Unwelcome creatures can carry diseases, pose a health risk and may cause structural damage to your home. Sure, you can run for bug spray, stomp on a roach or put out mouse traps, but DIY methods are not always effective for a real infestation. Pest control is worth it if DIY methods are out of your scope or the infestation is severe.
“Licensed professionals have knowledge, training and access to special tools that may be required for special pest cases, such as, but not limited to, termites, bed bugs, rodents, wildlife and public health pests such as mosquitoes and German cockroaches,” said Andrew Sutherland, Ph.D. and BCE, urban integrated pest management advisor at the University of California agriculture and natural resources department in Hayward, California.
If you decide to hire a pest control professional, start by getting quotes from the companies below.
What are professional pest control services?
Pest control services hire professionals specialized in identifying and treating a range of infestations and critters. These experts are equipped to deal with common pests: rodents, ants, cockroaches, spiders and bed bugs as well as wood-destroying insects such as subterranean termites, drywood termites and carpenter ants. Seasonal insects such as mosquitoes, fleas, ticks and stink bugs are also a nuisance that pest control experts can handle.
These professionals offer in-depth knowledge on pests, including details on how and where certain types of pests tend to congregate, what they feed on and specific pest control treatments.
Pest control methods can range from a one-time service to quarterly pest control treatments that serve as maintenance and prevention.
Depending on state law, most pest control professionals or exterminators are required to be licensed to distribute and apply a range of pesticides, insecticides and rodenticides, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
However, federal law mandates that any pest control company that is distributing “restricted-use pesticides” be licensed to supervise and deploy those products, which in some cases can have chemicals that can be harmful to your health if ingested.
Why are professional pest control services important?
Our experts agree that professional pest control services are important. These professionals know how to discern and treat the issue at hand, such as figuring out if you’re dealing with mud daubers or yellowjackets — two types of wasps that require vastly different nest removal methods, Sutherland said.
The former, he shared, might be harmless to a degree. Meanwhile, the latter is best handled by professionals with the necessary equipment to remove the wasp nest. This expert knowledge is key to taking care of the pest infestation — and staying safe in the process.
Further, whether it’s wasp nest removal equipment or specific pesticides and sprays that require a license to dispense, Sutherland said that pest control services may have access to special equipment unavailable at home maintenance retailers or e-commerce platforms.
Additionally, they might be better equipped to tackle bigger troubles. “Professional pest control is important for larger infestations that could damage your home, like mice ruining wiring or carpenter ants that weaken wood,” said Courtney Walsh, a professional cleaner at Homeaglow, a nationwide home-cleaning service based in Nashville.
In some cases, if pest control services aren’t hired quickly after noting a problem, you may end up with a more serious (and more expensive) situation. Some pests, such as bed bugs and roaches, can multiply quickly, exponentially increasing population density.
“Professionals are trained to prevent these pest problems and to detect pest populations before they become problematic,” Sutherland said.
How much does pest control cost?
Like other types of home repairs and maintenance, pest control services range in costs. Factors that can impact the price of a single pest treatment or a comprehensive plan depend on your home’s location, its square footage or lot size.
Different pests and the severity of the infestation can also influence how much pest control will cost. Further, monitoring pests can increase the costs of professional pest control services, as it requires technicians to visit your home more frequently.
According to our February 2024 survey on pest control service costs, respondents paid an average of $465 for an annual plan and $234 for a single treatment from pest control companies. DIY methods averaged $73. However, those who attempted a DIY pest treatment but had to call in a professional ended up spending $216, on average.
| Pest Types | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Ants | $185 |
| Bed bugs | $375 |
| Cockroaches | $206 |
| Fleas | $221 |
| Mosquitoes | $149 |
| Rodents (such as mice and rats) | $329 |
| Silverfish | $208 |
| Stinging insects (such as bees and wasps) | $193 |
| Termites | $299 |
| Wildlife (such as moles and raccoons) | $204 |
Is professional pest control service worth the expense?
Professional pest control is worth the price depending on the severity and scope of the pest issue. You should bring in a professional if you are unsure what type of pest is invading your home, have a large outbreak or lack the necessary equipment, among other factors.
The best way to decide if pest control is worth it is to look at the problem long term. You can likely tackle sugar ants yourself but would you want to risk paying thousands of dollars in structural damage for an unsuccessful termite treatment? Similarly, centipedes in your basement are harmless, but you probably don’t want to end up in an emergency room after disturbing a wasp nest.
“Certain pest control companies are more specialized so you may need to contact multiple companies to find a team who can help with your particular critter or insect infestation,” Walsh said.
More than one-third of our survey respondents (34%) hired a full-service pest control company, while 46% chose the DIY pest control method.
“For small pest issues, you can try a DIY solution like mouse traps or ant bait stations first. If there’s still evidence of an infestation, then it’s important to bring in the professionals,” Walsh said. DIY pest control can oftentimes be cost-effective and a productive step in creating a pest control plan.
If you plan to tackle the problem yourself, do your homework. “Some pest problems can be handled by residents if they educate themselves on proper prevention and treatment strategies and follow directions associated with specific pest control tactics,” Sutherland said.
While homeowners can implement DIY pest control methods, it can take up to 38 days to resolve the issue, according to our February 2024 survey of 1,000 homeowners who experienced a pest problem within the last two years.
What’s next?
Pest infestations are relatively common. In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau and the American Housing Survey found that about 14 million households encountered roaches in their homes over a 12-month period and approximately 14.8 million households reported rodent sightings during the same time span.
If you diagnose a pest issue, consider whether you need to repair some of the damage the pests have caused. If you find woodpeckers or squirrels in your attic, check whether you also need to repair your roof.
If you think you might have a pest infestation and don’t wish to tackle it yourself, ask for quotes from at least three licensed and professional pest control companies.
Once your pest issue has been addressed, recurring inspections versus a one-time service might be useful to keep your home safe from pests and fend off future infestations. “Regular inspections by a pest control professional may alert you to conditions within your home that are conducive to pest problems, such as poor sanitation, excess moisture and humidity, plumbing leaks and clutter,” Sutherland said.
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