How Much Does a Termite Treatment Cost?

Termite Treatment Cost Factors

Although you may pay $230 to $2,500 to treat termites professionally, some cost factors play a significant role in the final price. You’ll need to consider the infestation size, type of treatment used, termite species, and any repairs to the damage caused. 

Size

The size of the infestation can grow prices. Taking care of most small, localized infestations cost around $230 to $900, while significant pest issues that affect multiple parts of your home can hit $2,500 or more. Regular inspections and treatments can keep costs down.

Type of Treatment

DIY bait and chemical treatments might cost $50 total, while a professional termite tent can cost up to $2,500. Larger infestations require whole-home solutions, with possible chemical and bait post-treatments to ensure the infestation doesn't return. 

Termite Types

You'll often pay more for subterranean species, as they're harder to eradicate with any single treatment, and tenting isn't always effective by itself since these bugs live in the ground. You'll likely need follow-up inspections or treatments. 

Termite Damage Repairs

You’ll spend an average of $3,000 on the cost of termite damage repairs. Don’t make repairs until you’ve completely dealt with the infestation, or you’ll need to fix immediate structural damage. Repairs include:

• Carpentry framing repair cost: $500–$2,500

• Attic insulation installation cost: $1,700–$2,100

• Crawl space repair cost: $1,500–$15,000

• Drywall repair cost: $300–$1,000

Termite Cost by Treatment Type

You’ll pay anywhere from $230 to $2,500, depending on the type of treatment and how comprehensive it is. Spot-treating with bait and chemicals costs the least, while tenting your home costs the most.

Chemical Extermination Cost

Local pest control pros usually take the chemical extermination approach for infestations that haven't yet permeated the home, with prices at around $3 to $20 per linear foot. Exterminators often use a combination of termiticides—such as arsenic trioxide, bifenthrin, fipronil, imidacloprid, and permethrin—and repellents to kill existing infestations and discourage regrowth. 

Chemical extermination involves:

• Creating trenches or drilling holes around the exterior of a home, often directly into the foundation

• Pouring liquid chemicals into the holes or trenches

• Performing follow-up treatments until the termite activity stops

Termite Tenting Cost

Tenting to heat or fumigate costs around $800 to $2,500 or more, and prices may be set as a flat rate by size or around $5 to $20 per linear foot. Termite tent costs vary slightly between heating and fumigation, with heating often costing slightly less. However, both methods are effective, with one using chemicals while the other uses heated air forced into the home.

Termite tenting involves:

• Covering the entire home with a tent

• Fumigating or heating the area

• Removing the tent after a preset time

• Performing follow-up inspections and treating as needed

Cost to Get Rid of Termites With Bait

Termite bait systems cost around $8 to $12 per linear foot per application or visit and are often used together with chemical applications or as a follow-up treatment. The bait works by poisoning an attractive food source that the pests bring back to the colony. Pros typically charge more for placing additional baits after the initial installation. 

Termite bait involves:

• Drilling holes for bait

• Placing bait stations around the home

• Performing routine inspections and monitoring 

Termite Fumigation Cost

This is a more aggressive form of extermination for activity throughout the entire house. Tenting a house to fumigate costs $10 to $20 per linear foot, or $1,200 to $2,500 for the average home. You’ll want to use this method for extensive infestations or to be completely sure the colonies are destroyed. Fumigations work best on drywood and dampwood termites. 

Termite fumigation involves:

• Pumping lethal gas into the tent, which takes several hours to complete 

• Requiring residents, pets, and plants to remain out of the home for three to five days

• Including attached and some detached structures, like a patio, gazebo, or garage 

Cost to Tent a House for Heat Extermination

Heat treatment averages between $800 and $2,500, or around $10 to $20 per linear foot. Homeowners may prefer this treatment because it's chemical-free, organic pest control and can work for the entire house or localized activity in a dining room, basement, or attic. The process takes about eight hours to one day.

Heat extermination involves:

• Tenting your home completely

• Forcing hot air to heat the inside air to 120–140 degrees Fahrenheit

• Monitoring the air to ensure it stays above 120 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 35 minutes 

• Taking the tent down 

Termite Cost by Termite Type

Termite removal prices don’t change much depending on the species but the extent of the infestation. Still, it’s beneficial for all homeowners to learn more about the termite type you’re dealing with and which treatment is most effective for your needs. 

Subterranean Termite 

These creamy white to dark brown termites live below the ground and build tunnels—called mud tubes—up a foundation wall to the wood of the home. They're often the most destructive species, and tenting alone isn't usually a good method to get rid of them since they live belowground. 

