The main pests in Phoenix-area homes
The Phoenix metro has a fairly predictable set of household pests. What changes from house to house is which of them you see most, and that usually comes down to what surrounds the home: open desert, mature irrigated landscaping, or newly graded subdivision land.
- Arizona bark scorpions. The one Arizona scorpion with real medical significance. It climbs, hides in aboveground spots like woodpiles and sheds, and is hard to manage with pesticides alone. See scorpion control.
- Subterranean termites. The desert subterranean termite is the most common and most destructive species in the low desert. It reaches houses through soil and builds mud tubes up stem walls. See termite treatment.
- Roof rats. First documented in Phoenix in 2001, now established across the Valley. They live off the ground in citrus, palms and attics. See roof rat control.
- Ants, cockroaches, crickets and spiders. The everyday pests most recurring service plans are built around. American cockroaches come up from sewers, German cockroaches live in kitchens, and crickets draw scorpions. See general pest control.
How the Phoenix seasons shape pest activity
Heat and the summer monsoon drive most pest timing here. The National Weather Service treats June 15 through September 30 as monsoon season.
- Hot nights (late spring through summer): University of Arizona Extension notes bark scorpions are active when nighttime lows stay above about 77°F. Homes near washes and arroyos can see more of them during monsoon storms.
- Monsoon (July–September): Desert subterranean termites make their swarming flights after rain in this window. Turkestan cockroaches peak around June.
- Cooler months (November–May): Roof rats are most active, which overlaps with winter citrus season.
- Fall: American cockroaches and field crickets move indoors as temperatures drop, and wolf spiders wander in looking for prey.
- Year-round: German cockroaches indoors, black widows, and desert recluse spiders.
What to ask before you hire a pest-control company
Most frustration with pest control comes from mismatched expectations, not bad chemistry. A clear conversation up front about what's included, how often, and what happens if pests come back saves a lot of trouble.
For a detailed walkthrough of reading quotes and contracts, see pest control cost.
How Arizona pest-control licensing works
Structural pest control in Arizona is regulated by the Pest Management Division of the Arizona Department of Agriculture. A 2016 law moved the former Office of Pest Management into the department as this division, effective June 30, 2016. Agricultural pest control is a separate program.
Doing non-exempt pest control in Arizona takes three things: a business license, a qualifying party registered to that business who is responsible for training and supervising its applicators, and certified applicators to do the work. Licenses renew every year, and the business must keep proof of financial security on file with the division. You can look up companies and individual technicians online. The steps are on the license check guide.
Pest control by city
Pest pressure differs across the Valley, so each city page covers its own terrain, housing and local patterns:
- Scottsdale: desert-edge homes in the north, older irrigated neighborhoods in the south.
- Mesa: historic citrus areas, rural Lehi, and hillside desert in the northeast.
- Chandler: mostly post-1980 subdivisions, lake communities, and former farmland.
- Glendale: century-old bungalows downtown and desert parkland in the north.
- Gilbert: a former farm town turned fast-growing suburb with recharge basins and lake communities.
About this site
Phoenix Pest Referral is an independent resource, not a pest-control company. It does not inspect, treat or recommend products. If a licensed provider is listed here in the future, that will be stated clearly, along with how the listing works. See about this site.
