Where find Solifuge in LA County?

[cloud jaguar]

I would like to capture a Solifugid or Solifuge in LA County area. I recall from when I was a youth how creepy these ones are and nasty looking.

Where should i look for these - on walls? under logs?

Thanks

 

[Peter Clausen]

In my experience, they are not at all easy to find. When I collect in Arizona I'm looking everywhere, high and low. I have never seen one that didn't really find me first, and always at night. I'm not sure if they are attracted to lights, or if it's because of the light that I'm able to see them. In any case, they do seem to show up around sources of light to feed on the other bugs that are attracted.

Make sure you have a friend to help you because holding a flashlight, a lid and a container requires at LEAST three hands! I only managed to catch one this August even though I saw a couple. They also blend in really well to their habitats, in addition to their well-earned common name windscorpion (among others). It's amazing how fast they are!

 

[Katnapper]

Arkanis and Peter... kind of a side-suggestion...

I discovered how awesome and helpful a head lamp can be at work! I did a 2 month stint underground in the storm sewers last year, epoxy sealing newly laid pipe joints. We all wore those little LEDs on a sturdy elastic fabric headband (you can usually find them in the sporting goods section), and they proved essential to working in the dark when mobility was a factor.

I've used mine since to hunt for mantids and feeder insects at night... works great! No "third hand" person holding a flashlight needed... although a friend and more hands might still be a big help, not to mention more fun! But the lights are small, lightweight, relatively bright, and last quite a while before having to change batteries (AAA here in the US, at least. Hmmm... are batteries different in the rest of the world? )

I came home one evening and saw my neighbor trying to finish cleaning out his gutters in the rapidly failing daylight, on a ladder with a flashlight. He went out and bought one of the headlamps the next day after using mine to finish his project that night, lol. They really are great for a variety of uses.

Good luck finding them!

 

[chuckpowell]

I had no problem locating them road cursing at night in the Anza Borrego Desert - not all that far from LA.

Good hunting.

Chuck

 

[Peter Clausen]

That's a great idea Katnapper!

Night-collecting in snake-country is never a good thing to do alone either, by the way. Saw lots of snakes while road cruising for tarantulas