A pest control technician checking the base of a boundary wall with a torch

Scorpion control in Al Zahir Makkah

Al Zahir is an old district at Makkah's north entrance on the Madinah road, crossed by the Third Ring Road and Hajun Street. It is a district of repeated apartment blocks with shared entry doors spread across hills and wadi beds. The wadis and hills provide natural deep scorpion shelter, and shared entrances and gaps between the buildings provide safe passages for movement between flats. This makes it a different control problem from villa compounds.

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Targeted, not broadcast

Product goes into cracks and runways, never sprayed across open surfaces.
Told before we start

What we will use, where it goes, and what to cover or move before we arrive.
A follow-up visit

We return after the first treatment, because what survives it does not show on the day.
Homes and businesses

Apartments and villas, and kitchens and stores that need a record of each visit.

Why they keep coming back in Al Zahir

Jabal Al Zahir and Jabal Al Barud and Wadi Al Zahir provide deep natural shelter for scorpions, and scorpions descend nightly from the hills through gaps between apartment blocks. The method is set out in full on how we approach Scorpion control.

The first reason

Wadis and natural shelter in the hills

Jabal Al Zahir and Jabal Al Barud and Wadi Al Zahir provide deep natural scorpion shelter. The wadis collect moisture after rain, attracting insects and drawing scorpions from the hills towards the apartment buildings.

The second reason

Shared entry doors and gaps between blocks

Shared entries, dark passages and gaps between buildings provide safe routes for scorpions. They use these passages to move from flat to flat with ease, following the insects they hunt through the communal spaces.

The third reason

Al Diyafah Mall and commercial centres

Al Diyafah Mall and health and shopping centres provide additional food sources for insects, and scorpions concentrate around these areas and move into the adjoining residential blocks.

Al Zahir on the map

Al Zahir sits about 1.5 km from Al Diyafah and about 1.5 km from Al Shuhada.

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Before treatment

What we check outside before we go in

The district covers wadis and hillsides with older apartment buildings and numerous gaps between structures, and moisture collects from drainage in the wadis and around the building joints.

An exterior block boundary wall showing joints and cracks

Wall joints and boundary walls

Jabal Al Zahir and Jabal Al Barud and Wadi Al Zahir provide deep natural scorpion shelter, and scorpions descend nightly from the hills towards the wadis and apartment blocks.

Blocks and stones stacked in the corner of a yard

Rubble and stacked block

Building rubble, stones and concrete dust around foundations and between buildings provide additional scorpion hiding places.

Palm fronds and garden litter

Remains of trees and plants around the buildings and damp soil in the wadis create a moist environment attractive to insects and scorpions.

The space between an exterior door and its threshold

The gap under the door

Gaps under flat doors and shared entry points are loose and ill-fitting, and wadi moisture makes entry easy for scorpions.

Irrigation and damp soil

Moisture collecting in the wadis and around building joints provides a stable damp environment ideal for scorpions and insects.

A light fitting mounted on an exterior wall

The light by the door

Weak lighting in passages and shared entries provides scorpion cover, and darkness encourages their movement between flats.

How we work

1
Night survey and perimeter inspection

We walk the perimeter after dark with an ultraviolet lamp, which makes a scorpion show up against wall and soil, and we record the harbourage, the ways in and how much prey is present.
2
Treat the harbourage and the building edge

Dust into the wall joints and the dry voids, and a targeted band tight against the foundation and around openings, because the material holds longer on a porous surface than on tile.
3
Close the ways in and remove the prey

A sweep under the doors, sealing where air-conditioning and drain pipes pass through, mesh over openings, and treatment of the cockroaches and insects it feeds on, so the reason to come in goes with them.
4
The follow-up visit

A scorpion can sit in its harbourage for weeks without moving, so the first pass does not always reach it. We come back to refresh the perimeter band and check what has appeared since.

What scorpion control includes

A night survey with an ultraviolet lamp

A walk of the perimeter after dark that fixes the harbourage and the entry routes before anything is applied.
Targeted perimeter and joint treatment

A band against the foundation, plus wall joints and cracks, never open floors or where children play.
Sealing openings and pipe entries

Drain openings, the points where air-conditioning pipes pass through, and mesh on shafts, which are the routes actually used.
Treating what it feeds on

Placed bait for cockroaches at entrances and service areas, because cutting the food supply reduces visits more than repeating a spray.
Aftercare instructions

What to lift out of the yard, where to move the outside light, and the ventilation time for your situation, which we give you on site.
A scheduled follow-up

A set date after the first treatment, a refreshed perimeter band and a check of anything new around it.

Landmarks of Al Zahir

Al Zahir lies at Makkah's north entrance between the Madinah Road and Hajun Street, and treatment focuses on gaps between apartment blocks and the approaches to King Abdulaziz Hospital and the Holy Capital Public Library where insects gather.

Madinah Road
Third Ring Road
King Abdulaziz Hospital
Makkah Museum of Antiquities and Heritage
Holy Capital Public Library
Al Diyafah Mall

Questions about this district

Are scorpions descending from the hills the main cause here?

Yes, Jabal Al Zahir and Jabal Al Barud provide large natural scorpion shelter. At night they descend from the hills towards the wadis and apartment buildings.

Do shared entry doors ease scorpion spread between flats?

Yes significantly, because shared entries, passages and stairs provide safe routes for scorpions to move from flat to flat and between floors.

Are ground floor flats more at risk than upper ones here?

Yes, ground floors lie closer to damp ground and joints around foundations, and scorpions enter easily from below.

Does Al Diyafah Mall and food trade provide extra food sources for scorpions?

Yes, the mall provides insects and extra food, and scorpions concentrate around it and move easily into adjoining residential blocks.

Is treating one flat enough or does the whole entry need treatment?

The whole entry needs treatment, because scorpions move through shared passages and stairs from flat to flat. Treating one flat alone is insufficient.

How often does Al Zahir need treating because of its geography and the hills?

The quarter needs regular treatment at least twice yearly, sometimes more depending on insect activity and wadi moisture.

How much does scorpion control in Al Zahir cost?

It is set after the inspection, because the price follows the type of infestation, the size of the space, how far it has spread and the number of visits it needs. Send a photo and a description on WhatsApp and we will give you an estimate before we reach Al Zahir.