Depending on the pest type and the extent of the infestation, pest control can be quite expensive.
These high costs arise mainly because the job is time and labor-intensive and involves dealing with toxic pesticides making it dangerous. Also, particular pests may involve several visits to get them all. Exterminators have to offset their high costs of equipment and treatment products, among others.
This guide breaks down the factors most pest control services consider in their quote pricing and how you can save on these costs.
Given the costs above, it’s clear that pest control treatments can be expensive. From our research and experience, here are a few reasons why these services are costly:
The Job Is Dangerous/Harmful
The process of extermination involves the use of harmful and poisonous chemicals and pesticides. Therefore, the professionals charge you higher because they’re risking their health to make your home pest-free.
They also can’t hire amateurs to help them since a poorly done job can make your home unsafe for you and your family.
Equipment and Product Supplies
The equipment, pesticides and other chemicals required for the treatment of different pests are also quite costly. More importantly, since pros value using quality chemicals from specific brands, they’re likely to use the more expensive but effective products.
Keep in mind: Most pests have developed resistance against many of the traditional chemicals used in treatment. Therefore, be wary of most cheap over-the-counter chemicals sold because they might contain these chemicals and turn out to be short-term fixes.
Time & Labor-Intensive
Getting rid of different pests is also a labor-intensive process that takes a lot of time. For instance, in the case of a heavy bedbug infestation, an exterminator can take anywhere from several hours to a full day to completely get rid of them.
This means that they’ll have to charge you more for the job.
Require Training
Professional exterminators also have to undergo rigorous training, obtain certifications and pay to get licensed to operate as pest control experts within your state.
This means that they spend a ton of money to get the knowledge and experience for the job. In turn, they’ll charge you higher for their services.
Size of Your Home
Generally, the bigger the home, the more work is required during pest control. The exterminator will need to hire a team, purchase more chemicals and supplies for treatments and schedule multiple regular visits to ensure they get rid of the pests completely.
As a result, their overall estimate will be much higher when compared to that of a smaller house.
Factors Influencing Pest Control Costs
Now that you have an idea of why pest control companies charge so much, you can now have an idea of what factors influence their prices and quotations.
Here’s a summary of each of these factors:
Size of the Building
Conducting exterminations is cheaper on smaller buildings than on bigger houses. The same applies to single-story houses and multiple-storied houses.
Type of Pest
Pest extermination is always cheaper when treating some pests than others. For instance, getting rid of ants, lice or roaches can cost anywhere from $100 – $500 while getting rid of termites can be as costly as $8000.
Severity of Infestation
Severe infestations mean more work needs to be done to ensure the pests are gone for good. As such, a pest control technician will charge you more to treat a large infestation in your bedroom, than a small-scale one across your apartment.
Skill and Experience
As with any other skill, the more skilled, experienced, and trained a pest control professional is, the more they’ll charge. This is because their services are in high demand and they can guarantee you the best results after extermination.
Frequency
Follow-up visitations are very common after pest control treatments, but they’re not free. The more visits are required to confirm that your infestation is gone, the higher the quotation will be.
Nonetheless, these charges tend to decline with every visit since the work of the exterminator is reduced from additional treatments to just inspection.
Location
This mainly applies if you’re hiring an exterminator from a different area. The farther a pest control company has to travel to get to you, the more they’ll charge you.
To reduce these costs, we recommend hiring an exterminator from your locality.
Treatment method
Not to forget, the type of treatment an exterminator uses in your home will greatly affect how much you spend.
Some treatments take a lot of time, others require expensive chemicals and supplies while others are extremely dangerous. In each of these cases, an exterminator will charge you more!
Tips To Save on Pest Control Services
Having covered a ton of the reasons why your pest control company is so expensive, it’s only fair that we show you a few tricks and tips on how you can pay less for their services.
Let’s start off with an obvious one:
Tip 1: Do It Yourself
DIY solutions are more often than not cheaper than hiring a professional exterminator. Under the right guidance and experience, you’ll save yourself thousands of dollars in labor costs.
Nevertheless, opting to do pest control yourself is limited to small-scale infestations and harmless pests. When dealing with large infestations or dangerous pests like snakes, it’s always a good idea to involve an expert.
A good rule of thumb to use is that, if it can’t be handled using a gallon of pesticides, you have no business DIY treating it.
Tip 2: Go for Monthly or Quarterly Plans Over Annual Plans
Most pest companies offer annual and one-time plans to their customers which tend to become expensive, especially during the summer months. To save on these costs, opt for a pest control company that offers monthly or quarterly plans.
These plans are often much cheaper than what you’d pay if you were to keep paying each time you need the service.
