You turn on a light in the garage and a pale or dark creature with a curled tail is on the floor. Or you find something that looks like a scorpion but does not behave like one. In a Dubai home it helps to know quickly what you are looking at, because the right response depends on it.

This guide is for Dubai residents who have found a scorpion or a look-alike at home. It explains the features to check, what to do safely, what to avoid and when to call a professional. It is not medical advice.

What a Scorpion Looks Like

A scorpion has a flattened body, a pair of pincers at the front and a long segmented tail that curls up and over the back and ends in a sting. It has eight legs. Colours range from pale yellow or sand to dark brown or black, and they glow under an ultraviolet torch. The size alone does not tell you how dangerous a scorpion is, so treat every one with care.

Scorpion or Look-Alike?

The camel spider is the creature most often mistaken for a scorpion in Dubai. Use the table to check.

A camel spider is fast and looks alarming, but it has no tail and no sting. If you see a tail with a sting, treat it as a scorpion.

Where Scorpions Are Found Around the Home

• Garages, storerooms and under stacked boxes
• Under stones, pots, paving and garden furniture
• Behind skirting boards, in wall cracks and around door frames
• In shoes, towels or clothing left on the floor
• Near outside lights, where insects gather and scorpions hunt them

What to Do If You Find One

1. Keep children and pets away and stay calm.
2. Do not pick it up or try to hit it.
3. If it is safe, cover it with a jar or box and slide a piece of card underneath.
4. Take a photo from a safe distance to help with identification.
5. If someone has been stung, seek medical help straight away, especially for a child, an older person or if symptoms spread.
6. Call a professional to remove it and check the property for more.

Finding one scorpion often means there are places on the property that suit them, so a single removal may not be the end of it.

What Not to Do

• Do not handle a scorpion with bare hands, even a small one
• Do not step on it in bare feet or sandals
• Do not leave shoes and clothes on the floor, and shake them out before wearing
• Do not stack boxes, wood or stones against the wall
• Do not rely on home remedies after a sting

How to Make the Property Less Attractive

Scorpions follow their prey and look for cool, dark shelter. Clearing clutter from garages and storerooms, lifting pots and stones off the ground, sealing gaps around doors and pipes and reducing other insects near the house all help. A tidy property gives them fewer places to hide.

When to Call a Professional

• You have seen more than one scorpion
• You have a child, an older person or a pet in the home
• You are not sure what you are looking at
• Scorpions keep appearing in the same room or garage
• You want a full inspection of the garden and building

A Dubai Municipality certified team can inspect, treat the affected areas and advise on prevention. Santera offers a complimentary inspection and a 30-day warranty with follow-up support. Learn more on our Scorpions pest library page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I tell a scorpion from a camel spider?

A scorpion has pincers, a segmented tail that curls over its back and eight legs. A camel spider has no tail, no sting and very large jaws at the front.

Do all scorpions in Dubai sting dangerously?

Scorpions can sting, and reactions vary from person to person. Seek medical advice after any sting, and urgently for a child, an older person or if symptoms spread.

What should I do if I see a scorpion at home?

Keep children and pets away, do not handle it, and cover it with a container if you can do so safely. Call a professional to remove it and check the property.

Where do scorpions hide in a villa?

Under stones and pots, in garages and storerooms, behind skirting boards and in cool, dark gaps near doors.

Next Step

Book your complimentary inspection via WhatsApp on wa.link/k5sow1, call +971 4 332 2623 or email info@santera.ae. Same-day service is available across Dubai. Santera is Dubai Municipality certified, License 1595993.