Subterranean termite treatment costs around $230 to $900 for localized problems, or up to $2,500 for the entire home. The best treatments call for chemicals or baits placed into the soil around the structure or in the foundation since they feast on wood as a food source.

Drywood Termite 

Drywood termites are slightly larger than subterranean termites and don’t live in the ground. They infest dry wood throughout your home, including the attic, framing, furniture, and just about anything made of cellulose. If you see discarded wings or droppings that look like little pellets, get an inspection immediately. 

Drywood termite treatment costs around $230 to $2,500, depending on their location and the elimination method. Pros place bait traps and chemicals by drilling holes into the wood, but most large colonies need tenting for approximately $1,200 to $2,500. 

Dampwood Termite

Dampwood termites typically don’t infest homes since they require wood with a higher moisture content than is usually found in a house's frame. They typically infest fallen trees, fences, and any wood exposed to the weather in wetter climates. Keeping deadfall and rotten lumber away from your foundation is the best method to avoid welcoming them into your home. 

Dampwood termite control costs around $230 to $2,500. For localized issues, you’ll use bait or chemicals. But dampwood termites plug their holes, making them extremely hard to detect until they’ve done extensive damage. You’ll likely need to tent fumigate or heat and correct any humidity or water leakage issues.

Additional Termite Treatment Costs

Besides treatment prices, you’ll also want to consider inspections and bonds to avoid the additional expense of repairs to your home. Termite inspections, bonds, and warranties often save more money than they cost. 

Inspection Costs

Homeowners should get inspections every one to three years, with a termite inspection costing around $50 to $280. In certain termite-prone states, often in the South, new constructions must pass a termite inspection. 

Most companies offer a free initial termite inspection for current property owners. This includes looking at a home's exterior around the foundation and the surrounding grounds for pests.

Pros check these places for signs of infestation and damage:

• Crawl space

• Basement

• Overhead timber

• Floors

• Windows

• Inside cabinets and closets

• Behind appliances

• Door frames

• Corners of the rooms

• Attic

Termite Bond Costs

You can purchase a termite bond for around $700 to $1,000 total or $300 to $400 yearly. It's a warranty between you and a termite extermination service to cover all the costs related to inspection and extermination of termites on your property, but actual services vary by location and contract. In infestation-prone areas, they make financial sense since they cost less than completely tenting your home and minimize or eliminate damage and the need for repairs. 

Protection plans routinely involve an annual fee that includes:

• Scheduled treatments throughout the year when you’ve detected termite activity 

• Bait installation 

• Annual re-inspection of the initial examination areas

Additional Prevention Costs

Prevention is key when it comes to avoiding a termite infestation. Here are some tips to follow:

• Seal the foundation: DIY for free or hire a local handyperson for $50 per hour to seal up all the cracks around your foundation. This can help for termites, but it also helps keep other pests, like mice and rats, out of your house. 

• Clear out wood: DIY for free or hire a landscaper near you for $50 per hour. Clean the area around your home of deadfall and other wood sources to keep a colony from growing nearby and potentially spreading to your home. 

• Use termite repellent: Termite repellent costs around $4–$12 per linear foot, and bait traps help stop infestations before they begin. 

DIY vs. Hiring a Termite Control Company

Termites cause nearly $5 billion in damage annually, most of which is preventable with inspections, early detection, and early treatment. Hiring a professional pest control company gives you more peace of mind that the termite problem is both identified and dealt with. The longer you wait, the more expensive dealing with termite problems becomes. DIY methods exist, but they're often ineffective or under-effective and can lead to reinfestation. 

Before agreeing to a treatment service, homeowners should request inspections and estimates from several pest control companies. The written estimate needs to include the following details:

• Treatment cost

• Problem type

• Extermination method

• Number of visits and frequency

• Chemicals to be used

• Any warnings or precautions

• What warranties are provided and their length

When comparing services, read reviews and ask the potential hire:

• How long has your company been in business?

• What’s the experience and training of your technicians?

• Are your employees bonded?

Orkin Termite Treatment vs. Terminix Exterminators

Orkin and Terminix are two popular extermination companies with multiple service providers. Prices for both are based on the colony size and infestation. Both offer free inspections, monthly plans for general pest control, and specialized termite removal. The choice between the two often comes down to whoever is available in your area, but getting more than one inspection and quote is always a good idea. 

Orkin offers the following:

• Service options including liquid or foam chemicals and baits

• 30-day guarantees

Terminix offers the following:

• Service options including liquid chemicals, baits, and tenting

• Satisfaction guaranteed, depending on the area