All out Assault !

Ken and I decided to do an all out assault on the bugs in our yard, mainly to try and eliminate more of the scorpion population that up until 2 years ago we didn't have ! So this morning we put 2 big bags of this granular bug stuff all over the grass and rocks with the spreader, then we had 2 big gallon containers to spray around the outside of the house and we did the bottom of the fence too.....yes on a 1/2 acre that is alot of bug junk. Then this evening we decided maybe 1 more scorpion black light might help for the hunting, so we now each have a light for hunting, Ken still is the torch operator. We are about to try it out and hope in the morning to see a few dead crickets ( scorpion food) out on the patio. If you didn't get a hint you bugs, you are not welcome in our yard !!!!!

Scorpion hunting extreme !

Ok, why does that palm tree have black marks on it???????? Well Ken got a bit carried away the other night and saw 3 scorpions up there crawling around on the bark..... up went the torch, pooof......Ken running to get a bucket to bail water from the pool and throw it on the tree putting out the flames.....but he got the scorpions !

Scorpion Hunting

As per request from Jamie, she said....I need more details ! How do you scorpion hunt ?.... So for Jamie and anyone else that wants to read my rambling...here goes . If you want to go scorpion hunting, you have to wait until dark, around 9 or later seems to be the beginning of their active time. If you go to early they aren't out. Also if it's windy there aren't as many out and also if it's to cold they don't seem to come out as early. You keep all the outside lights off and you "sneak out" and then turn the black light on. Here is the one we have, it looks just like a flashlight in size.But it has many of these little bulbs, they make smaller ones but we like this one as it does have a bigger area that it lights up. We usually start with the perimeter of the house, shining the flashlight on the walls and checking cracks in the concrete patio, they have favorite places like the crack between the patio and the posts, also the best place is on the cement block fence. The pilaster ( the parts that hold the walls together in sections) seem to be the favorite place as they can go behind there and hide, they are the "scorpion condos" ! This tool is my department, I do the shining and am the "spotter".
When you spy one they might be all the way out of their hiding spot or just half out. If you are using a hammer at that point you have to be fast to do the smashing, if you are using a torch then it's not pertinent to be fast as you can burn them up even if they are only half out or on their way back in as you can shoot the flame behind and in between things. Here is the magic gas burner thing !
They do not like the black light, so if you spy one then I usually take the light off them until the "killer" ( Ken) is ready with his weapon. Then I tell him exactly where it was and turn on the light again until he's got them. If you leave the light on them they do run. Now if I was good at the online picture stealing I'd post a photo of one but since I havn't figured that out you just have to imagine the scorpion. Ours are a light tan and most are about 2 inches long. We did have one about an inch long so you know it was a teenager. They carry the babies on their back, we haven't gotten any of those yet. This little thing is the flint type of igniter that makes the spark to ignite the gas . These are both Ken's department, he is the official "killer", "burner" of scorpions.

Now the black light is sold in stores as scorpion lights since the black light just makes them glow, they look almost white and glow under the light like all the funny things on your shirt or shoes do on rides in Disney land. Of course certain other things glow too, we found out that the citrus blossoms all glow, so that makes you jumpy as you think you see them here and there, but when you do spy them you know it, it's not hard to determine them. Now Ken first started out with a hammer, hunting and smashing after experiencing the fun with our son Chris, my friend Denise first told me about this new hobby her daughter had a year ago and she used a rubber mallet. So there are many ways to scorpion hunt but the black light and torch seems to work best for us. We usually now find only about 3 when we got out to hunt a couple times a week so I think the nights of 9 or 11 are gone as word is out not to come into our yard if you are a scorpion !

Scorpion hunters...

Just a bit of an update on the scorpion hunting team of T&K. We have a new record tonight ....11 Kills ! I never thought we'd beat the night we got 9, most nights have been 3 maybe 5. Tonight seemed to be the night tho. New batteries in the black light and Ken only had the torch so our neighborhood is minus 11 tonight ! One was only about an inch long, not good, where are it's siblings??? We hadn't hunted for about 3 nights and now Ken is wishing we'd have kept a score card from when we started! SICK isn't it !

Scorpion Master....top number is now 9

FYI...... Ken and I got home from work, ate dinner, went for a walk and then went on another "HUNT", I was in charge of the super dooper hunting light.... Ken had the shoe and the framing hammer...ok you have the visual.... 9....yep 9 in one night, that is the top hunting count so far....9 more of those scorpion nasties are now gone ! We did the back fence 2 times as we found more had come out of the pilasters on the fence as we went around to the front..... now we know their trick. We are gonna get them ! We even found one on the neighbors driveway crack near ours so we took care of him too !

Hard Core Hunting !

Well Ken now has a new passion.....Scorpion hunting ! Chris and he hunted at his house one night when we were there for dinner and found 2 outside along the wall. So now Ken got this official light to hunt with ! The scorpions glow in the dark ( nasty things !) We found this one that has a broader range light so Ken bought Chris one too so he can have a better range for his hunting too!!!! For the last 3 nights.... we are minus 2 scorpions per night ! Chris happened over the other night and brought his trusty new light along so both of them went out in the yard on their quest ! Scorpions at our houses better be ware as these guys will get you !!!!