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Pest control FAQ

The most common questions are what it costs, whether it's safe, and who to trust. This Old House puts a standard 2026 treatment at $50-$500, averaging $171. On safety and hiring, the EPA's guidance is to see the license, get the pesticide label with rates and precautions, and check complaints with your state pesticide regulatory agency.

Two things are worth internalizing. First, identification comes before treatment — the EPA builds it into IPM because treating the wrong thing wastes money and applies pesticide for no reason. Second, we will not tell you which pesticide to use or at what rate: that's regulated, state-specific, and a licensed applicator's job.

If a company claims pests have damaged your structure, ask to be shown the damage and consider an independent assessment before authorizing structural repairs. Damage claims are the point where a few hundred dollars of pest work turns into thousands of dollars of construction.

How to choose

Identify first
EPA's IPM step one and two: set a threshold, then monitor and identify.
See the license
EPA: "Choose a pest control company carefully. Ask to see the company's license."
Get the label and re-entry time
Reliable applicators will provide label copies showing application rates and precautions, per EPA.
Get the guarantee in writing
Coverage, period, renewal cost, exclusions, transferability.
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This Old House puts most 2026 visits at $50-$500 with a $171 average for a standard infestation. By pest: ants $100-$500, rodents $180-$600, wasps $300-$700, termites $250-$1,000, bed bugs $1,000-$4,000, tented fumigation $1,500-$8,000.
It depends on the product and how it's applied. Ask for the label, the application rate and the re-entry interval before treatment day — EPA advises verifying re-entry timelines and says reliable applicators will provide label copies with rates and precautions.
Insist on identification before pricing, see the license, get the scope and guarantee in writing, refuse pressure sales and unsolicited offers (EPA warns about both), check complaints with your state pesticide regulatory agency, and never authorize structural repair off a pest inspection alone.
We don't answer that, and be wary of any site that does. Registered products, permitted uses and application rates are regulated and vary by state, and the label is legally binding. Use a licensed applicator, or follow the product label exactly.
They can be. Orkin reports about 600,000 US homes damaged annually, an estimated $5 billion spent nationally each year on control and repair, and an average $3,000 to repair discovered damage — separate from treatment cost.
Sources

Where these figures come from

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