The average cost for termite treatment ranges from $275 to $863, with most homeowners paying $558. A low-end termite treatment job can cost as little as $135, while high-end extermination projects cost an average of $1,390.
If termites have moved into your house, you’ll want to get rid of them as soon as possible. If you wait too long to call in a professional, the termite colony may grow to an extreme size and cause significant damage to your home.
There are many factors to consider when estimating your total termite treatment costs. The infestation’s size, the termite type, and the type of treatment required will impact the price.
If you aim to keep your home pest-free, consider requesting additional control treatments that target pests like bed bugs or ants –– we also have those prices covered in this pricing guide.
How Much Does Termite Treatment Cost?
- Termite Treatment National Average: $558
- Termite Treatment Typical Range: $275 to $863
- Low End: $135
- High End: $1,390
Termite treatment costs typically range from $275 to $863, depending on the type of treatment used and the infestation’s size.
On average, homeowners pay $558 for termite treatment. Low-end costs average around $135 for a small infestation that requires a simple remedy. If the infestation needs advanced treatment, expect to pay upward of $1,390.
Cost Estimator by Treatment Type
A professional termite exterminator will assess the infestation to determine the best treatment method. Some termite treatment methods are more expensive than others, with chemical applications usually being the most affordable option.
But remember, the cheapest termite treatment isn’t always the most effective method. If your termite problem is severe, you may need more than a chemical application to kill the entire colony.
| TREATMENT | AVERAGE COST |
| Bait Treatment | $7 to $11 per linear foot |
| Chemical Treatment | $4 to $14.50 per linear foot |
| Fumigation Tenting | $1 to $4 per square foot / or $10 to $20 per linear foot |
| Heat Tenting | $1 and $2.50 per square foot / or $10 per linear foot |
Bait Treatment
Bait treatment involves poisoning an attractive food source that migrating termites will bring back to the rest of the colony. The cost of bait treatment ranges from $7 to $11 per linear foot.
How This Works: Exterminators will typically place the bait stations around your home. As the termites take the bait and the colony begins to die off, your pest control exterminator will routinely monitor the bait systems to ensure the termites take to the food.
Pro Tip: The Sentricon baiting system is among the highest-rated bait treatments in the pest control industry. Ask your termite exterminator about Sentricon to see if it meets your needs and budget.
Chemical Treatment
The average cost for chemical applications to get rid of termites typically ranges from $4 to $14.50 per linear foot.
How This Works: For chemical treatment, a pest control provider usually applies the termiticides to the soil around the infested foundation. The chemical pesticide kills termites coming in contact with it and also acts as a preventative treatment against future infestations.
Pro Tip: Looking for an effective chemical treatment? Termidor is a leading brand of termiticide used to treat subterranean, drywood, and dampwood termites. Termidor is only available to licensed professionals.
Fumigation Tenting
Fumigation costs run from $1 to $4 per square foot or $10 to $20 per linear foot. So for a 2,000-square-foot home, the total fumigation bill will likely range from $2,000 to $8,000.
How This Works: Fumigation pros will seal off your entire home with a tent and pump in toxic gas. The fumigant gas enters cracks and crevices throughout your house and terminates the colony.
The fumigant is poisonous, so people, pets, and plants must remain out of the home for 3 to 5 days. While leaving home might be inconvenient, this treatment method often proves highly effective in killing termites.
Most pest control pros reserve fumigation for severe infestations or infestations that are difficult to locate.
Heat Tenting
For heat treatment to remove termites expect to pay $1 to $2.50 per square foot or $10 per linear foot.
Heat treatment is an eco-friendly alternative to fumigation. No chemicals are used during heat treatment, and it’s much safer for the environment.
How This Works: The pros will seal your home with a tent, similar to fumigation, and then heat your house until the structural wood registers a temperature of 120 degrees.
The heat treatment process usually takes one day to complete, and people, plants, and pets can return once interior temperatures return to normal.
Pro Tip: Remove from your home any heat-sensitive items, like antique furniture or paintings before treatment.
Other Factors That Affect Cost
The termite treatment type required won’t be the only factor determining overall costs. While $558 is the average cost for termite control, many other variables may affect your total termite bill, including:
- Size of Termite Infestation: The more severe the infestation, the more you will pay for treatment.
- Termite Damage Repairs: Termites can cause significant damage to wooden structures, leading to expensive repairs.
