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Estimating the average pest control cost can be challenging, but on average, you’ll spend between $250 and $850 on pest control for a one-time visit, or an average of $480. Pest control prices vary depending on the type of pest (and treatment), the severity of an infestation, the size of your house and whether it’s a one-time visit or a recurring service.
For example, you might spend as little as $100 for mosquito treatment or as much as $8,000 for cockroach extermination. Monthly preventative treatments range from $50 to $75.
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Average Pest Control Prices
| AVERAGE PEST CONTROL PRICES | |
|---|---|
| Average Cost | $450 |
| Highest Cost | $8,000 |
| Lowest Cost | $100 |
Most Common Pests and Costs
How much does pest control cost? The type of pest you’re treating is one of the largest factors in estimating the price.
Termite Treatment Cost
Termite treatment costs an average of $575, but prices may range between $70 and $1,530 depending on the size of your home and infestation and the treatment employed by the exterminator. Termite treatments can involve spot treatments, fumigation, or total removal of the infested wood. More severe infestations could exceed $2,000 for total fumigation. You may also need to budget roughly $100 for a termite inspection.
Mosquito Treatment Cost
You’ll spend between $100 and $500 to rid your home and landscaping of a mosquito infestation. Typically, mosquitos are an ongoing problem requiring regular treatment to keep them from returning.
If you can’t dramatically alter your landscaping to make it less attractive to mosquitoes, you’ll probably want to hire one of the best mosquito control companies to treat your home monthly during mosquito season with a spray, fog, or misting treatment.
Cockroach Exterminator Cost
Cockroach extermination costs range from $100 to $8,000. Don’t sweat the high cost of pest control: Most homeowners spend just $250 to tackle cockroach infestations. Prices only reach $8,000 for serious problems that require whole-home fumigation, including house tenting.
Rats and Mice Exterminator Cost
Mice extermination costs between $200 and $2,500, depending on the size of the infestation and the treatment used. Treatment options include poison, electronic traps and live traps, which are the most humane option.
Rat exterminators cost between $200 and $1,200 in most instances, with an average cost of $350.
Flea Exterminator Cost
Depending on the size of the infestation, you’ll spend between $75 and $400 on flea extermination. You can try to rid your home of fleas by yourself, but for larger problems, hiring a professional pest control company to fog your home and treat the yard is your best bet.
Bed Bug Extermination Cost
Hiring a bed bug exterminator costs between $350 and $6,150. The number of affected rooms, the treatment type, and the number of required visits can all impact the overall cost. Depending on the problem’s severity, bed bug treatments can include heat, cold, chemical and/or steam treatments.
Ant Extermination Cost
Ant extermination typically costs between $100 and $500. For minor problems, you can use baiting and spot treatments, which are the most cost-effective. But if you have a significant infestation, you may need a more comprehensive treatment, which costs more. Additionally, certain ant species, like carpenter ants, require specialized treatments, which can also increase costs.
Wasp Extermination Cost
Wasp treatment can cost anywhere from $100 to $1,300 or more depending on the infestation’s location and size. Removing one wasp’s nest usually costs around $300, but that cost can increase if the nest is in a difficult-to-reach location. Many homes have more than one nest—some companies charge a flat rate to remove the first nest and a lower fee to remove any additional nests, but this varies by company.
| TYPE OF PEST INFESTATION | EXTERMINATOR OR PEST CONTROL COST RANGE |
|---|---|
| Termite | $70 - $1,530 |
| Mosquito | $100 - $500 |
| Cockroach | $100 - $8,000 |
| Rodent | $200 - $2,500 |
| Flea | $75 - $400 |
| Bed bug | $350 - $6,150 |
| Ant | $100 - $500 |
| Wasp | $100 - $1,300 |
Factors That Affect Costs of Pest Control
Pest control costs represent a wide range. You can buy a mouse trap for a couple of bucks or spend thousands of dollars to have a professional remove bed bugs and cockroaches from your home. Here are some of the major factors that affect pest control prices:
Type of Service
Pest control companies offer a few different services (at different price points) depending on your needs:
- Pest extermination involves setting traps, fumigating or spraying to kill the pests in your home (and ensure they don’t return). The average basic extermination costs $175.
