PK-AR08 · Spiders, scorpions, and mites

How to get rid of Bark scorpions

Centruroides sculpturatus

Also called: Arizona bark scorpion

Arizona bark scorpions climb. They hide in shoes, bedding, and block walls. Stings are medical — poison control and emergency care for children, the elderly, and systemic symptoms. Control is exclusion (door sweeps, weatherstrip, seal block-wall gaps), shake shoes, indoor sticky monitors along walls, and professional treatment in heavy desert housing. UV flashlights help inspections because they fluoresce. Do not make a sport of collecting them. This is not a millipede.

Bark scorpion (Centruroides sculpturatus) — identification photo
Identification photo of Bark scorpion (Centruroides sculpturatus). Use this with the notes below — size, color, and markings matter more than a single photo, and look-alikes are listed in the sidebar.

How to identify Bark scorpion

  • Slender, straw-colored, pincers thin, tail slender, climbs vertical surfaces.
  • Often in shoes, closets, and masonry. Fluoresces under UV.

Signs of an infestation

  • Stings at night after shoes sat on the floor.
  • Scorpions on walls. UV survey hits.

Biology and why they show up

Nocturnal, climbs, uses masonry and clutter. Desert Southwest. Other US scorpions exist; this species is the medically primary one in AZ.

Health and property risk

Painful sting, possible neuromuscular symptoms, pediatric emergencies. Antivenom exists in the region — that is a hospital decision.

Proven control sequence

Work in this order. Skipping inspection or exclusion is why most “treatments” bounce back in a week.

  1. Shake shoes, lift bedding, seal. Door sweeps are not optional in bark-scorpion housing.
  2. Reduce harborage. Clutter, rock piles against the house, unsealed block walls.
  3. Professional IPM for heavy pressure. Labeled perimeter plus exclusion. UV inspection. Not a monthly perfume that ignores gaps.
  4. Sting: medical / poison control. US 1-800-222-1222. Especially children. Do not cut the site.

Prevention that actually sticks

  • Weatherstrip. Screens that actually latch.
  • Keep beds slightly off walls. Indoor-outdoor cats are a mixed story — not a control plan.

When to hire a licensed professional

Most occupied AZ homes with children. Stings: emergency medicine.

Legal and safety notes. Pesticide labels around children. Do not use illegal foggers in bedrooms. Relocation of venomous arthropods may be regulated.

United States and Tier 1 notes

Arizona is the US textbook. Neighboring states have lower but real risk. Not a New England pest. Other countries have more dangerous scorpions — use local clinical guidance.

Common questions

Will a sticky trap solve the house?

Monitors help and catch some. Sealing and shoe discipline prevent more stings than a glue pad.

Sources

Written by the Pest Kill Editorial Team. Published August 25, 2026. Last reviewed September 13, 2026.