How Much Does Termite Treatment Cost in 2024?

Termite Treatment Cost Factors

Several cost factors will impact the final price of termite treatment in your home. The main price drivers to consider are the size of the infested area, the type of termites you’re dealing with, and the extent of the damage to your home.

Size of Infestation Area

Termite colonies can range greatly in size, from just a few dozen insects to thousands or even millions in mature colonies. The larger the infested area, the more treatments and labor hours it will take to eradicate them, greatly driving up the price of home termite treatment.

Termite Type

There are three types of termites in the US, each of which requires different methods to eradicate and prevent future infestations. Depending on the type of termite infesting your home, you might have to pay for different, more expensive treatments to get rid of them.

• Subterranean Termites: This is the most common type of termite in the United States. These aggressive insects live underground, making them next to impossible to exterminate yourself. Because they live in the soil, extermination methods like fumigation tents don’t work well. Instead, your local termite control pro will have to use bait and/or chemical treatments. This costs between $220 and $875.

• Drywood Termites: As the name suggests, drywood termites are most attracted to dead, dry wood, unlike other termites that prefer damp and rotten wood. To eradicate drywood termites, your exterminator will likely use bait or special chemical gels. These treatments usually cost between $225 and $2,500, depending on the severity of the infestation.

• Dampwood Termites: These insects are most attracted to wet or damp wood, especially on properties with standing water and uncleared, dead brush. Eradicating dampwood termites usually costs about the same as drywood termite treatment—from $225 to $2,500.

Damaged Areas

The costs don’t end once the termite infestation is gone. You’ll still have to pay to repair any areas that have been damaged by termites, especially if the infestation was near any structural parts of your home. 

The cost of repairing these areas depends greatly on which parts are damaged. Wood siding repair costs around $12,500, for instance, while simple floorboard damage might cost as little as $250. Of course, the most pressing type of termite damage to repair is to structural, load-bearing beams and supports—repairing these could cost as much as $20,000, depending on the extent of the damage.

Additional Cost Factors

Beyond the type of termites you have and the extent of the infestation and damage caused, there are a few other cost factors to consider when budgeting for termite treatment.

Labor

Labor is the main cost factor for the cost of termite treatment since the chemicals and insecticides used are relatively inexpensive. Termite control pros don’t typically charge per hour, and instead charge by the linear foot or, more commonly, by the job. Depending on the extent of the infestation and the treatment needed, you can expect to pay between $3 and $20 per linear foot of infested area.

Inspection

Termite control experts won’t take on a job until the property has been inspected. Many pros will include the cost of a termite inspection for free with their quote, but some might offer it as a standalone service or at an extra cost. In this case, you can expect to pay between $85 and $300 for a comprehensive termite inspection. You may have to pay for additional inspections in the future to check that the treatment worked and prevent new colonies from reinfesting the house.

Termite Bonds

A termite bond is essentially a warranty agreement between you and a termite control company. It means the company will provide regular, ongoing termite inspection, treatment, and prevention services in exchange for a fixed fee. For homes that are prone to termite infestations, termite bonds usually make more sense than starting from square one every time you notice termite activity. You can expect to pay $500 to $3,000 per year for a termite bond.

Prevention

Prevention is the best way to deal with termites. Often, there is already extensive damage by the time you notice termites, meaning it’s always preferable to prevent infestations from taking hold in the first place. Here are a few prevention methods and the costs associated with them:

• Sealing Foundation: Sealing cracks around your foundation ensures pests like termites can’t find their way in and establish a colony, saving you a lot of time and money on structural repairs. It also has the added benefit of keeping out other pests, such as rats and mice. Sealing a cracked foundation costs $250 to $800 per crack.

• Clearing Wood: Clearing your yard of deadfall and any other dead wood will greatly reduce the risk of termites. You can tackle this task yourself for free or pay a landscaper about $350 to do it for you.

• Termite Repellent and Traps: Your termite control pro will suggest chemical preventive options to stop termites from reestablishing a colony in your home. These include special chemical repellents as well as bait traps to stop potential infestations. This preventive treatment costs about $4 to $12 per linear foot.

Cost by Treatment Type

Depending on the type of termites, the size of the infestation, and the type of space the infestation is, your termite professional will recommend one or more of the most common treatment types.

Termiticide

This chemical treatment is designed to be applied to the soil or wood around a termite infestation. When termites come into contact with termiticide, the chemical builds up in their system. It becomes slow and sluggish and transmits the termiticide to other termites in the colony when it returns. Eventually, termiticide will kill any termite that comes into contact with it. Termiticide treatment costs $4 to $15 per linear foot.

Bait Station

Bait stations make use of the same termiticide chemicals, but include some kind of food that attracts termites to it. This means termites are much more likely to ingest the termiticide and bring it back to their colony. This makes bait stations more suitable for treating active infestations, though the stations will have to be monitored to make sure they still have bait. Bait station treatment costs $7 to $11 per linear foot.

Fumigation

For severe infestations in a home or other structure, the best method might be to completely enclose it in an airtight tent and pump it full of toxic gas. This is an expensive treatment, but it’s the best way to quickly kill an entire termite colony. Gas fumigation usually costs between $10 to $20 per linear foot.

Heat Treatment

Heat treatment is similar to fumigation—your home will be enclosed in a special airtight tent and heated until the structural wood reaches 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature will kill any termites within, making it suitable for extreme infestations. Heat treatment costs about $10 per linear foot.

Budgeting for Termite Treatment

Termite treatment can become pricy, but there’s no getting around paying for it if you’re dealing with an active infestation. Here are a few ways to reduce the cost of this important project:

• If you’re only dealing with a minor termite inspection, consider less extreme and expensive treatments—such as liquid termiticides or bait stations—over gas fumigation or heat treatment.

• If you’ve had termite infestations in the past or live in an area known for termites, consider purchasing a termite bond to reduce the cost of future treatments and prevention.

• If you have the opportunity (such as during a renovation), consider pre-treating structural wood with liquid termiticide to prevent future infestations.

• Spend the money to seal foundation cracks and remove dead wood from your property to reduce the (much more expensive) risk of termite infestations.

How HomeAdvisor Gets Its Cost Data

No place is more important than your home, which is why HomeAdvisor connects homeowners with local pros to transform their houses into homes they love. To help homeowners prepare for their next project, HomeAdvisor provides readers with accurate cost data and follows strict editorial guidelines. We surveyed thousands of real customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.