a pale green under UV illumination, making it simpler to spot them against a dark background.

Few retail shops stock such equipment, so you may have to create your own.

I purchased a rechargeable combination lantern, which cost me around £20. This has a normal white spotlight, a small handy red spotlight and two 6-Watt fluorescent tubes.

I then purchased two 6-Watt UV Blacklight-Blue (BLB) tubes separately from a local electrical retailer (£4 per tube), and fitted them into the lantern in place of the standard fluorescent tubes.

Note: BLB lamps with a light source of less than 6 watts will not provide sufficient illumination in the wild, so I recommend a minimum of 6 watts, with two tubes being even better.

Plastics absorb some UV wavelength light thus reducing the strength of the illumination. If the lantern has a white plastic reflector, then cover it with aluminium kitchen foil for better reflection. Likewise, remove any protective plastic front cover (remember to guard the UV tubes from impact damage).

I placed aluminium foil behind the UV tubes in my own lantern and removed the front cover. This resulted in a significant improvement in the UV light intensity.

Benefits of using a lantern with this type of specification:-

one fluorescent tube can be switched on singularly, or both can be used together
the small red spotlight is useful for viewing the scorpions' nocturnal activities, as it doesn't appear to bother them as much as a white light

Drawbacks:-

the unit is quite heavy, mostly due to the weight of the rechargeable battery
replacement rechargeable batteries are expensive (although they can last a few years)
having to purchase the BLB tubes separately increased the total cost

Caution: when using UV lighting, try to limit the time exposed: excessive exposure to UV light can result in eye damage. It can also lead to headaches. I advise taking several short breaks from using the blacklight and give your eyes a rest for a few minutes. When working with blacklights it is easy to trip and fall, causing injury - so be careful!

Useful Tips

For the best chances of finding scorpions in the wild you will probably be limited to warm summer evenings.

You may be tempted to wear shorts. My advice is to wear full-length trousers or jeans. Walking into a patch of stinging nettles or spiny thistles with bare legs is not particularly pleasant - trust me, I speak from experience! For the same reason, exercise caution when you reach into a patch of vegetation. It is a good idea to carry thick gardening gloves for protection and a long-sleeve shirt helps.

Watch out for ant nests - in pitch darkness you won't even realise that you're standing on one!
Beware of burrowing wasps (and ordinary wasps for that matter). Rats are also best avoided.
I suggest that you check out your selected collection area before nightfall, which will help to reduce a bad encounter with any of these unpleasant obstacles.

Use insect-repellent lotion if you are sensitive to insect bites. Blacklights attract flying insects.

The idea that only scorpions glow brightly under UV illumination is misleading. You may find that other natural substances also glow. I found some flower petals glowed slightly, as do some lichens. Interestingly, discarded scorpion skin-molts continue to glow and can confuse you in to believing that you have found a live one.

Blacklights certainly do pick out a lot of litter and other discarded detritus. We humans are so messy!

Don't rush - walk slowly and watch your footing to avoid a twisted ankle on uneven terrain.