It depends on the type of pest control service you require. Your exterminator can often tell you beforehand which products they’ll be using and where they’ll be applying it. 

If the pest control company will be applying toxic chemicals, limit your exposure, according to the National Pesticide Information Center. For example, consider leaving your house during application and ventilate your home thoroughly when you return. And always keep your pets and their supplies away from the applied pesticides. 

Talk to pest control companies near you for advice on what you should do while they’re treating your home for pests. 

The best way to get rid of ants is to hire an ant exterminator near you. The exterminator can also help you find the source of the problem that’s drawing ants into your home. 

After they’re done treating your home, you can invest in ant baits to keep infestations at bay. It’s also important to take preventative steps to avoid ants.

For example, always clean up crumbs and wipe down surfaces to eliminate potential food sources. Regularly take out the trash, fix leaky pipes, store your food in sealed containers and seal cracks near your kitchen cabinets. 

Here are more tips on how to get rid of ants (for good).

Monthly pest control service is only necessary for certain situations. For example, severe ant or cockroach infestations may require monthly pest control in order to destroy the infestations at the source. 

Talk to the best exterminators near you to get an idea of what type of service you need — and how many times you’ll need follow-up treatments.

When you see signs of termites in your home, call a trusted pest control professional as soon as possible to handle the situation. Termites feed on wood, meaning they eat through the wood that makes up the frame, floors and other components of your house. Most people don’t know they have termites until they discover the damage done, because termites remain hidden underground or inside the wood they are eating. Keep on the lookout for these signs of termites:

• Water bubbles in your interior or exterior paint: If you poke at what look like paint bubbles and find termite droppings inside, it’s a sign of termite infestation.
• Frass: This is a fancy term for termite poop. Keep your eyes peeled for what look like six-sided salt and pepper droppings.
• Mud tubes: Subterranean termites move between their earth home and your house by building mud tunnels. Mud tubes under or along the side of your house or foundation are a sure sign of a termite infestation.  
• Wings or swarming near your home: As a new colony is looking for a home, they fly (swarm), then shed their wings and burrow into nearby wood.
• Softening of wood or hollowed-out wood: Termites don’t like paint, lacquer varnish or other wood finishes, so they’ll eat inside the wood and leave the exterior finish like a shell.

Whether you need to get rid of bugs or rodents, pest removal professionals can be lifesaving when you have an infestation. Pest control prices will vary based on what type of pest is being removed. The national pest control price range is $80-$130, although prices can be much higher for tasks like wildlife removal (raccoons, bobcats, etc.), which might start at $250 and exceed $500, depending on the animal and the trapping measures required.

The cost of eliminating a termite colony ranges on average from $240 to $400, but these costs can increase greatly if the whole house is infested. The average cost to kill cockroaches is between $80 and $130, while bedbug extermination ranges from $320 to $400 on average. The main factors that will affect your pest control price are the type of pest, the extent of the infestation, the accessibility of the infested areas, and the type of treatment required.

Calling a wasp exterminator near you is the best way to get rid of wasps.

A wasp exterminator will begin by identifying the type of wasp that has invaded your home. They’ll also be able to tell if it’s just a wasp look-alike or the real deal.

Professionals use several different methods to remove stinging insects, such as vacuuming, getting rid of the wasp’s food and shelter, or cleaning and sanitizing your yard space. 

A professional cockroach exterminator should be able to identify the type of roach that’s invaded your home and help get rid of them quickly. Afterward, you can keep the cockroaches away by cleaning up spills, keeping food safely contained, sealing cracks and holes, and reducing moisture buildup. 

It depends on the type of pest control you’re receiving and what the company recommends.

For some treatments, they might recommend you leave the house for a few hours or for a few days if your home is getting fumigated. In other cases, the exterminator may tell you don’t need to leave your house at all — just stay away from the area that was sprayed with pesticide until it dries.

Before they arrive at your home, ask the exterminator if you should plan to leave your house for a certain period of time.

Regular or general pest control treatment of spiders, moths, silverfish and more can last a few months. Bed bug treatment should technically require only one application — unless the source of the bed bugs was improperly identified. Termite treatment can typically last for a few years. 

Before hiring a professional, ask the best exterminators near you how long you can expect the pest control treatment to last.

In general there is no cost for a pest inspection. Exterminators typically provide a free property or building inspection and then provide you with a written estimate outlining the necessary treatment and cost. The home visit allows the exterminator to assess the problem and let you know what your pest control cost will be if you contract with their services. You may need a termite inspection for real estate purposes. This will be a verified inspection showing that the house in question is termite-free (often done before a sale). The inspection may cost a flat rate, such as $125-$150, depending on house size.

It’s hard to predict pest control costs sight unseen due to the variety of factors that go into pest treatment. For example, a bedbug problem for one customer may be confined to one room and be easy to access and treat in one visit if the room is clear of clutter and the bedbugs have been caught early. In another home, a bedbug problem may also be confined to one room, but there’s a great deal of clutter, providing more hiding places for the bugs and requiring more spray and labor for the exterminator, as well as many pieces of large furniture in the room that need to sprayed. Depending on the maturity of the infestation, a bedbug problem may require multiple visits to entirely eliminate. This is why many companies provide a free inspection to determine pest control costs and provide you the most accurate quote possible.