I found two scorpions inside my house shortly after moving in. I’ve been doing monthly treatments to the exterior with Cy-Kick once a month ever since. I also put down granulated insect killer to kill their food source. I’ve been slacking a bit recently due to the hot weather, but I patrol the backyard most nights with a black light and a propane torch. I haven’t seen anymore in the house since I started the regimen.

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Originally posted by pulicords:
Not that it really makes much of a difference in terms of prevention (I don't want to get stung by any scorpion), but could you please give me an idea of how I can differentiate between these and bark scorpions? I've tried to use on-line resources, with no real success.

 
Arizona Bark Scorpion. This page give a good picture and description. Note the size, they are not big, move fast, and you sort of have to take the picture in mind and compare it to the ones you find. It's sort of a differential comparison thing. Over time you will learn to recognize them quickly. A good rule of thumb about scorpions is the larger the pincers, the less powerful the venom. Those with large pincers use them to crush their prey, while those with small ones rely on their venom more.
 
One of the larger, if not the largest species, is the Giant Hairy Scorpion. I found this guy on my front porch after a monsoon storm. Sprayed it dead and gave it to a neighbor who is an elementary school teacher locally. She took it to class for a project. The students spread it out to its natural stance and shape, took this picture, and it became the "Hassayampa Elementary Bug of the Day".
 

 

Puli,

Welcome to AZ! The bark scorpions look like the demon possessed tweakers of the scorpion family. They’re thin and have smaller claws (small claws=more toxic venom). I live in North Scottsdale too and have had good luck using Cy-Kick which is a kid/pet friendly insecticide you can order on Amazon. It doesn’t target the scorpions as much as their food supply (crickets and other insects). It will kill the scorpions too though.

BC

I'd like to confirm the species, so here's a lousy iPhone pic of a "Good" scorpion that I sprayed the shit out of twice last night and it still showed signs of life at noon today!!! For the record, I used brake cleaner first, then some over the counter "Spider-Scorpion" spray later. These things are damn resilient!!!

pulicords:
The bark scorpion is straw colored and very slender; the pedipalps ("hands") are small and thin with very long fingers. They have a subaculear tubercle (a small spine) at the base of the main stinger where it joins the stinger "bulb" (telson)The one above is also a vaejovid and looks like either V. confusus or V. russelli. And they are quite resilient :-)

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Originally posted by TGA:
They have a subaculear tubercle (a small spine) at the base of the main stinger where it joins the stinger "bulb" (telson)

It almost looks like a second stinger, and that's one of the things I look for, as well as the size, pincers, and distinct horizontal lines across the straw colored mesosoma (back, middle part of the body).
 

I once found a scorpion in the cupboard of my 7th Floor apartment in Arizona...

7th Floor.

Knock on wood I have lived in Arizona now over two years and have never seen a scorpion centipede or rattlesnake. Probably because I live in the higher elevations. Have friends in the Phoenix are that do get all the above fairly frequently