- Pest removal is ideal when larger critters inhabit your home, like squirrels in your attic. However, costs may be higher since the company must set the trap and then return to retrieve the pest.
- Pest prevention is a recurring service you can purchase to prevent pests from returning. Regular treatments can repel pests and block entry points into your home. Monthly prevention typically runs between $50 and $75.
Frequency of Service
On average, one-time pest control services cost between $250 and $675, but you’ll pay more if the exterminator has to come back, either to set more traps, remove dead pests or release captured rodents. Additional visits may cost an extra $100 to $200, and monthly preventative visits can cost from $50 to $75.
Type of Pests
Dealing with cockroach and bed bug infestations is much more costly than ridding your home of insects like gnats, fleas or mosquitoes.
Type of Treatment
You might be able to treat some pest infestations yourself with glue traps and sprays that you can buy online or at the hardware store. For more serious problems, you might pay for a professional to spray, set bait traps or even fumigate your entire home. Pest control costs will vary with these treatment types.
Size of House and Property
The square footage of your home and property will impact the overall price of pest control and extermination. The larger the treatment area, the more supplies and times the exterminator will require—which will be reflected in their pricing. Additionally, many extermination treatments involve sealing off any points of entry in the home, so the more points of entry you have, the more you’re likely to pay.
Severity of Infestation
Small infestations—like a single raccoon or a simple gnat problem in the kitchen—are much more affordable than a massive rodent infestation in the basement or a bed bug problem extended to each bedroom. Addressing small infestations can cost as little as $50, while very severe infestations can reach thousands of dollars.
Location
Where you live can also impact pest control costs. If you live in an area with a higher cost of living, expect to pay more in labor costs. Similarly, if you live in a remote area that requires a longer commute for the pest control company, they may reflect this in their rates.
Indoor vs. Outdoor Pests
Indoor pests often require more intensive and frequent treatments to eliminate them from your home, which can drive up prices. There are also usually more items in the home for a pest control company to protect and navigate, which can increase the time and energy required to exterminate, further increasing costs.
Damage
Some pests, like termites and carpenter ants, can cause extensive structural damage to your home, which means you’d need to pay for extermination in addition to repair services. These repair services can cost anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to thousands depending on the severity of the damage.
DIY Pest Control Costs
You may be able to tackle smaller infestations without hiring a pest control company. In that case, pest control costs depend on the treatment you purchase online or at the store. For instance:
- Ant traps cost between $5 and $10
- Roach killer costs between $5 and $10
- Mouse traps cost between $2 and $8
- Humane mouse traps can cost more, between $10 and $20
- Larger cages for squirrels and raccoons cost between $25 and $75
- Bug sprays cost between $5 and $25, and bug foggers (also called bug bombs) cost between $10 and $15
Certain infestations may require multiple treatments. For fleas, you’ll also want to bathe your pets in a flea-killing shampoo and vacuum and carpet-clean the whole house. If using a bug fogger, read the directions for properly cleaning your home after use.
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When to Call a Professional Pest Control Company
You can typically handle seasonal pests like ants, gnats or mosquitoes on your own (as long as the problem isn’t rampant). Similarly, if your house just has a few mice seeking warmth for the winter, you may be able to catch and release them (several miles from your home) before they breed and cause an infestation.
While DIY pest control treatments can save you a lot of money, they rarely completely remove all pests in moderate to severe infestations—meaning they likely will return. If your pest problem is getting out of hand, it makes sense to search for the best pest control companies in your area to begin work as soon as possible.
How to Spot a Carpenter Ant Infestation
Unlike regular ants, carpenter ants are not benign invaders. Carpenter ants are large, multiply quickly and can wreak havoc on the walls throughout your home. Watch for these telltale signs of carpenter ants:
- Large black ants throughout your home: Spotting the occasional ant inside is bound to happen. Like spiders, flies and insects, a few may wander in occasionally. However, regular appearances by large black ants is a sign of trouble. These are often “scouts” for food sources and will alert their colony once they find good food.
- Frass: Frass, which looks like sawdust, is a common sign of carpenter ants. Look for frass under baseboards, in door jams, and in basements and in crawl spaces.
