Pest Control in Phoenix, AZ
What actually drives pest problems across metro Phoenix, when they peak, and how to decide between DIY and a pro.
Reviewed 2026-07-19.
Want a licensed local pro to handle it? Compare quotes, or read on to do it yourself.
Pests that drive problems in Phoenix
- Arizona bark scorpion. The only U.S. scorpion species of medical significance, and Phoenix has one of the country's highest reported rates of scorpion stings. It is a proficient climber that prefers hollow block walls as daytime refuge. [source]
- Roof rats. First documented in Phoenix in 2001 and now well established, roof rats have settled into old-growth citrus, palms, and other mature irrigated landscaping across the metro. [source]
- Fire ants. Southern desert fire ants nest in bare soil near moisture rather than forming visible mounds, and forage toward food and water sources around homes. [source]
When pests peak here
Pest activity broadly follows Arizona's heat, rising through the hot pre-monsoon months and staying elevated through the summer monsoon, roughly June through September. Bark scorpions specifically are active most of the year in the low desert and slow mainly during the cooler months from November through March.
Local factors
- Desert construction. Hollow block walls are the Arizona bark scorpion's preferred harborage - one Arizona study found roughly 95 percent of sampled scorpions favored them over other refuge options - so sealing gaps, weep holes, and door thresholds does more here than routine spraying. [source]
- Irrigation and mature landscaping. Metro Phoenix's irrigated, heavily landscaped older neighborhoods gave roof rats the citrus, palms, and canopy they needed to become established here, so managing yard vegetation and entry points is part of control. [source]
Metro Phoenix sits in the Sonoran Desert, and its pest problems follow the heat and the water. The one to plan around is the Arizona bark scorpion: it is the only U.S. scorpion species of medical significance, it climbs readily and favors hollow block walls as harborage, and metro Phoenix reports one of the highest scorpion-sting rates in the country. In older, irrigated neighborhoods with mature citrus and palms, roof rats are the bigger nuisance - they have been established in the metro since the early 2000s.
If you want it handled, comparing licensed local quotes is the fastest route. If you would rather do it yourself, exclusion (sealing gaps and weep holes, clearing outdoor harborage, managing yard water) does more here than routine spraying.
Prefer to handle it yourself?
See our DIY guides for step-by-step fixes.