Tip 3: Ask for Referrals From Friends/Relatives/Neighbors
Another easy tip is to ask for referrals from your friends, relatives, or neighbors. Most companies will offer you and your friend a discount for the referral to encourage you to help market them.
Additionally, try and stick to one pest control company (if they do a good job, of course!) This way, the pros can keep track of your pest problem, making their work much easier.
Tip 4: Block Pest Access to Your Home First
If you don’t want to spend money on pest control at all, then the best thing you can do is to block pest access to your home in the first place.
This means doing everything from trimming your tree branches and shrubs to sealing up all the cracks and holes in the walls to draining out any stagnant waters around your house and replacing the rotting timber.
To be certain, you can consult an exterminator to help you identify the entry points of pests that have historically attacked your home. By blocking these entry points, you can be sure you won’t need to contact an exterminator any time soon.
Tip 5: Ask for Non-Chemical Treatments
If the pests are already in the house, a money-saving idea is to request the exterminator to use non-chemical treatments.
While this will greatly depend on the type of pest in your home, if it’s possible, always go for non-chemical treatments. They are cheaper yet still effective, non-toxic, and much safer for the environment.
Tip 6: Ask for a Detailed Contract
As with any other contractor, never start an extermination job without a well-detailed contract. It should break down all the costs included and what they’re for.
Without this, a contractor can spring up many hidden costs during the treatment making the whole job expensive.
Additionally, check to confirm that the exterminator has included free emergency after-hours services if needed. If you agree to pay, ensure the exact amount is what is in the contract.
Tip 7: Go for a Local Exterminator
Finally, we recommend that you hire an exterminator within your local area. This will reduce their travel expenses meaning they’ll charge you less.
A local pest control company also knows the most common pests within your neighborhood and even how to effectively get rid of them.
How Much Does Professional Pest Control Cost?
How much you spend on pest control greatly varies depending on the pest infested and the level of infestation.
Most professional pest control technicians charge from as low as $150 to the highs of $8,000 for termite fumigation. These costs will cover the costs of the products required, equipment, and labor.
However, the national average for these services stands between $200 – $600 for a one-time exterminator visit.
Cost of Pest Control by Type of Service
Depending on the pest control company you choose to hire, you’ll notice different rates for each type of service they offer. In the market today, most exterminators offer one-time, monthly, quarterly, and annual service plans.
An initial visit and inspection is also part of each plan, with the costs getting cheaper the longer an exterminator visits your home.
Here’s how much you can expect to spend for each service:
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| Initial visit + inspection | $120 - $300 |
| One-time visit | $250 - $550 |
| Monthly visit | $50 - $80 |
| Quarterly visit | $100 - $300 |
| Annual visit | $300 - $550 |
Cost of Pest Control by Pest
The type of pest infestation in your house will also determine how much you’ll spend in pest control. The difference in cost to get rid of each pest comes about because it’s harder to get rid of some pests than others.
For instance, it’s much easier to permanently get rid of ants than bed bugs. As such, you’ll notice a massive disparity between their price points.
Below is a list of how much it would cost you to get rid of each pest.
| Pest | Treatment cost |
|---|---|
| Ants | $110 - $350 |
| Bedbugs | $400 - $3,000 |
| Roaches | $150 - $400 |
| Rodents | $200 - $550 |
| Lice | $50 - $200 |
| Fleas | $100 - $400 |
| Spiders | $100 - $300 |
| Wasps | $150 - $1,300 |
| Termites | $1,500 - $8,000 |
| Mosquitoes | $150 - $400 |
| Bees and beehives | $100 - $1,500 |
| Bats | $200 - $700 |
| Wildlife | $260 - $600 |
| Carpet beetles | $160 - $450 |
| Silverfish | $150 - $500 |
Is Paying for Pest Control Worth It?
To wrap things up, you don’t always have to pay for pest control services. With the right knowledge and experience, you can pretty much get rid of any pest in your home.
However, since most people don’t have the right knowledge when it comes to pests, paying for pest control is often the best decision.
Professional pest control companies will exterminate the pests faster and more effectively than with DIY solutions. They’re also better suited to detect and spot signs of an early infestation right before they become a big problem.
FAQ's
In some cases, yes! Especially during the low season, many companies opt to match or even beat the prices you’re being offered by their competitor so they can win your job.
Most experts recommend conducting an inspection and treatment at least once every three months. However, if you’re dealing with tiny pests that reproduce in large colonies quickly, e.g., bedbugs, it’s advisable to conduct pest control once every two weeks.
It mainly depends on the type of pest and the intensity of the infestations. For pests like ants, fleas, lice, mosquitoes, and spiders anywhere from $100 – $500 is a fair price. For bed bugs and termites, anywhere from $1,000 – $8,000 is a fair price.
