Pest control cost calculator

Pest control is sold three ways: a single visit to deal with a problem, a recurring plan that keeps bugs out year round, or a specialty treatment for a pest that general spraying does not touch. We combined five public cost guides for each. The low is the middle of the guides' lows, the high is the middle of their highs, and the typical price is the middle of their midpoints.

First-year plan figures are the start-up visit plus three quarterly or eleven monthly follow-ups, for a home up to 1,500 sq ft. They line up with Fixr's $471 to $867 a year for regular service and Today's Homeowner's $300 to $900 for an annual plan.

Home size matters. Bob Vila says to expect about $25 more a visit for every 1,000 sq ft over 1,500, and This Old House's table runs from $250 to $450 for a 1,000 sq ft home to $450 to $750 for 3,000 sq ft.

Some pests need their own treatment, priced on top of or instead of general service.

• Termites. The guides disagree most here because the methods differ. Liquid barriers and bait stations for subterranean termites sit at the low and middle; Fixr puts tenting for drywood termites at $1,570 to $2,857 and subterranean treatment at $7 to $14 a linear foot. Today's Homeowner cites $2,000 to $8,000 for severe cases.
• Bed bugs. Today's Homeowner prices them at $300 to $500 a room. Whole-home heat treatment is the expensive end, and Fixr says it can run about $3,500.
• Rodents. Usually trapping plus sealing the gaps they get in through. Exclusion work is what keeps them out.
• Mosquitoes. Sprayed on yard foliage through the warm months. Today's Homeowner puts single visits at $80 to $150.

Other pests the guides price, for one-time treatment:

Bats and bees are often handled by specialists who remove and relocate rather than kill, which is part of why they cost more than a spray.

A single visit makes sense for a one-off problem: ants in the kitchen this spring, wasps under the eaves, a mouse that came in for the winter. It costs more per visit because the technician does a full inspection and heavier first treatment.

The three guides that price every visit frequency side by side:

Fixr's ranges are consistently the narrowest and lowest of the three. Today's Homeowner bases its figures on a 1,500 sq ft home. The calculator takes the middle of the guides for each line rather than picking one.

A plan makes sense where pests come back every year. Quarterly service is a common choice for houses: each visit renews a barrier around the outside and treats inside if needed. Many companies will come back between visits if bugs return; ask whether that is included. Monthly service suits places with heavy, year-round pest pressure, where a barrier does not last three months.

• Compare by the year. A quarterly plan's first year runs about $450 to $1,200; later years drop the start-up visit.
• Ask what is covered. Most general plans cover ants, roaches, spiders and the like. Termites, bed bugs, mosquitoes and rodents are often extra.
• Count what you would spend anyway. Fixr lists do-it-yourself supplies at about $0.93 to $20 for a mouse trap, $7 to $20 a can for flying insect spray and $4 to $13 a can for roach and ant spray. For a mild, one-off problem that is the cheapest route. For a problem that keeps coming back, a plan is often simpler than a stream of sprays and traps.
• Check the guarantee. Free re-treatment between visits is common and worth having.
• Read the contract term. Check the length, how to cancel and whether it renews on its own.

A family in a 2,000 sq ft house keeps seeing ants and spiders each spring and wants a quarterly plan.

• Size adder. 500 sq ft over 1,500, so $12.50 more a visit (Bob Vila's $25 for every 1,000 sq ft).
• Start-up visit. $150 / $225 / $300 + $12.50 = $163 / $238 / $313.
• Quarterly visits. 3 × ($100 / $200 / $300 + $12.50) = $338 / $638 / $938.
• First year. $500 to $1,250, with $875 typical at the US average.

The second year, without the start-up visit, is four quarterly visits, about $850 typical.

The same home on a monthly plan: a start-up visit of about $238 typical plus eleven visits at $67.50 each ($55 plus the $12.50 size adder), about $980 the first year. Monthly costs more over a year here, so it only makes sense if quarterly visits are not keeping up. If the family also found bed bugs after a trip, that is a separate job: about $650 to $4,000 for the whole home, $2,500 typical, priced on its own line because general plans do not cover it.

Enter a ZIP in the calculator to scale the labor share to your state, and switch the home size to see how the size adder moves each visit.

• Seal the gaps. Caulk cracks and gaps around pipes, wires and vents, and fix torn screens and door sweeps. Mice and insects get in through gaps far smaller than most people expect.
• Cut off food and water. Store food in sealed containers, take trash out often, fix dripping faucets and keep pet food off the floor overnight.
• Clear the perimeter. Keep mulch, firewood and plants a foot or two back from the foundation, and trim branches touching the house.
• Manage moisture. Damp basements and crawl spaces draw roaches, silverfish and termites. A dehumidifier and working gutters help more than any spray.
• Inspect for termites. Bob Vila puts a general pest inspection at $65 to $135 and a termite or wood-destroying insect inspection at $100 to $290. Today's Homeowner puts a termite inspection at $75 to $150.

Bob Vila lists the repairs that follow a moderate to severe infestation, which run about $200 to $2,800 in total: chewed wires, damaged drywall, ruined insulation and clogged plumbing.

Termites are the costly one, because they eat structure out of sight. A yearly termite inspection costs far less than any of the repairs above. Catching termites early, before they reach floor joists and wall framing, is the difference between a treatment and a renovation.

• Price the start-up visit separately from the recurring visits, so the customer sees why the first one costs more.
• Scale by size. A per-1,000 sq ft adder, like the $25 Bob Vila describes, keeps big homes profitable.
• Sell plans, not visits. Recurring revenue fills the calendar. Our maintenance plan pricing calculator helps set the plan price.
• Quote specialty work on its own line. Termites, bed bugs, rodent exclusion and mosquitoes.
• Mind the margin. Our profit margin calculator shows the price that keeps it after product, fuel and time.

The "Save as an estimate" button above turns the result into lines. Send it from Koira and the customer can approve it and pay on their phone.