How to Get Rid of Scorpions in Your Phoenix-Area House
Short answer: remove the ones inside with a blacklight and long tongs, seal the gaps they walk through, clear their hiding spots by the walls, and treat the block walls where they live. Spraying alone won't do it.
How to Get Rid of Scorpions in an Arizona House
Getting rid of scorpions in Phoenix, Chandler or Mesa takes three things at once: removing the scorpions already inside, closing the gaps they use, and shrinking the population living in the block walls and rock beds outside. The University of Arizona puts it plainly: scorpions are impossible to manage with insecticides alone.
The scorpion in most Phoenix-area houses is the Arizona bark scorpion. It climbs instead of burrowing (University of Arizona Cooperative Extension), so it walks up stucco and block walls and slips in under doors, through weep holes and around pipes. Not sure what you found? See types of scorpions in Arizona.
Step 1 Tonight: Find and Remove the Scorpions Inside
- Use a UV blacklight after dark. Bark scorpions glow under ultraviolet light. Check bedrooms and bathrooms before bed (University of Arizona, 2025). Don't look into the UV light.
- Never use your hands. Wear shoes or boots and pick them up with long tongs or forceps into a smooth-sided bucket or a jar with a lid.
- Check where they hide by day: shoes and clothes left on the floor, towels, door mats, potted plants and clutter (University of Arizona, 2022).
- Repeat it. The University of Arizona says collecting 3 to 4 times over a summer can greatly decrease a local scorpion population, and calls it often more effective than spraying. Summer yard sweeps work best between 8 and 11 p.m.
If anyone is stung, call the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center at 1-800-222-1222, 24 hours. See what to do after a bark scorpion sting.
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Signs You Have a Scorpion Problem, Not a Stray
- You find them inside every week in warm months, not once a season.
- You find small ones. Tiny baby scorpions in the house mean adults are breeding close by.
- You find several together, often in a garage, wall void or under stored boxes. Bark scorpions shelter in groups, and in winter they cluster in walls and enclosed spaces (University of Arizona, 2025).
- Your blacklight lights up the block wall or the rock bed next to the house at night.
- You have crickets or roaches. The University of Arizona notes a cricket or cockroach problem can draw scorpions indoors. See how to get rid of crickets.
Why Spraying Alone Won't Get Rid of Scorpions
The University of Arizona says chemical pesticide spraying is not generally effective against scorpions and that they can't be managed with insecticides alone. A can of spray kills the scorpion it hits, but scorpions can go months without food or water (University of Arizona, 2022) and keep living in the hollow block walls that, in one University of Arizona study, 95% of scorpions preferred as a refuge.
Cutting their food helps, but the University of Arizona notes that removing crickets and other insects will not by itself eliminate scorpions around a home. Diatomaceous earth rarely stops them either (see the scorpion control FAQ).
Step 2 This Week: Seal the House and Clear the Walls
The University of Arizona calls pest-proofing by far the most effective way to reduce scorpion contact and stings. Start with the gaps scorpions walk through:
- Replace worn door sweeps and fit weather stripping on every exterior door, including the garage door into the house.
- Caulk around pipes, conduits and the plates under sinks, and around outlet covers on exterior walls.
- Keep window screens tight and in good repair.
- Move wood, rocks, boards and clutter away from the walls, and trim branches off the roof.
- Stucco and cap hollow block walls where you can.
The full checklist, with yard and block-wall fixes, is in how to keep scorpions out of your house.
Step 3: Scorpion Control in Phoenix for the Population Outside
If you're still finding scorpions inside after a few weeks of blacklight checks and sealing, the population is living in your block walls, rock landscaping and weep screeds. A scorpion treatment starts with a nighttime blacklight inspection, treats the block walls, foundation line and landscape beds, shows you the exact gaps they're using, and comes back every 60 days on a plan with free callbacks between visits.
A one-time diagnostic visit with treatment is $149. The plan is $50/month. Start a plan the same day and your visit fee covers your first 3 months of the plan. Full-yard Power Spray starts at $125. See scorpion control and pest control cost.
Scorpion control in Phoenix · Chandler · Mesa · Gilbert · Scottsdale · Tempe · Queen Creek · all service areas
Learn More From Authoritative Sources
- University of Arizona — Living with and Managing Scorpions (Home & School IPM, 2022)
- University of Arizona — Scorpion Season is Here! (Home & School IPM, 2025)
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension — Scorpions (Backyard Gardener #184, 2024)
- Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center — Scorpions
Getting Rid of Scorpions: Arizona Homeowner Questions
What is the fastest way to get rid of scorpions in the house?
Find and remove the ones inside tonight with a UV blacklight and long tongs, then cut off how they get in. The University of Arizona says repeated nighttime blacklight collections can greatly reduce a local scorpion population and often work better than spraying. Sealing door sweeps, weep holes and pipe gaps stops new ones from walking in.
Can you get rid of scorpions permanently?
Not in most Phoenix-area neighborhoods, because bark scorpions live in the desert, block walls and landscaping around you. What you can do is cut how many reach the house. The University of Arizona calls pest-proofing the most effective way to reduce scorpion contact and stings, with treatment and blacklight checks keeping numbers down.
Do store-bought scorpion sprays work?
Not on their own. The University of Arizona says scorpions are impossible to manage with insecticides alone and that chemical spraying is not generally effective. A spray can kill the scorpion you hit; it doesn't fix the gaps, the block walls or the crickets that keep bringing them back.
What smell keeps scorpions away?
No smell has been shown to keep bark scorpions out. The University of Arizona's scorpion guidance doesn't list oils or repellents; it points to sealing, removing hiding spots, cutting their insect food and blacklight checks.
Should I kill a scorpion or release it?
Either way, never pick one up by hand. University of Arizona Cooperative Extension describes catching them with kitchen tongs into a sealed jar, and the University of Arizona asks homeowners to consider releasing them in undisturbed desert, since scorpions are part of the natural system. If someone is stung, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
When should I call a pest control company for scorpions?
When you keep finding scorpions inside. The University of Arizona recommends calling a pest management professional experienced in pest-proofing and scorpions if you regularly find them indoors. Finding several a week, or finding small babies, means a population is living close to the house.