Why Is Termite Treatment So Expensive?

Termites can cause severe damage to your home and be hard to get out of your home.

Different treatments are available, but they can be expensive, and some are less effective than others.

Understanding these treatments and their costs will help you choose the one that is best for your home.

Termite treatment is expensive because it requires a lot of equipment, chemicals, and time. It can also be extensive and should be handled by a well-trained professional. Some treatment methods are more affordable than others, but they may not be effective at treating all types of infestations.

What Determines The Price Of Termite Treatment?

When you choose a termite treatment or are trying to determine the price, there are different things you should consider that may determine the cost.

Type Of Termites

Instead of nesting inside wooden structures, subterranean termites usually nest in the soil under houses. 

Since they live outside, expensive methods like fumigation are not effective or necessary. There can be a single area of drywood termite infestation, or it can be widespread throughout the entire house. 

They can cause significant damage to the wood they infest. There will also be a cost associated with repairing structures as part of the treatment process. 

Termites living in damp wood are adept at blending in with their surroundings. Like dry wood termites, they don’t leave mud tubes or holes in wood as subterranean termites do. 

It can be costly to locate them, making the treatment equally so. 

Size Of The Home

The inspection and treatment of larger spaces are more extensive. 

To control a large problem area, the team must provide various control services, increasing the treatment cost—accordingly, the price increases with house size.

Severity Of The Infestation

There is not much damage done to houses by termites in mild infestations. In this case, budget-friendly treatment and repair options are available. 

However, if the infestation is large, the damage could be severe, and the infestation could take longer to treat. As a result, treatment costs increase. 

There are sometimes very high costs associated with repairing wooden structures. 

Method Of Treatment Used

Termites can be eliminated using a variety of methods. However, because the price of each procedure varies, the treatment cost also depends on the method used. 

For example, tenting treatments are costly due to the need to drape the house. Bait treatment is also considered an expensive termite treatment because it requires more visits.

Chemical treatments are not as expensive as previous methods since they don’t require as many tools. Treatment methods are determined based on the infestation, termite type, and damage. 

The inspection team handles all these tasks and will determine what type of infestation you have and which treatment method will be the most effective.

What Are The Most Common Types Of Termite Treatments?

There are different treatment options available to help get rid of termites. Some options may work better depending on the type of termite or the area. These methods all have different costs associated with them as well.

Chemical Treatments

Many types of chemicals are used for this method. The most common chemicals include arsenic trioxide, bifenthrin, fipronil, Termidor, etc. 

Houses are treated with chemicals on the exterior. The exterminator will spray outside your home to keep termites from entering. The exterminator can sometimes pour chemicals directly into holes drilled around the house. 

Drywood and subterranean termites are best treated with this treatment, as well as infestations that haven’t spread to the entire house. 

The price of this treatment method depends on the square footage of the house.

Bait Treatments

Various baits are installed around the house near holes drilled or dug. The poison is then consumed by termites and carried back to their colonies. We can eliminate whole termite colonies using this method. 

Since bait treatment is less precise and requires more implements, it costs more than chemical treatment.

Tenting Treatment

As this method will cover a much larger area than other treatments, it is recommended when there is a large infestation. 

There is a limitation to this treatment, which is its ineffectiveness against underground infestations. However, it is the most effective termite treatment since it treats the whole house. 

There are two options available for homeowners, either go with a flat rate or can go with linear feet rates. If you go with the linear rate, you will pay per square foot that needs to be tented. 

Fumigation Treatment

This technique is similar to that of tenting. The only difference is that in place of chemicals, gasses are used. 

Termites inside the house are killed by releasing a lethal gas inside the tent, which covers the house thoroughly. 

This process requires several hours, and the residents, pets, and plants must remain out of the house for three to five days after the work has been completed.

Heat Tenting Treatment

If you don’t want to use chemicals around or in your home, you can also treat termites organically. 

A tent is erected over the entire house or specific areas where signs of infestations are evident to control the internal temperature. 

A hot air blower is then used to raise the temperature to 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

Once the wood structures have reached 120 degrees, they are monitored by temperature monitoring systems to maintain the temperatures. 

Termites and their colonies can be eliminated at this temperature. After the temperature reaches a normal level, the tents are removed, and the homeowners can return. Unfortunately, it also takes a long time to use this treatment method. 

Heat tenting also tends to be one of the more expensive methods because it requires so much equipment and takes a long time to complete.

Conclusion

If you have a termite infestation, you may be looking for a way to eliminate them. Various treatment methods can help, and the price of each method can vary. 

Termite treatment can be expensive because it is extensive and requires costly tools and chemicals. 

Depending on the type of infestation you have, you may be able to find an affordable option.