Pest Control Cost: How to Budget for the Cost of an Exterminator

As winter sets in, we stay indoors to protect ourselves from the nasty winds and weather. Turns out, pests do the same thing — seeking refuge in a warm place, which is oftentimes your home. Although homeowners avoid consciously thinking about it during the holiday season, the reality is that winter is an ideal time for pests to infiltrate your home. Pest Pros is here to provide you with options when it comes to setting a budget to prevent unexpected pest control costs and before you start to find signs of unwanted house guests.

Benefits of Professional Pest Control Services

The primary goal of pest control is to create a strategy that will help reduce the number of pests in the home to an acceptable level. An acceptable pest control situation is one that prevents and stops damage caused to the home itself. The overall goal of pest control is prevention, exclusion, and removal. Whether in-home pests are present in abundance or sporadically, take preventative measures to ensure your home’s safety and protection. 

Suppose pests already reside in the house with the proper treatment; in that case, the objective is to decrease the number of insects to an acceptable level. On the other hand, exclusion techniques are strategies implemented to keep the harmful pests entirely out of the home.  

Setting up a pest control budget allows professionals to care for your needs while saving time, money, and preventing potential health issues. These specialists know their habits, breeding grounds, and life cycles. This allows them to make you aware of the openings that have allowed them to intrude in your home and target them for exclusion pest prevention.

Like vital home upkeep tasks such as doing your laundry and dishes, treatment for pest control is ongoing. However, unlike other chores, the frequency depends on the type of critter. During the time it takes to identify the pest, locate its entry point and hiding spots, and selecting the type of pesticide to use, the colony is likely to have continued growth. Not to mention that using the wrong kind of pesticide could have potential consequences on your family’s health.  

To minimize this risk, specialists are well versed in assessing the correct type of product to use. Trained technicians can carefully use controlled pesticides, knowing the proper placement to ensure harmful toxin exposure doesn’t affect you and your loved ones.

Lastly, an exterminator can direct you to the places where these pests live in your home and help you create a game plan to close those entry points and prevent new ones.

Factors Affecting Pest Control Costs

Unfortunately, pest management is not a one-size-fits-all solution. There are numerous factors associated with an exterminator cost. The price is usually determined by: 

  • Size of infestation: If the issue extends beyond one area.  
  • Service type: If given options to combat the problem, some may cost more than others. 
  • Property size: Control and prevention tactics usually center around an area or the perimeter of the home. Pest control cost per square foot may increase depending on the property size.  
  • Frequency: If the treatment plan calls for pest control visits every other month, the fee per session will cost less than one individual session.  Pest Pros offers a recurring payment schedule for every other month visits and one time payment fees for one time visits.

The last factor determining pest control cost is the type of pests such as spiders, ants, wasps, hornets, flies, or rodents, that you’re dealing with, as some pests are more difficult to eradicate than others. Although you may have an idea of the initial measures to take, an exterminator will conduct a thorough inspection and quickly determine what exactly you’re up against.

Typical pest infestation solutions can usually start as low as $375 (plus tax) for the first visit and then $95 (plus tax) every other month to maintain a pest guarantee. Home construction and pest infestation levels vary and custom quotes can be provided on site or by phone. Some pest services, such as for Wasps, may start as low as $250 (plus tax.) For the most accurate pricing for your pest infestation, contact Pest Pros.

Based on the easiest to most challenging to manage pests, here is a typical pest control price list:

Pest Average Starting Fee | On-Going Service Fee
Ants $375 | $95
Spiders $375 | $95
Flies 
Mice & Rats $425 | $105 
Wasps$250 | n/a
Hornets$250 | n/a

Is Quarterly Pest Control Worth It?

It’s always better to take preventative measures to protect your home from intruders. Initial visits range between $90 to $350. The exterminator will assess the problem, locate the nest, find their point of entry, and create a plan if necessary. One-time visits for pests such as roaches, bees, wasps, and bedbugs may have an immediate solution. Still, these pesky critters will always try to come back.

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Monthly – Pest Management services on a monthly basis typically start at $100 (plus tax.) This frequency best serves commercial facilities, apartment complexes, condos, and multifamily dwellings. Pest pressure for these locations is much higher than a typical residential setting and demands greater frequency of inspections to prevent large pest outbreaks. At times, this frequency is necessary for residential single family homes for a period of time to bring a large pest infestation under control, and is then scaled back to every other month.

Every Other Month – Pest Management services on an every other month basis can range between $95-$105 (plus tax) for most residential single family homes. This frequency allows for adequate visits to keep pests under control and remain budget friendly. If pests come back between services, then so do we, at no additional charge.

Scheduling ongoing pest management services is a great option for homeowners desiring to prevent unwanted guests and creates a fixed budget without fear of unexpected costs. Hiring a pest management professional protects your family and pets from misapplication of pesticides and reduces overall dependence and overuse of pesticides. This is nearly impossible to achieve when attempting control with over the counter products without adequate training and specialized knowledge. By and large, a homeowner would expect to spend about $570 to $630 per year to maintain pest protection. A small price to pay for large peace of mind.

Contact Pest Pros for a No-Cost Estimate

Allowing professionals to take care of your unwanted pest allows you more time to enjoy yourself with your loved ones. Although the DIY option may seem enticing, it can potentially cause damage to your home and your health. 

Pest Pros understands and wants to be your partner in protecting the investment you made in your home. We serve our community by offering a no-cost pricing estimate. We simply deliver what we say we will; that’s our guarantee.