- Winged ants: If you see a winged ant, even outside on the window pane, call a professional immediately.
How to Spot a Termite Invasion
Termites are even more damaging than carpenter ants. If you don’t exterminate termites quickly, they can cause major structural damage to your home. Here are some common signs of a termite invasion:
- Water damage to hardwood floors: Does your hardwood floor look water damaged—without actual water? As termites destroy your subfloor, your hardwood floor may start to blister.
- Damaged wood: Keep an eye on doors, window frames and baseboards. If there’s any unexplained wood damage, you might have termites.
- Mud tubes: Regularly inspect your home’s perimeter for small, brown vertical lines (“mud tubes”) that indicate termites.
- Termite parts: Of course, if you spot termite wings or other body parts around your home, there are likely many more termites that you just can’t see.
How to Spot a Bed Bug Infestation
Bed bugs are hard to get rid of and can easily spread. Call an exterminator if you suspect you have bed bugs. Common signs include:
- Stains or flecks on sheets: Reddish stains on your sheets could be bed bug feces; brown or yellow flecks could be bed bug eggs.
- Bite marks on skin: If you suddenly have bites on your skin and aren’t sure how you got them, you could have bed bugs.
How to Choose a Pest Control Company
Ready to select a pest control company for preventative measures or to tackle an infestation? Here are a few tips to find the best pest control companies for your needs:
- Ask friends, family and neighbors: Getting referrals from people you trust is one of the best ways to find a quality pest control company. Neighbors, in particular, are a good resource, as it’s likely they’ve dealt with the same kinds of pests that are invading your home.
- Read online reviews: You can also use online review sites to determine which pest control companies have the highest customer satisfaction.
- Check for licensure: Pest control pros should carry proper licenses and certifications. Ask to see these before hiring a company.
- Get multiple quotes: Once you’ve narrowed down your list to a few companies, get quotes for the treatment. Compare contracts to understand how you’ll be charged for the initial treatment and any follow-up visits.
DIY Pest Control vs. Hiring a Professional Exterminator
Tackling pest control alone can save you a lot of money—and isn’t a bad idea for certain types of infestations, especially when small. For instance, you may be able to handle a minor ant infestation or rid your house of fleas when you spot one on your dog.
But when squirrels are in the attic, a severe termite infestation is visible or bed bugs are in the bedroom, it’s not the time to try DIYing. Call an extermination company immediately to tackle these types of infestations.
Still not sure of the right path forward? We’ve broken down when to DIY vs. use professional pest control to help.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the most difficult pests to get rid of?
All pests are difficult to get rid of completely because they reproduce quickly and thrive in hard-to-reach areas of our homes. That said, termites, bed bugs and cockroaches are among the most difficult pets to exterminate. We recommend hiring a pest control company to handle any size infestation of these bugs.
Which pests require more than one treatment to control?
Pests that lay eggs inside your home may require more than one treatment. For instance, fleas, ticks and bed bugs may survive your initial treatment if they’ve already laid eggs throughout your home. You’ll need additional treatments to kill the eggs and any bugs that have hatched since the initial treatment.
What is the worst type of pest?
Termites are one of the worst types of pests because they can cause severe structural damage to your home. Bed bugs are also a particularly bad pest because they are difficult to get rid of, and their bites cause lots of itching. Cockroaches carry and transmit many diseases, so they also deserve a spot on the worst pest list.
Does pest control cause more bugs?
Professional pest control from a reputable company does not cause more bugs. Instead, it kills off existing infestations and prevents new ones from occurring.
What time of year is best for pest control?
The best time of the year for pest control is spring, just as insects and critters are repopulating for the summer ahead. By taking care of pest control early, you can attack while numbers are low and increase your chances of success. Ongoing pest control treatments throughout the spring and summer give you the best chances of prevention.
How often do you need pest control?
How often you need pest control depends on your surrounding landscaping and the types of pests that frequent your area. Once you know the type of pests that commonly inhabit your home, you can work with a pest control company to understand the best form of prevention. Often, during the spring or summer, that means quarterly or monthly pest control services.
