How to Keep Scorpions Out of Your Phoenix-Area House
Short answer: seal the gaps at doors, windows and pipes, clear the hiding spots next to the walls, cut back the crickets and roaches they eat, and treat the block walls where they live.
Why Scorpions Get Into Arizona Houses
The Arizona bark scorpion climbs instead of burrowing (University of Arizona Cooperative Extension), so it walks up block walls and stucco and slips in through gaps at doors, windows, weep holes and pipes. University of Arizona researchers report that in one study 95% of scorpions preferred hollow block walls as a refuge, and those walls give them a route to the house through narrow cracks.
That's why the same advice comes up every time: you can't spray your way out of scorpions. The University of Arizona says they can't be managed with pesticides alone. Sealing and yard changes do the long-term work; treatment knocks the population down.
What Attracts Scorpions to Your House
The University of Arizona sums it up: homes give scorpions food, water and shelter. Take away those three and fewer of them come close enough to get in.
- Food: crickets and cockroaches. A cricket or roach problem can draw scorpions indoors (University of Arizona Cooperative Extension).
- Water: irrigated yards and turf, wet pool towels left out overnight, and hollow block walls that hold water after rain.
- Shelter: hollow block walls first, then rocks, wood, boards and clutter piled against the house, potted plants, door mats and patio debris.
- A ride inside: firewood stacked indoors, and shoes, towels and clothes left on the floor.
- Desert next door: newly built and desert-edge neighborhoods see more scorpions as household pests.
Sources: University of Arizona Home & School IPM (2022, 2025); University of Arizona Cooperative Extension (2024).
Seal the House: The Gaps Scorpions Use
- Doors: replace worn door sweeps that leave a gap, and fit weather stripping snugly on every exterior door, including the door from the garage.
- Windows: weather-strip the frames and keep screens in good repair and tight in the frame.
- Pipes and wires: caulk around pipes and anything else that goes through a wall, including the escutcheon plates under sinks.
- Inside walls: caulk around electrical faceplates on exterior walls.
- Roofline: caulk gaps at the roof eaves.
Source: University of Arizona Home & School IPM, 2025.
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Fix the Yard So Scorpions Have Nowhere to Hide
- Clear the walls: keep wood, rocks, boards, clutter and debris from piling up against the house.
- Trim back plants: prune bushes and branches off the walls and roofline, and keep grass and ground cover near the house short.
- Deal with block walls: stucco and cap hollow block walls so they're less inviting as a hiding place.
- Firewood and trash: carry firewood straight to the fire instead of stacking it indoors, and keep trash cans off the ground.
- Cut the water: where scorpions are heavy, consider xeriscaping to reduce irrigation, and don't leave wet towels by the pool overnight.
- Cut the food: fewer crickets and cockroaches means less to hunt, though the University of Arizona notes this alone won't clear scorpions out.
Sources: University of Arizona Home & School IPM (2022, 2025); University of Arizona Cooperative Extension (2024).
Scorpion-Proofing Habits Inside an Arizona Home
- Blacklight check before bed: bark scorpions glow under UV light. The University of Arizona suggests checking bedrooms and bathrooms before bedtime, and sweeping the yard between 8 and 11 p.m. in summer. Don't look into the UV light.
- Shake things out: shoes, clothes and towels that were on the floor.
- Wear shoes at night, inside and out, during scorpion season.
- Teach kids what a scorpion looks like and to leave it alone.
- Finding small ones? Read tiny baby scorpions in the house. If someone is stung, see what to do for a bark scorpion sting and call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
Scorpion Control in Phoenix: What the Service Does and Costs
If you're still finding scorpions inside after sealing and cleanup, the population is living in your block walls, rock beds and landscaping. A scorpion treatment starts with a nighttime blacklight inspection, treats the block walls, weep screeds, foundation line and landscape beds, points out the exact gaps they're using, and comes back every 60 days on a plan with free callbacks. 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. Already finding them inside? Start with how to get rid of scorpions in your house.
Scorpion control in Phoenix · Chandler · Mesa · Gilbert · Scottsdale · San Tan Valley · all service areas
Learn More From Authoritative Sources
- University of Arizona — Scorpion Season is Here! (Home & School IPM, Gouge, Li, Bibbs & Nair, 2025)
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension — Scorpions (Backyard Gardener #184, 2024)
- University of Arizona — Living with and Managing Scorpions (Home & School IPM)
- Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center
Keeping Scorpions Out: Arizona Homeowner Questions
What attracts scorpions to a house?
Food, water and shelter. The University of Arizona lists crickets and cockroaches to eat, irrigated yards and wet pool towels for moisture, and hollow block walls, rock piles, wood and clutter next to the house to hide in. Removing those, and sealing the gaps, is what makes a house less attractive.
What keeps scorpions away from a house?
Nothing you spray or plug in keeps them away by itself. The University of Arizona says scorpions cannot be managed with pesticides alone. What works is sealing the gaps they use, removing the clutter and rock piles they hide in next to the house, cutting back the insects they eat, and treating the block walls and perimeter where they live.
Do essential oils or ultrasonic plug-ins repel scorpions?
We don't recommend relying on them. The University of Arizona's scorpion guidance doesn't list them; it points to sealing, habitat changes and nighttime blacklight checks. Money spent on door sweeps and caulk does more.
Can scorpions climb walls?
Yes. The Arizona bark scorpion is a climbing species that never burrows (University of Arizona Cooperative Extension). It climbs block walls, stucco and trees, which is why it can end up on ceilings and why trimming branches off the roof matters.
When are scorpions most active in Phoenix?
University of Arizona Cooperative Extension says scorpions are only active when nighttime lows stay above about 77°F, so the Phoenix season runs through the hot months. They hunt at night and hide by day.
What should I do if someone gets stung?
Call the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center at 1-800-222-1222, 24 hours a day. Call 911 for trouble breathing or severe symptoms, especially in a young child.