Scorpion in the garden: what to do in a Dubai villa

Short answer

• Keep children and pets away, and do not pick up, trap or kill the scorpion yourself.
• Call Dubai Municipality on 800900 or use its app. Scorpions count as poisonous pests, with a 24-hour response reported.
• If anyone is stung, call 999 straight away. Do not try home remedies.
• Clear rocks, wood and clutter, fix leaks, seal door gaps and shake out shoes left outside.

In this guide (9 sections)

1. What should you do if you find a scorpion?
2. Who comes, and how fast?
3. What if someone is stung?
4. Which scorpions live in the UAE?
5. When are scorpions most active?
6. Where do scorpions hide in a villa garden?
7. How do you make the garden less inviting?
8. Scorpions, snakes and spiders: one call
9. What to check before you act

If you find a scorpion in your Dubai villa garden, keep children and pets away, leave it alone and call Dubai Municipality on 800900 or use the Municipality's app. Scorpions are on its list of poisonous pests, which residents can have dealt with free. If anyone is stung, call 999 straight away.

Treat every scorpion as dangerous. Some UAE species have a painful but minor sting, but you cannot safely tell which is which up close.

What should you do if you find a scorpion?

1. Get people and pets clear. Bring children and dogs indoors and keep an eye on where the scorpion goes.
2. Don't handle, trap or kill it. In July 2026 The National quoted a herpetologist at NYU Abu Dhabi who said stings are defensive. His advice was to let a scorpion leave, or ease it away with a long broom without touching it (The National, July 2026).
3. Call 800900 or use the Dubai Municipality app. Both are listed by What's On's July 2026 guide to venomous creatures in Dubai (What's On), and 800900 is the number on the Municipality's public health pest control page (Dubai Municipality).
4. Give your Makani number. When black widow spiders turned up in a Dubai garden in 2026, a Municipality official told The National that residents should call and share their Makani number so a team could be sent (The National, July 2026).
5. Tell community security or management. Neighbours with small children or pets will want to know.

Who comes, and how fast?

Khaleej Times set out the Municipality's free service in late 2024. Residents get free treatment for public health pests, and the poisonous pests covered include scorpions, snakes, bees, wasps, hornets and poisonous spiders. You book through the call centre, the Municipality app or the website chatbot, giving your name, phone number, address and the pest. An SMS then confirms the visit: within 24 hours for poisonous pests, and within four working days for other pests (Khaleej Times, 2024).

Step	What happens	Source
Report	Call 800900, or use the Municipality app or website chatbot	Dubai Municipality; Khaleej Times, 2024
Details	Name, phone, address (Makani number helps), the pest	Khaleej Times, 2024; The National, 2026
Visit	Poisonous pests: within 24 hours of the request	Khaleej Times, 2024
Cost	Free for residents	Khaleej Times, 2024
Still seeing them?	A new request can be made after 15 days	Khaleej Times, 2024

Developer communities are the grey area. The same Khaleej Times article says investment and real estate development areas are outside the free service, and owners there use Dubai Municipality-approved private companies. In practice, call 800900 and your community management together and ask who will attend. If you are pointed to a private firm, check it on the approved companies list. Our guide to Dubai Municipality's free pest control has the full rules.

What if someone is stung?

Call 999. What's On's 2026 guide says to call 999 if stung and wait for an ambulance. The National's 2022 guide advised getting medical attention and warned against home remedies such as cutting or sucking the wound (The National, 2022).

Try to remember what the scorpion looked like, its size and colour, without going back to catch it. If a pet is stung, go to a vet at once. We don't give medical advice on this site: the emergency services, your doctor and your vet are the right people to ask.

Which scorpions live in the UAE?

The National reported in October 2023 that the UAE has at least 14 known scorpion species, after a new one was confirmed, and an Emirates Nature–WWF scientist said knowledge of them was still very incomplete (The National, Oct 2023). The ones most often mentioned are these:

Scorpion	What UAE reports say	Where
Fat-tailed (thick-tailed) scorpion, Androctonus crassicauda	Up to about 10 cm, usually dark; venom can be dangerous; has been found in houses	Sandy desert and urban areas
Deathstalker, Leiurus quinquestriatus	Up to about 11 cm, yellow with brown markings; most dangerous to children, older people and those with heart conditions	Under rocks and in burrows
Hottentotta jayakari	Common, often under stones	Mostly mountains
Orthochirus glabrifrons	A few centimetres long; painful but not dangerous sting	Recorded in Fujairah, Al Ain and RAK

Sources: The National (2019, 2022, 2023); Khaleej Times (2024).

Khaleej Times noted in 2024 that the fat-tailed scorpion lives in urban areas as well as sand and rock, and that deaths from deathstalker stings are relatively rare. What's On described a city encounter with a deathstalker as highly unlikely in 2026. Unlikely is not impossible, so the steps above still apply.

When are scorpions most active?

