How Much Does Pest Control Cost in Australia?

Average Pest Control Prices for Homes and Businesses

The cost of professional pest control services in Australia varies depending on several key factors, but you can expect to pay an average of $150 to $350 for a standard pest treatment at a 3 bedroom residential property. This covers common household pests like cockroaches, ants, spiders, and silverfish. More severe infestations or harder to eradicate pests may require multiple treatments or specialised methods, increasing costs.

Professional pest controllers use advanced methods and commercial-grade products to effectively eliminate them and prevent future infestations. Their expertise and equipment allows them to reach places homeowners can’t and ensure pests are fully eradicated. When done properly, it protects your home and family’s health.

Average Pest Control Costs

Here is an overview of average prices by property type:

Note: Prices vary between different pest control companies, regions, and the specifics of your infestation. Get quotes from 3-4 local services to find the best value.

What’s Included in Pest Control Services

When you hire professionals, the treatments are customised to target the specific pests in your home. But in general, you can expect:

Extermination:

Using commercial-grade sprays, dusts, traps and/or fumigation, your technician will kill all detectable bugs on site and eliminate nests/breeding areas.

Prevention:

Pest control techs will seal cracks and holes, install monitoring devices, apply deterrents and take steps to prevent future infestations after eliminating current ones.

Ongoing Maintenance:

Many companies offer regular maintenance visits ranging from every 3 months to once a year to monitor for pest activity and respond promptly if any is spotted. Maintenance plans cost less per visit than one-time treatments.

Costs for Common Pest Control

Here are typical costs to treat some of the most common house pest problems in Australia:

• Cockroaches – $200 to $350 for initial roach extermination treatment. Ongoing prevention services/maintenance extra.
• Ants – $150 to $250 per treatment depending on nest size. High pest infestations may require multiple visits.
• Spiders – Included in standard pest control treatments. More for specialty spider removal services.
• Rodent treatment – $180 to $350 for initial mouse/rat elimination. Includes traps, deterrents and sealing entry points.
• Silverfish – $150 to $300 per silverfish removal treatment. Includes residual insecticide sprays.
• Bees – Starting at $250 to remove bee and wasp nests. Higher for large nests.
• Termite treatment – $300 to $1,500+ for termite control depending on infestation size. May require tenting structure.
• Termite Inspections – $150 to $300 per home inspection to identify any termite activity and damage. Most companies offer free inspections with treatment quotes.
• Termite Barriers – $750+ for installation of full barrier treatment around foundations during construction to prevent future termite infestations from occurring. Barriers generally cost at least $16 per linear metre.

Here are average rates for major Australian cities:

Prices generally correlate with cost of living. Get quotes from local companies.

What Impacts the Price?

Several things can make the cost of professional pest service go up or down for your home or commercial properties. Here’s a breakdown of the main factors:

Service Type

• Fumigating your whole building costs more because it’s very labor intensive to seal and fill the space with gases.
• Just setting out traps or bait stations is cheaper but can take longer to kill all bugs.
• Using eco-friendly products costs more because the natural ingredients are more expensive.

Building Type

• Controlling pests at restaurants, offices, warehouses, and stores costs more because they are bigger than homes so need more chemicals and man hours.
• Large warehouses are often charged by the square foot for treatment size.

Treatment Kind

• “Green” pest control using plant-based sprays and no harsh chemicals costs about 1.5 times more since the products are pricier.

Type Of Pest

• Eliminating termites, bed bugs, and fleas generally costs more per treatment because these bugs hide well and take more thorough work to remove.

How Bad the Infestation Is

• The more roaches, ants, mice or other critters that are found in the building, the longer it takes to get rid of them so the higher the price.

Home or Yard Size

• Treating larger homes with 4 or 5 bedrooms can cost more than smaller ones because they require more pesticide and man hours.
• Homes with very big yards or gardens can cost more if unwanted guests are also outside.

Number of Visits

• Signing up for regular maintenance visits every few months costs less per visit rather than paying only when you have a bad bug problem.

DIY Pest Control Costs

For those willing to take pest control into their own hands, there are some DIY methods and commercial products available. These include:

• Traps and Baits – Rodent traps cost $5 to $15 each or a full trap kit runs $30 to $50. Ant/cockroach baits run $10 to $30.
• Pesticide – General household bug sprays cost $10 to $25 per bottle. Heavy duty concentrates run $30 to $80.
• Foggers – Pest control foggers/bug bombs cost $15 to $30 per unit. Multiple needed for full home coverage.
• Repellants – Granules, spikes, powders and other deterrent products range from $10 to $40 depending on type and coverage area.
• Sealants/Filling – Caulk, foam, screens and materials to seal entry points can run $30 to $100 or more.

The advantage of DIY treatment is lower upfront costs, but results are mixed. Without proper training or professional equipment, home treatments often fail to fully eliminate pests and any survivors can develop resistance. You may end up calling the pros eventually anyway. Professional services have the tools, products, knowledge and experience to quickly eradicate them and prevent their return.

How to Find Reputable Pest Company

When hiring professional pest control experts:

• Get estimates from 3 to 4 local companies
• Read reviews and check license/insurance status
• Verify participation in industry associations
• Ask about their methods, pest control products and guarantees
• Get clearly written quotes spelling out services, costs and guarantees

This ensures you find a reputable provider who handles pests effectively and guarantees their work. Taking the time to hire the right pest control pays off with successful elimination of invaders and peace of mind that your property is clean and protected.

Conclusion

Hiring professionals is the best way to quickly and effectively eliminate any unwanted invaders in your home or business. While DIY methods may seem cheaper, they often fail or backfire, costing you more in the end.

The exact price of pest control varies based on the factors outlined here, but you can expect to invest anywhere from $100 to $1,500+ to have your infestation completely taken care of by the experts. This not only saves you time and hassle, but more importantly protects your health, home value, and quality of life from structural damage caused by pests.

Don’t let an invasion impact you any longer. Call a licensed pro in your area and request quotes from at least 3 companies today. A little time and money spent now can prevent devastating problems down the road.