- Termite Inspection Fee: Some pest control companies charge an inspection fee before treatment.
- Termite Bond: You may sign up for a termite protection plan (aka a termite bond) that guarantees routine inspections.
- Termite Type: The type of termite infesting your home will likely determine the treatment required, affecting total costs.
Size of Termite Infestation
Large termite infestations often require multiple follow-up visits and expensive treatments, such as fumigation. Small termite infestations located in one area of your home often require minimal treatment and fewer follow-ups.
If you’re looking to save on costs, contact a pest control professional as soon as you suspect termites are in or around your home. If you ignore the termites, this gives the infestation time to grow and spread throughout your home, increasing total treatment costs.
Termite Damage Repairs
Homeowners spend an average of $2,600 in termite damage repair costs. The amount of wood damage varies depending on the termite type, wood type, wood condition, infestation size, and other available food sources.
Termite Inspections
The average cost for a termite inspection ranges from $65 to $265. Keep in mind that some pest control professionals provide free inspections or will reimburse inspection costs if you hire them to treat the infestation.
Termite Bond
If termites are common where you live, you’ve dealt with infestations before, or you want to be proactive, consider signing up for a termite bond. A termite bond is a termite service agreement between you and the pest control company guaranteeing regular termite inspections and treatments.
Most homeowners spend between $500 to $2,000 for a termite bond’s protection plan.
Termite Type
There are three main types of termites:
- Subterranean Termites
- Drywood Termites
- Dampwood Termites
The type of termite infesting your home will play a significant role in what treatment method the pro uses, affecting your overall bill.
Here’s why: Subterranean termites, for instance, are more likely to nest in the soil under your home than live in your home’s wooden structures. Because subterranean termites don’t live inside your house, costly fumigation usually won’t be necessary.
On the other hand, dampwood termites do nest in wood and may require a fumigation treatment that leads to a higher bill.
Subterranean Termites
Subterranean termites are moisture-loving pests, which is why they typically nest and live in the soil beneath your home.
Signs of subterranean termites include small mud tubes leading from the ground to the wood they are infesting for food. Because these termites live below your home’s foundation, the infested wood is usually caked with mud and soil brought up by the termites.
The most common treatment methods for subterranean termites are:
- Bait stations
- Chemical soil treatments
Drywood Termites
Drywood termites don’t need as much moisture as subterranean or dampwood termites. These pests get all the water they need from the air and the wood they consume, which is why they don’t need to live in the soil.
A drywood termite infestation can be limited to one area, or it can be widespread throughout your home. These termites can cause significant damage to the wood they infest, and repairs are often costly. If the drywood termite infestation is extensive, you may be looking at a high fumigation bill.
The most common treatment methods for drywood termites are:
- Chemical spot treatments targeting the infested wood
- Fumigation
Dampwood Termites
Dampwood termites need lots of moisture to survive, typically setting up shop in water-damaged wood or wood resting directly on the ground.
Dampwood termites are pros at keeping themselves well hidden, allowing them plenty of time to cause significant damage before they’re discovered.
Unlike subterranean termites, dampwood termites don’t build noticeable mud tubes.
And unlike drywood termites, dampwood termites leave no signs of holes in the wood they damage. Instead, they plug the holes with their feces to retain moisture in the wood.
The most common treatment methods for dampwood termites are:
- Chemical treatments
- Moisture control, such as fixing leaky pipes
Extra Services
With a pest control exterminator on the way, it may be smart to request some additional inspection services. After all, if you’re stopping the termites in their tunnels, you might as well stop the mice in their tracks.
Or maybe the pest control operator can help uncover what bug is biting you at night …
Extra services to consider are:
- Ant Control
- Cockroach Control
- Mouse and Rat Control
- Bed Bug Control
- Mosquito Control
Ant Control
If you find yourself squishing ants left and right, you may have an ant problem. Keep these pests out of the kitchen and off your dinner plates with professional ant control. Most ant treatments cost from $168 to $328, with an average of $217.
Fire ants and carpenter ants are in a league of their own. Fire ant extermination typically costs $300, while carpenter ant control usually costs $500.
Cockroach Control
If you suspect cockroaches are scurrying around your home, you’ll want to mention this to a pest control professional. Cockroach control often ranges from $123 to $303, with most homeowners paying $225.
