Scorpion Nest in Your House? Where Arizona Bark Scorpions Hide
Short answer: scorpions don't build nests. Bark scorpions live in groups inside block walls, wall voids and debris next to the house, so finding several together means a population is living close by.
Do Scorpions Have Nests? Not the Way Wasps or Rats Do
University of Arizona Cooperative Extension describes the Arizona bark scorpion living in crevices, under rocks, logs and tree bark, in small animal burrows and inside building wall voids. It doesn't build anything. What homeowners call a scorpion nest is a group sharing one protected spot: bark scorpions are usually found living with others, sometimes in dense populations where food and shelter are plentiful, and they are not territorial.
Two sightings get mistaken for a nest. One is a winter cluster: from November to March bark scorpions slow down and pack into weather-protected, enclosed, undisturbed spaces (UA Extension calls them hibernacula). The other is a mother carrying her young: a female gives birth to about 25 to 35 young that ride on her back for one to three weeks. For the small ones you find on their own, see tiny baby scorpions in the house.
Where Scorpions Hide In and Around Phoenix-Area Homes
- Hollow block walls: in one University of Arizona study, 95% of scorpions chose hollow block walls as a refuge. Check the caps, the cracks and where the wall meets the house.
- Wall voids: UA Extension notes scorpions move through walls to reach rooms inside, which is how they turn up in bathrooms and closets.
- Weep holes and weep screeds at the bottom of stucco walls, and gaps at poorly fitted doors and window vents.
- Rocks, boards, firewood and debris stacked against the house or in landscape beds.
- Under tree bark and palm skirts, and in irrigation boxes and the gravel along them.
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Signs a Scorpion Population Is Living in Your Walls or Yard
- You find scorpions inside more than once a month, or several on the same night.
- A blacklight sweep of the block walls and foundation after dark shows scorpions glowing in cracks and on the wall caps.
- You find scorpions of different sizes, including small young on their own.
- They keep turning up in the same rooms, usually bathrooms, closets and rooms on an outside wall.
- Several turn up together when you move a rock, board or pot, or open an irrigation box.
Found a Scorpion Nest? What to Do Tonight
- Leave the wall closed. Breaking into a block wall or wall void scatters them and doesn't reach the rest of the group.
- Check with a blacklight after dark. Bark scorpions glow under UV light. Sweep the walls, foundation and beds near the spot. Don't look into the UV light.
- Clear the hiding spots next to the house: rocks, boards, firewood, clutter, and plants touching the walls.
- Seal the way in: door sweeps, window screens, and caulk around pipes and wall plates. Our guide shows how to keep scorpions out of your house step by step.
- Protect the family: shake out shoes and bedding and keep beds off the wall. If someone is stung, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 and see what to do after a bark scorpion sting.
Not sure it's a bark scorpion? See the types of scorpions in Arizona.
Scorpion Control in Phoenix: What the Service Does and Costs
A group of scorpions means the population lives in your block walls, rock beds and landscaping, and the University of Arizona says scorpions can't be managed with pesticides alone. 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.
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Scorpion Nest Questions from Arizona Homeowners
Do scorpions build nests?
No. University of Arizona Cooperative Extension describes bark scorpions living in crevices, wall voids, under rocks and bark, and in small animal burrows, not in nests they build. Some other desert species dig short burrows or scrapes. What people call a nest is usually a group of bark scorpions sharing one protected hiding spot.
If I find one scorpion, are there more?
Often, yes. UA Extension says bark scorpions are usually found living with others, sometimes in dense populations when food and shelter are plentiful, and they are not territorial. One scorpion inside means it is worth a blacklight check of the walls and yard that night.
What does a scorpion nest look like?
There is no structure to find. A cluster of scorpions packed into a crack, weep hole, block-wall cap or the space under a rock or board is the closest thing. A single scorpion covered in small white young is a mother carrying her brood, which UA Extension says averages about 25 to 35 young that ride on her back for one to three weeks.
Where do scorpions go in the winter in Arizona?
UA Extension says bark scorpions are less active from November to March and cluster in weather-protected, enclosed, undisturbed spaces during the coldest periods, such as block walls, wall voids and debris piles. Those winter clusters are when people most often find several together.
Should I break open the wall to get them out?
No. Opening a block wall or wall void scatters the scorpions and doesn't reach the rest of the group. Seal the gaps they use to get inside, clear the hiding spots next to the house, and have the walls and foundation line treated. If someone is stung, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.