Southern Utah’s unique desert environment creates ideal conditions for scorpion activity around homes and businesses. Because local properties often sit near rock outcrops, washes, and desert vegetation, scorpions naturally drift into neighborhoods—especially during warm evenings or after weather changes. Effective scorpion control in this region requires a combination of correct species identification, structural exclusion, and consistent reduction of insect food sources.
For homeowners in St. George, Washington, Hurricane, Ivins, and surrounding communities, managing scorpions is not just about removing the occasional pest—it’s about preventing ongoing infestations. Bark scorpions, in particular, are more active in developed areas than many residents realize. Understanding how these pests enter structures and where they hide helps ensure that prevention efforts and professional treatments are both efficient and long-lasting.
scorpion species found in Southern Utah
The Arizona Bark Scorpion is small, slender, and light tan, often blending seamlessly with stucco, rock, and concrete. Unlike most scorpions, it is an excellent climber and can scale walls, ceilings, tree bark, and even hang upside down. They hide during the day inside cracks, behind trim, under rocks, inside shoes, or in cool attic spaces.
This species is nocturnal and highly active during warm evenings. Under a blacklight, it glows a bright electric blue-green, making nighttime detection much easier.
The bark scorpion carries the only medically concerning sting in Utah, capable of producing severe pain, tingling, temporary numbness, or more serious reactions in sensitive individuals. Professional control is recommended when bark scorpions are present in or near structures.
The largest scorpion in North America
Known for its impressive size—sometimes reaching over 5 inches—the Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion appears intimidating but is generally less dangerous than it looks. Its sting is typically similar to a bee sting for most adults.
This species favors burrows, sandy soils, rock piles, and yard perimeters. It has dense sensory hairs on its body and legs, allowing it to detect vibrations from underground prey. While it rarely seeks out human structures, it may wander inside garages or exterior crevices during hot, dry months or after soil disturbances.
Homeowners often encounter them near retaining walls, desert landscaping, or loose ground cover
Common throughout the desert Southwest
The Striped-Tail Scorpion, sometimes called the “Devil Scorpion,” is medium-sized, with darker coloration and distinctive stripes or ridges along the tail segments. It prefers hiding under rocks, debris, logs, landscaping features, and shaded yard structures.
This species is especially active after rainfall or irrigation events, when moisture flushes insects to the surface. While not medically dangerous, its sting is painful and can be startling during surprise encounters around patios or yards.
Striped-tail scorpions are often the species homeowners find in rock gardens, around clutter, or near play areas.
Arizona Bark Scorpion
Light tan scorpion on concrete, showing slender body and thin pincers, typical of an Arizona bark scorpion.
Arizona Bark Scorpion
Light tan Arizona bark scorpion on a stucco wall glowing under UV light.
Scorpions are exceptionally efficient at squeezing through tiny openings—sometimes as small as ⅛ inch. In Southern Utah, the most common entry points include:
After heavy rain, scorpions often flee flooded burrows and inadvertently enter buildings through:
Scorpions follow insects. Preventing them means reducing:
Regular pest control significantly cuts down scorpion activity.
For bark scorpion zones or recurring sightings, professional perimeter treatment and exclusion are strongly recommended. Ongoing service controls insects, disrupts scorpion activity, and reduces harborage zones.
