How much does it cost to get rid of bedbugs? The honest answer to that question is that it depends. It depends on a few factors that we’ll go over.
Hard numbers
Since you probably came here wondering about the specific cost of bed bug services, we do have some numbers for you.
The average cost of bed bug infestation treatment services (at the time of this writing) is between $1,000 and $2,500.
The spread that this number is derived from is, we confess, distressingly wide. The cost of bed bug treatment can range anywhere from $300 to $5,000.
Where your cost will fall in that range depends on many factors like the size of the infestation in numbers of bugs, the extent of the infestation inside of a building, the treatment selected, and how many times the treatment needs to be deployed to ensure that the infestation is eliminated.
While we’re glad that you’re reading this blog post and hope you’ll continue as we have some useful information, we would advise you that the very best way to determine how much it will cost is to contact us. We can deploy one of our pest control experts who can assess the severity of the infestation and make bed bug treatment recommendations specific to your situation.
Bed bugs: Numerous but fragile
First off, we’ll give you some good news. When the correct bed bug infestation treatment is selected and implemented properly, it is highly effective. Entire infestations can be eliminated if things are done correctly.
Bed bugs are well-traveled (meaning they can survive in many different ecosystems), reproduce quickly and thanks to their small size and flat shape can nest almost anywhere. Even in habitats that are clean and comparatively free of clutter, bed bugs can usually find a place to hang their proverbial hats.
That being said, bed bugs are quite fragile. Unlike, say, cockroaches that can seemingly survive anything except being struck down by the wrath of heaven, bed bugs will succumb quite easily and even quickly to various treatment options.
This success, of course, hinges on selecting the proper treatment and that’s where more precise answers to the question of cost can start to wildly diverge.
Key factors that determine price
Like any infestation, bed bug infestations are multifaceted and have to be analyzed from a few different angles to determine their extent and the cost of treating them. Among these factors include the number of rooms being treated, the extent of the infestation and the method of treatment. Let’s look at each for more detail.
Number of rooms
Generally speaking, it will be cheaper to treat a single room with bed bugs than several rooms. An entire building will be more expensive still.
This is because treating more space is going to increase hours worked by the pest control professional and will require them to use more equipment and/or chemicals. This may seem obvious, but it should be stated and understood as the costs can increase quite a lot depending on how many rooms are infested. The difference in cost between treating one room of bed bugs and treating two can be as much as several hundred dollars.
And rest assured if bed bugs establish themselves in one room they will spread to other rooms. Bed bugs get around unless they are stopped.
This is why it’s so important to address the issue as soon as it arises. If you check for bed bugs and suspect you have them, then act immediately. The sooner you act, the easier and cheaper it will be to treat the problem.
Extent (size) of the infestation
This may seem like the same thing as the number of rooms infested, but the extent of the infestation is slightly different. When we talk about the size of the infestation, we’re talking about the number of bed bugs.
Think of it this way: if the number of rooms is the geographic distribution of the infestation, then the size of infestation is population density.
To put it simply, the more bed bugs there are, the more likely it is that some bugs or their eggs will survive the treatment process no matter how thorough it is. And since it only takes a few bugs to start an infestation, a small handful of survivors can simply reestablish the infestation after a couple of weeks or months.
To prevent this, a large infestation will likely require a few rounds of inspection and treatment to make sure that the bugs are killed. Like the number of rooms metric, this will require more hours of work and equipment used and that will drive up costs. The cost of treating a severe infestation can run into the thousands of dollars very quickly and can potentially take months to accomplish.
Method of treatment
We discussed methods of treating bed bugs in a previous blog. We won’t repeat everything we wrote, but to sum up, bed bugs can be treated with chemicals, heat treatment, or cold treatment. The former two are the more effective.
Different treatment types will have different costs. Further, treatment categories will often have a couple of different potential applications. For example, chemical treatment can come in the form of topical application of chemicals (less expensive) or fumigation (very expensive).
Treatment methods can be priced by either room or square foot which loops back into the “number of rooms” factor when considering cost.
In order of cost from lowest to highest, here are the most common treatment types.
| Treatment | Cost |
| Heat (simply making a space intolerably hot for the bugs) $ | $1-$3/ft² |
| Topical chemical (bugs sprays that are limited to a single room or area) | $2-$4.50/ft² |
| Steam | $2-$7.50/ft² |
| Freeze | $3-$6/ft² |
| Fumigation (think of the popular image of houses wrapped up in a gigantic tent) | $4-$8/ft² |
It is far beyond the scope of this blog to make recommendations on what treatment type is best for any specific infestation. It will require the evaluation of a pest control professional to determine this.
What we can say with confidence is that treatment, no matter what method is used, will always be cheaper when the infestation is small and localized as opposed to when it is large and expansive.
Can I get rid of bed bugs myself?
How much is bed bug treatment for the DIY type? Like with professional treatment, the cost will vary considerably and you can count on large infestations being more difficult and expensive to treat.
You can certainly try to get rid of bed bugs yourself. We have the DIY pest control tools to help you if you decide you want to go that route. It can be and has been done, but just remember that it doesn’t take that many surviving bugs to start an infestation anew, so if you try the DIY route and it doesn’t work, costs will compound.
Pest control professionals have training and tools to make sure the job is done right. If you want to ensure pests are eliminated and completely exterminated, we strongly recommend that you get in touch with us.
Quick action: The best way to avoid expensive bed bug treatments
How much does it cost to get rid of bed bugs? No matter what the answer is, we wish to drive home this important point: it will be cheaper, faster, and easier if the infestation is caught and addressed sooner rather than later.
If you suspect that you have bed bugs, it is always best to act quickly to address the issue rather than let it fester or make half-hearted attempts to stamp it out.
Whether you want to go the DIY route or have a pest control professional confirm the presence of bed bugs and then implement a treatment regimen, we have the tools and expertise to help. Please get in contact with us ASAP if you worry that you have a bed bug infestation. We’re here to free your home from harmful pests.