Got a burning question about any kind of creepy crawly? Found a creepy crawlie in you house and want to know more? Drop me an email and fire away!
LED UV Torch
LED UV Torches are available in the perfect wavelength for scorpions. Compact, robust, waterproof and with a low power consumption.
Events
Get out there and join me on an outing you'll never forget. Checkout my events to find out what I'm doing where and when.
Courses ad Expeditions
Learn from a leading expert! Join one of the courses and expeditions and get up close to spiders and scorpions!
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Why do Scorpions Flouresce under Ultra Violet Light?
A short video that explore why scorpions flouresce under ultra violet light.
Video interview by David Braun (with additional video of glowing scorpion courtesy of Paul Marek)
Entabeni Wild Weekend
So you have done the big 5 reserve thing. Driving around looking at animals from the confines of the vehicle. If you are like me I bet you’ve sat there wanting to get off! Check out the animal tracks, have a look at that flower, swim in a mountain stream, explore a rocky outcrop, walk along a cliff to marvel at the view, find those frogs making that sound, scratch around for spiders and scorpions, track rhino on foot, night walks, sit quietly and envelope yourself in the sounds of Africa. Well now you can...
The principle behind this wildlife experience is get up close and personal with all aspects of nature in an fun and practical way. We’ll teach you the basics of tracking and track one of the big 5 on foot. We’ll travel by game vehicle, stopping off to walk, explore and experience. Want to go looking for elephants? No problem! Want to check out some hippo on foot? No problem! Want to go frogging at night? No problem! We’ll create our own wildlife experience with the opportunities that come our way.
Entabeni Private Game Reserve is 23,000 hectares of big 5 Waterberg bushveld. Home to an amazing diversity of plants and animals. It’s the perfect playground for exploring nature intimately and hands on. Add to the mix wildlife specialists, a stunning bush camp, and the freedom to do whatever we want and you get a very special weekend to remember.
This is a unique and exciting opportunity to spend time with wildlife specialists, learn about nature and spend time walking, learning how to track animals. All you need is a sleeping bag, pillow, walking shoes, a sense of adventure and a yearning to learn about nature.
Event dates are the following:
27th to 29th January 2012
27th to 29th April 2012
21st January 2012 Full Day Spider and Scorpion Course Askari Lodge, Plumari Private Game Reserve
A full day arachnid course in a big 5 area. Join Jonathan Leeming, author of Scorpions of southern Africa, from 8:30am until 5:00pm for a intimate course on southern African arachnids with one of the worlds leading experts. Course cost includes all teas, coffees and refreshments, lectures, lunch, game vehicle, workpacks and certificate. Due to the likelyhood that we will encounter big 5 on foot the minimum age is 16 years old.
Course includes:
Presentation.
Identification.
Workbooks.
Walking in a big 5 area.
Medical importance and venomosity.
Scorpion handling.
There are a few places left for the 11th September course with the following dates scheduled:
21st January 2012
5th February 2012
Booking essential as places are limited per course.
Jonathan Leeming, author of Scorpions of Southern Africa, Scorpions of Sabi Sands, Medically Important Spiders and co-author of The Bushveld - A Comprehensive Guide to the Waterberg, spent some time at Samara recently “scratching around” in search of scorpions and spiders. With more than 25 years experience Jonathan has made it his life’s work to educate people about what most of us would shudder and think of as creepy crawlies.
He is busy putting together a manual about the local spiders and scorpions so that our rangers will be far more knowledgeable about these interesting and often misunderstood creatures.
Even more exciting he found a beautiful large baboon spider (Harpacteri sp.) on the hill behind Karoo Lodge, which he took photos of. He has been chatting to the Baboon spider specialists in Southern Africa (who are very excited!) and they tell him that it is a new and undescribed species! Fantastic news! The next thing is to collect a specimen or two to deposit into our National Collection of Arachnids which is held at the Plant Protection Research Institute – Biosystematics Division. From there it will be worked on and formally described as a new species
Scorpions of Sabi Sands Training Manual
4 years in the writing, my long awaited Scorpions of Sabi Sands training manual is printed and available now! 172 pages, over 120 photos, this milestone in scorpion appreciation and conservation contains never before published information on the scorpions that inhabit the Sabi Sands. Practical and easy to read, this training manual will appeal to the nature enthusiast, field guide and lodge. Sponsored by EcoTraining, this manual contains the following:
Cost is R285 per copy excluding postage. To order your copy contact Jonathan on
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Venmous Creatures - the Inside Story
A short video on how venomous scorpions really are. Many people think that all scorpions are highly venomous. This is certainly not the case. The following video illustrates how venomous scorpions actually are through practical examples.
Note that no scorpions were harmed during the making of this video. I wish I could say the same for my villing volunteers! Just want to say thanks to all that volunteered. I said I'd make you famous!
Hunting scorpions in South Africa's Kruger National Park
Kraig Becker and scorpion
Posted Mar 28th 2011 8:00AM by Kraig Becker Filed under: Learning, Africa, South Africa, Camping, Ecotourism
When travelers visit Kruger National Park in South Africa they expect to see plenty of wildlife. Most come hoping to spot the "Big Five" which includes lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and rhinos, but they'll also see plenty of zebras, monkeys, and hippos too. What most don't know is that South Africa also has more than 160 species of scorpions and countless spiders as well. While those critters aren't quite as popular as the elephants and lions of Kruger, they can still be fun to spot while visiting the park.
On my recent visit to Kruger I had the unique opportunity to spend a day searching for a variety of scorpion and spider species with Jonathan Leeming, author of the book Scorpions of South Africa. Leeming has spent more than 25 years studying the creepy crawlies of Kruger and trekking through the bush with him is akin to tracking crocodiles with Australia's late, great Steve Irwin. Much like Irwin, Leeming has the same enthusiasm for his work, and a big personality to match his energy. He is also extremely knowledgeable. Leeming has probably knows more about South Africa's scorpion population than most people will ever know.
A short course on scorpions, conducted by Jonathan Leeming, one of South Africa’s leading authorities in this field, was held at Tanda Tula. Guides from both Tanda Tula and Kings Camp participated in the two day course and were given a wonderful insight into these tiny creature’s lives. The course was a mixture of both practical and theoretical application.