Roaches like the American and German cockroaches can carry bacteria and viruses that are harmful to humans. If these cockroaches are running around your cabinets or countertops, they can contaminate your food.
Mouse and Rat Control
Mice and rats might be scurrying through the kitchen for a late-night snack. If setting your own traps isn’t working, tell your termite control provider.
Most homeowners pay between $317 to $600 for mouse and rat extermination and control, including bait, traps, sealing entry points, and a follow-up visit.
Bed Bug Control
Bed bugs are a nuisance. They are challenging to get rid of and cause many people stress and anxiety. Bed bug treatment costs often range from $917 to $1,917.
If you suspect a bed bug infestation is in your home, don’t delay calling a professional for an inspection. Bed bugs spread from room to room, growing in numbers, so it’s essential to stop the spread as soon as you can.
Mosquito Control
If mosquitoes keep you inside your home, ask your pest control pro about a mosquito control treatment. Not only are mosquitoes a pain (literally and figuratively) –– pinching your skin and zipping near your ears –– mosquitoes carry lethal viruses they can pass to humans. Most mosquito control treatments cost $350 to $500 per season.
DIY Termite Control vs. Hiring a Pro
Termite control is not considered a DIY project. When it comes to termites and your home, you’ll want a trained professional to tackle the job so you can rest assured these pests are exterminated for good.
High-performing termiticides and termite baits are reserved only for professionals, so taking on the project yourself without commercial-grade products might not give you the results you want.
Bottom Line: If ignored or not appropriately treated, termites can cause severe damage to your wooden structures. Killing the termite colony should be left in the hands of a professional, not yours.
Cost of Termite Treatment by Location
The costs we’ve listed in this termite control pricing guide are all national averages. On a local scale, termite eradication prices will vary depending on where you live.
In areas where demand for termite control is high, pest control providers may raise their treatment rates. Termites are a problem all over the U.S., but they are most common in areas with a warm climate and high humidity, such as North Carolina, Florida, and Texas.
FAQ About Termite Treatment
In most cases, insurance will not cover the cost of termite treatment or termite damage repairs.
Homeowners insurance usually covers only unpredictable or sudden damage, not damages resulting from home maintenance. Most insurance companies consider termites preventable and will not offer coverage.
Each of the three main termite types has signs that can help you or a professional identify an infestation:
Subterranean Termites
— These termites build exploratory mud tubes from the ground to the infested wood. These tubes allow the termites to bring food to the colony while staying hidden and protected from predators. If you spot muddy tunnels forming along your home’s foundation, you may have a case of subterranean termites.
— Damaged wood is often full of soil and feces.
Drywood Termites
— Drywood termites produce dry fecal pellets that are typically the first sign of a drywood termite infestation. The pests dispose of the pellets through “kick holes” or “kick-out” holes found in the wood they’re infesting. The fecal pellets, also known as frass, will often accumulate on the ground below a small hole in the wood.
Dampwood Termites
— Dampwood termite activity can be difficult to spot. These termites don’t create mud tunnels like subterranean termites, and they don’t kick out their feces like drywood termites.
— Instead, dampwood termites plug up any holes in the wood to retain moisture, and they keep their pellets inside their tunnel gallery. Dampwood termite tunnels typically contain termite droppings but no soil.
Building a new home or commercial facility? You’ll want to hire a pest control professional to apply repellent treatments to the new construction to keep the termites at bay.
Some local and state building codes even require new construction to receive termite control methods, especially in areas where subterranean termites are common. Pre-construction termite protection is an effective way to help prevent infestations in your new home, apartment building, office, or warehouse.
Why You Should Hire a Termite Control Expert
It’s best to leave termite control to the professionals. If you suspect termites are chewing on your home, call a local pest control professional near you. Don’t put this off. Tackle a termite infestation sooner rather than later to save on treatment costs and repair costs.
Most homeowners pay $558 to treat a termite infestation, with most termite treatment costs ranging from $275 to $863. A small termite treatment job can cost as low as $135, while the average cost for high-end extermination projects is $1,390.
Remember, these total costs will vary depending on many factors, including the treatment method used, the infestation’s size, and the termite type. For instance, If you need to terminate a widespread dampwood termite infestation throughout a 2,000-square-foot home, the total fumigation bill will likely range anywhere from $2,000 to $8,000.
Main Photo Credit: Jean and Fred / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
