Cost Of Pest Control

What is the cost of pest control for residential and commercial properties? That is a question that is not easily answered.

Pest control issues vary widely depending on the type of pests, the size, location, condition of the property, and the extent of the problem. 

For example, controlling an ant problem in your kitchen will be far less costly than a termite infestation on a commercial property.

It is always wise to consult with qualified professionals regarding your pest problems, even if you decide to tackle the issues yourself.

Handling pest control on your own can provide significant savings, but if done improperly or incompletely, DIY pest control projects can lead to more damage and more costs.

Situations will often arise that only a professional pest control technician can remedy.

One way to increase the long-term cost of pest control on your property is to ignore problems, thinking they will go away on their own........they won't.

They will only get worse, which will ultimately result in far more damage and significantly higher costs to get rid of the problem. 

Each case is different and the variables on how much it costs to eradicate specific pest issues or infestations are endless. 

The following are some guidelines and tips to use when dealing with ongoing or even potential pest problems.

Cost Of Pest Control - Prevention

The best way to deal with pest problems is not to get them in the first place.

Most insects and other pests are drawn to your property to look for food and water. 

Keeping food preparation and pet food areas clean, and garbage properly stored and disposed of will help to eliminate the attraction your property has to these types of nuisance pests. 

A little extra effort to maintain a clean and dry environment inside and outside of your property will make it an undesirable location for pests to move in. 

Regular inspection and maintenance calls from a local, respected pest elimination company can be effective measures of prevention against minor pest issues becoming major pest infestation problems. 

Monthly sprayings can help to head off any potential problems with ants, spiders, beetles, termites, and other pests that are attracted to your property.

Cost Of Pest Control - Extermination

Each type of pest you may encounter on your property comes with its own unique set of characteristics and ways to eliminate or control them.  

Ants

Sprays and traps are affordable, effective ways to eradicate ant colonies of all kinds.

Typically, if you see ants marching across your kitchen floor an over the counter ant trap or a homemade trap will work just fine for removing the problem.

Carpenter ant infestations require more effort to eliminate and will cost more as a result.  

Plus, carpenter ants can potentially cause a lot of damage to your home so you'll want to make sure the problem is controlled quickly and effectively.

Bats

While these creepy critters play a vital role in sustainable ecosystems, they do carry rabies and other deadly viruses.

A bat infestation in your attic can pose a clear danger to people and other animals in the home. 

A handy and knowledgeable homeowner may be able take care a single bat in their attic, but eliminating an entire colony of bats will take an expert, which will cost more.

Removing bats requires finding the outside entry spot where the bats entered your home, setting up one way nets that allow the bats to leave and not return, and finally sealing up all entry spots after the bats have left.

To make matters even more difficult, most entry spots are high off the ground in your soffit or eaves which is why most homeowners choose to have a professional take care of the problem.  

About 10 years ago I had a bat problem in my attic.  

A professional bat control company came out and found they were entering though some old vents on the roof.  

Removing the bats and replacing the vents with new ones cost around $800.

Bed Bugs

The mere mention of bed bugs gets some peoples’ skin crawling.

These nocturnal bloodsuckers can survive and thrive just about anywhere, but when they find a home in your bed mattress, they will feed on your blood during the night. 

While there are DIY options on the market, it is recommended that you call a pest control expert at the first signs of bed bugs.

Elimination of bed bug problems can be expensive (thousands of dollars) since they're not easy to get rid of and usually require intense and prolonged heat to kill them, but you will not get a good night’s sleep until you do. 

Bees, Hornets and Wasps

Getting stung by a bee, wasp, or hornet is a painful experience that can result in serious health consequences for some people.

Most species of bees and wasps have stingers and are not afraid to use them.

Bees serve an incredibly important role in the survival of our environment and some beekeepers will even remove bee swarms at no charge or just ask to cover travel costs. 

Nest and hive removals can cost hundreds of dollars, depending on its size and location. 

Roaches

Cockroaches carry harmful bacteria that can threaten the health of your family. 

Readily available sprays and repellants can be used as short-term fixes to roach problems, but they typically cannot be completely eliminated without the help of a professional pest exterminator.

Regular maintenance calls can help reduce the risk of roach infestations and can save on the cost of pest control and the inconvenience of major extermination procedures in the future. 

Carpet Beetles

Carpet beetles will eat just about anything and will live just about anywhere.

Taking care of a carpet beetle infestation yourself will, of course, be cheaper than hiring a professional.

Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer for Indoor & Perimeter

Many DIY sprays and processes may appear to work on getting rid of the carpet beetles, but are not always as effective at getting to their eggs.

Professional extermination of carpet beetles can run a couple of hundred dollars and will often include a follow-up inspection and maintenance.  

Rodents

The cost of pest control for mice, rats, and other rodents who enter your home can vary widely from a flat fee to remove a single rodent to hundreds of dollars to set up barriers and traps, and removing families of rodents living in your crawlspace or attic.

If you're okay with allowing the use of poisonous bait blocks to control a mouse or rat infestation, professional companies have access to more potent poisons which can quickly eliminate a problem.

Termites

There are scores of companies dedicated solely to the inspection and elimination of termites in residential and commercial properties.

Termites live inside your wood walls and posts and cause major structural damage to your property if left untreated.

Treatment costs vary depending on the type of termites, the size of the property, and the damage the infestation has already caused. 

Scorpions

Scorpions are a common problem in warm climates in the southwest U.S. like Arizona, New Mexico, and California.

While they will strike with a painful sting if provoked, scorpions generally keep to themselves. 

Homes and businesses in high risk areas like the bottom of a hill or mountain area can get affordable regular spray treatments as part of a complete pest control service.

Infestations or consistent problems will need more intensive treatment more frequently, which will increase costs. 

Spiders

Wooded areas or homes with gardens are inviting spaces for spiders of all kinds to enter your home.

Most spiders are relatively harmless, but bites from black widows and brown recluse spiders pose serious health concerns.

The cost of pest control for major spider problems in your home can run up to a few hundred dollars in the most severe cases. 

Cost Of Pest Control - Overall

Many pest control issues and problems can be handled by home and business owners with preventative measures, regular maintenance, and DIY sprays and traps.

Doing it yourself will certainly save money in the short term and in many cases will completely take care of the problem. 

Larger problems and multiple pest issues are better handled by professionals and may save you money in the long run.