Light, camera, action: Behavioral responses of the yellow scorpion Tityus serrulatus to different lights

Scorpions cause 150k+ accidents per year in Brazil. Control of their populations involves manual collection and pesticides. Here we tested if light could be used to attract or repel the yellow scorpion Tityus serrulatus, the main responsible for accidents in the country. Based on previous studies on scorpion´s physiological and behavioral reactions to light, we tested wavelengths that correspond to red, green and violet, controlling temperature, absolute irradiance and electromagnetic stimuli. We built a ring arena divided into 5 parts and had the individuals freely walking in the presence of a light/control. We released the scorpions either away from the LED to test attraction or close to the LED to test repellency. Results showed avoidance to green light, and violet light on a smaller portion, that could be due to wavelengths, since those correspond to primary and secondary response peaks of the animal photoreceptors, due to the absolute irradiance of lights or both. These two wavelengths, therefore, have potential for scorpion control and deserve further investigations.