Tag
What pest control costs: DIY supplies versus professional treatment, with sourced prices.
Mice & rats · Costs
Price guides list $189–$655 for rats and $150–$550 for mice, but 53 pro quotes homeowners shared for jobs that include sealing had a $2,000 median. Doing it yourself costs about $57–87 in traps, copper mesh, gloves and bleach.
Cockroaches · Traps & Baits
Yes, roach bait works: many pea-sized gel dots in cracks where roaches hide, no spray nearby, fresh bait every week or two. A $27 box of four tubes vs. about $300 for a single pro visit.
Cockroaches · Traps & Baits
Sticky roach traps rarely wipe out roaches; they show where to bait and whether it worked. A 12-pack runs about $10, and a bit of beer-soaked bread makes each trap catch far more.
Silverfish · Get Rid of Pests
Dry the room below 60% humidity, trap for a few nights to find the hot spots, then dust cracks with boric acid or diatomaceous earth. Supplies run about $47–52; a pro charges $200–$700.
Mice & rats · Costs
Exterminators inspect, set traps or bait stations, seal gaps and come back to check. What each visit should include, why traps may be left unset, and the quote red flags.
Cockroaches · Repellents
Roaches avoid citrus, cinnamon, lavender and peppermint oils in lab tests, but no smell kills the ones already inside. A $10 peppermint spray only repels; about $54 of bait, traps and caulk gets rid of them.
Mice & rats · Identify
Rarely. A house mouse stays within about 30 feet of its nest, breeds year-round indoors, and cold drives it in, not out. Trapping plus sealing runs about $57–71 in supplies.
Rats · Traps & Baits
A pea-sized dab of chunky peanut butter, or a nut, raisin or bit of bacon tied to the trigger. Leave traps unset until the bait is taken, then set them all.
Clothes moths · Get Rid of Pests
Find the infested wool, wash it hot or freeze it, vacuum the closet and rug edges, store woolens sealed. About $11 in traps confirms it worked; no mothballs.
Flies & gnats · Get Rid of Pests
Find the breeding drain with tape overnight, scrub the slime out with a stiff brush, then flush it or use a bacterial drain gel. Bleach won’t do it. Supplies run about $29–46; a pro charges $170–375.
Mice & rats · Get Rid of Pests
You don't need to cut the drywall. Trap where the mice come out, seal the outside gaps first, and skip poison so nothing dies inside the wall. About $57–71 in supplies.
Cockroaches · Get Rid of Pests
Gel bait plus sticky traps, not sprays: clean up food and water, put pea-sized dabs of bait where roaches hide, and recheck every 2–4 weeks. Supplies start at about $24; shared quotes for a full pro treatment run $450–$1,500.
