How Much Does it Cost to Get Rid of Bed Bugs in Your Home?

Maybe you’re waking up with little bites or you’ve seen the tell-tale signs of a bed bug infestation, either way you have a problem and need to get rid of these pests. Your first thought is probably how much does it cost to get rid of bed bugs?

These pests have caused havoc to thousands of businesses and homes because of their incessant bites and being notoriously difficult to get rid of. It’s not worth trying to do it yourself because they can hide in crevices you can never reach.

We’ve broken down the costs of various bed bug treatment costs, so you can choose the right exterminator.

How Do You Know if You Have Bed Bugs?

Before calling an bed bug exterminator, you should know if the problem is bed bugs. Bed bugs feed on the blood of people and animals. They are extremely small, and each female can lay hundreds of eggs over their life. What starts out as only a few can quickly become an infestation.

Bed bugs adults aren’t the only problems. Young nymphs, which are even smaller than the adults, shed their skin several times and each time requires a feeding. Because their bodies are flat, bed bugs can hide in mattresses, box springs and headboards.

The first signs you may notice are small red bumps on your body. Bed bugs come out at night and feed on you while sleeping. If you are itchy when you wake up, look for other signs such as red stains on your pillow, dark or rust colored spots on your sheets and mattress.

You may even notice eggshells and shed skin from bed bugs. If you see any of these signs, it’s time to call a professional.

How Much Does It Cost to Get Rid of Bed Bugs?

The cost really depends on how many rooms are impacted. While you may notice it in your bedroom, it’s possible they could attach to you and be spread across the house. The more rooms that need treatment means the more money.

Hotels have been known to need hundreds of thousands of dollars when bed bugs infest their hundreds of rooms. The average homeowner can expect to pay about $1,000 to $2,200 on average for bed bug treatment.

This can vary depending on the case and the treatment method. A single room may only cost $300, but a large home or business can invest up to $6,000.

It also depends on how the exterminator charges. They can charge by the room, square foot, or have a flat fee.

Cost of Bed Bug Heat Treatment

Bed bugs and their eggs can’t stand high heat. A professional brings in specialized equipment that increases the temperature of the room above 120 degrees. Remote thermometers tell the exterminator that the machine reached the correct temperature.

The process takes about 8 hours. As the room’s temperature is extremely high, anything that could melt or damaged needs to be removed. You’ll be charged about $1 to $3 per square foot or about $2,000 for the entire home.

This is a preferred method because it is effective and doesn’t use chemicals.

Bed Bug Fumigation Costs

Fumigation requires your home to be filled with airborne chemicals that will kill all the bedbugs in the home. The home is sealed, and you must leave it while the fumigation is going on. That could take several days.

The chemicals used are dangerous, so it’s important there isn’t any people or pets in the home during the process. It should kill all bed bugs in the home and costs about $4-$8 per square foot, but often that depends where you live as it can be more in northern states.

Cost of Structural Fumigation

In addition to the rooms of your home, bedbugs can end up in the foundation as well. As the foundation is under the home, heat and other methods won’t work. With structural fumigation, exterminators place a tent around the house and pump toxic gas into the cracks and crevices of the home.

Once again, there can be no people or pets in the home during the fumigation. The gas gets into every crack, crevice, and wood pore to kill the bugs. The biggest downside of structural fumigation is the cost. It can be as much as $30 per square foot.

It’s also not often covered by homeowner’s insurance since it’s considered maintenance/ preventative damage costs.

Cost of Chemicals and Pesticides

You can always have professionals spray your home with pesticides to kill the bed bugs. They spray cracks and crevices, mattress, etc. It’s important that the exterminator spray everything with insecticide as bed bugs can be hiding anywhere.

You must be careful with this method. If all of them aren’t killed, then it could lead to another infestation down the road. The average cost of this is $200-$400 per room.

Cost of Bedbug Steam Removal

Another method involving heat is steam removal. A machine shoots out steam heat at a temperature above 200 degrees. The method kills all insects and eggs on contact and effectively gets into crevices and cracks.

Steam removal take about seven hours to complete and costs between $250 to $1,000 per room. No follow ups are necessary unless bed bugs are brought into the home again.

Freezing Beg Bugs Cost

We know bed bugs are sensitive to heat, but they can also be killed by cold. Exterminators bring in machines that convert liquid carbon dioxide into solid dry ice with the consistency of snow. The dry ice freezes eggs and bedbugs on contact.

This method is faster than the heat methods, but sometimes the bedbugs that seemed dead are alive when they warm up. The cost of freezing is about $500 per room.

Call in Professional to Take Care of Bed Bugs

How much does it cost to get rid of bed bugs? That all depends on the treatments used and the size of the problem. It’s not safe to live with bedbugs and the numbers will only grow the longer you go without treatment.

For more information about getting rid of bedbugs and other pets, please explore our site.