UAE species are mostly active at night, and The National has reported that stings happen particularly in summer, often when a scorpion has hidden in a shoe or under something. That is why the classic sting happens when someone slips on shoes left by the door or picks up a pot or a stone in the garden.

You may also hear about "scorpion season". That is a traditional weather period, not a count of scorpions. Gulf News reported in February 2026 that the Emirates Astronomical Society places it from 6 February to about 18 March, a last stretch of winter with mixed cold and warm days, and noted there is no scientific evidence for the belief that scorpions come out because of it (Gulf News, Feb 2026).

Where do scorpions hide in a villa garden?

Scorpions like dark, sheltered spots near food. The University of California's pest guide lists rocks, logs, boards, bark, wood piles, debris and burrows, and notes that moist, irrigated ground attracts them (UC IPM). In a Dubai villa that usually means:

• stacked pavers, stones and leftover building materials
• piled firewood, garden furniture covers and storage boxes
• the base of walls and boundary hedges, and under planters
• around dripping taps, AC drain lines and irrigation
• gaps under garage, kitchen and garden doors
• shoes, towels and toys left outside overnight

How do you make the garden less inviting?

These steps come from US extension services that deal with scorpions in hot, dry places, and from UAE reports. None involves spraying anything yourself.

• Clear clutter from the walls. Remove rocks, bricks, wood piles and loose boards from around the house (UC IPM; University of Arizona).
• Cut down on their food. Scorpions eat insects such as crickets and cockroaches. The University of Arizona says they cannot be controlled with pesticides alone, so tackling prey and shelter matters.
• Fix leaks and over-watering. The NYU Abu Dhabi expert quoted by The National in 2026 suggested native plants and avoiding over-watering. Dry ground helps with mosquitoes too.
• Seal the gaps. Fit or replace door sweeps and weather-stripping on garage, kitchen and garden doors.
• Think about outdoor lights. Lights draw insects, and insects draw scorpions (UC IPM).
• Shake out shoes and towels. Store them indoors overnight and wear shoes in the garden after dark (Khaleej Times, 2024).
• Wear gloves when moving things. The University of Arizona recommends leather gloves for clearing stones or wood.

The US guides also mention that scorpions glow under ultraviolet (black) light, which some people use to check a garden at night. If you try this, look from a distance, never look into the UV lamp, and call 800900 rather than dealing with what you find.

Don't use fumigants, "bombs" or professional pesticides at home. If anyone offers you one, read why aluminium phosphide is banned in UAE homes. If a private company treats the garden, it should be on the Municipality's list and should explain what it is using and how long to keep children and pets off the area.

Scorpions, snakes and spiders: one call

The same free service and the same 24-hour target cover snakes, bees, wasps and poisonous spiders. If your community has seen snakes as well, our guide to snakes in Jumeirah Park and Emirates Living covers them. The scorpions page has a quick checklist to keep on your phone.

What to check before you act

• Children and pets are indoors and away from the scorpion.
• You have called 800900 or booked through the Municipality app, with your Makani number.
• If anyone was stung, you have called 999 and are not waiting for pest control.
• You have told community management, and know who will attend and when.
• Any private company is on Dubai Municipality's approved list.
• Rocks, wood piles and clutter are cleared from the walls, and leaks are fixed.

Questions people ask

General information only, not professional, medical or legal advice. Rules, services and prices change; confirm with Dubai Municipality or a licensed company before you act. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Sources

1. Dubai: Got mosquitoes in your home? How to apply for free municipality pest control service (Khaleej Times, updated 8 Dec 2024)checked 10 November 2026
2. Public Health Pest Control Section (Dubai Municipality)checked 10 November 2026
3. 9 venomous creatures we should be aware of in Dubai (What's On, 8 Jul 2026)checked 10 November 2026
4. Which venomous snakes and scorpions should you watch out for in the UAE (The National, updated 7 Jun 2023)checked 10 November 2026
5. The UAE's most poisonous creatures (The National, updated 11 Mar 2019)checked 10 November 2026
6. Timid scorpion species identified in the UAE for the first time (The National, 13 Oct 2023)checked 10 November 2026
7. Snakes, scorpions and spiders: what to do if you encounter them in the UAE (The National, 10 Jul 2026)checked 10 November 2026
8. Venomous black widow spiders spotted in Dubai garden (The National, 7 Jul 2026)checked 10 November 2026
9. UAE: Camping in the desert? What to do if you see snakes, scorpions (Khaleej Times, updated 17 Nov 2024)checked 10 November 2026
10. Scorpion season brings weather changes to UAE (Gulf News, updated 14 Feb 2026)checked 10 November 2026
11. Pest Notes: Scorpions, publication 74110 (UC Statewide IPM Program, revised Dec 2011)checked 10 November 2026
12. Scorpions, Backyard Gardener (University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, 13 Jun 2024)checked 10 November 2026