Here’s the number that stops homeowners cold: termites cause an estimated $5 billion in property damage across the US every year — and almost none of it is covered by homeowners insurance. Insurers class termite damage as preventable maintenance, not a sudden peril. That means the repair bill is yours, and it’s usually far larger than the treatment would have been.
So what does treatment actually cost? The honest answer is a wide range, because “termite treatment” describes at least five different procedures aimed at three different insects. Here’s how the pricing really works.
The Short Answer
Most homeowners pay somewhere between $500 and $3,000 for termite treatment, with the national middle sitting around $1,200 to $1,800 for a whole-home job.
But that range hides everything that matters:
- Spot or localised treatment: $250–$800 — one active area, caught early
- Liquid barrier (whole home): $1,300–$3,000+ — the standard for subterranean termites
- Bait station system: $1,200–$3,500 to install, plus $300–$500 a year monitoring
- Heat treatment: $1,000–$2,500 — chemical-free, for localised drywood infestations
- Fumigation (tenting): $1,500–$6,000+, typically priced per square foot — for widespread drywood termites
Inspections are frequently free, and where charged run $75–$150.
First: Which Termite Do You Have?
This determines the treatment, and therefore most of the cost. A contractor who doesn’t identify the species before quoting isn’t doing the job properly.
Subterranean termites
By far the most common and the most destructive. They live in soil and build the mud tubes you’ll find running up foundation walls. Because they nest in the ground, treatment targets the soil around the structure — liquid barriers or bait stations.
Drywood termites
Live entirely inside the wood they eat, with no soil contact. Common in coastal and southern states. Soil treatment does nothing for them — you need fumigation, heat, or localised injection.
Dampwood termites
Attracted to wood with a genuine moisture problem. Treatment usually means fixing the leak or drainage issue first; the termites often leave once the wood dries.
If you’re not sure what you’re dealing with, our guide to termite warning signs every homeowner should know covers mud tubes, discarded wings, hollow-sounding wood and frass.
The Treatment Methods, and What Each Really Costs
Liquid Soil Barrier — $1,300 to $3,000+
A termiticide is trenched and injected into the soil around the entire foundation, creating a treated zone termites can’t cross. This is the default for subterranean termites and generally the best value for a whole-home job.
Priced largely by linear feet of foundation, roughly $5–$12 per foot. A 150-foot perimeter therefore lands around $750–$1,800 before complications. Concrete patios, driveways or additions that must be drilled through push it higher.
Lasts: typically 5–10 years depending on product and soil.
Bait Stations — $1,200 to $3,500 plus annual monitoring
Stations are installed in the soil at intervals around the property. Termites feed on the bait, carry it back, and the colony collapses over months.
Slower than liquid, and it carries an ongoing cost most people don’t factor in — $300 to $500 a year for monitoring and refills, indefinitely. Over a decade that can exceed the liquid barrier by a wide margin. It’s the better choice where drilling isn’t practical, or where you’d rather avoid injecting termiticide around the whole foundation.
Fumigation / Tenting — $1,500 to $6,000+
The whole structure is tented and filled with gas. It’s the only reliable answer to widespread drywood infestation, and it’s priced by volume — commonly $1–$4 per square foot.
Budget for the disruption too: you’ll be out of the house for 2–3 days, and all food, medication and pet supplies must be removed or sealed.
Heat Treatment — $1,000 to $2,500
The structure or affected section is heated to around 120°F for several hours. No chemicals, same-day return, effective on drywood termites in accessible areas. Less suitable for large or complex structures, and it offers no residual protection at all.
Spot Treatment — $250 to $800
Direct injection into a specific piece of infested wood. Cheap and effective if the infestation is genuinely confined — which is exactly what’s hard to establish. Getting this wrong means paying twice.
What Pushes Your Quote Up
- Home size and foundation length — the primary driver on liquid treatments
- Foundation type — slab-on-grade often needs drilling through concrete; crawl spaces are easier to treat but harder to access
- Infestation severity — an established colony may need repeat visits
- Accessibility — landscaping, decking and patios in the way all add labour
- Region — the southeast and southwest have both higher termite pressure and more competition; pricing varies more than you’d expect
- Damage repair — entirely separate from treatment, and frequently the larger number. Structural repairs commonly run $3,000 and up.
The Insurance Trap
Worth stating plainly because it catches people out every year: standard homeowners insurance does not cover termite damage or treatment. Insurers treat it as a preventable maintenance failure. There are narrow exceptions — if termite damage causes a sudden collapse, some policies may respond — but you should assume you’re paying.
What does exist is a termite bond (or warranty), usually $300–$500 a year, under which the company re-treats free if termites return. Read whether it covers damage repair or only re-treatment — most cover only the latter, and that difference is worth thousands.
Can You Treat Termites Yourself?
Honestly: mostly no, and this is one of the few jobs where we’d say that flatly.
DIY foam and spray products can kill termites you can see, which is a small fraction of the colony. Subterranean colonies can number in the hundreds of thousands and sit metres from the structure. Professional-grade termiticides are restricted-use for good reason, and applying a soil barrier correctly requires trenching to a specified depth at a specified rate all the way around a building.
Where DIY genuinely helps is prevention: keep mulch and soil below the siding line, store firewood away from the house, fix leaks quickly, and keep crawl spaces ventilated. Standing water against a foundation is an open invitation — see how to fix a soggy yard.
How to Get a Fair Price
- Get three inspections and three written quotes. Most inspections are free. Quotes for identical work routinely differ by more than $1,000.
- Make them name the species in writing. Treatment method follows from it, and a company that skips this step is guessing.
- Ask what’s included — follow-up visits, warranty length, and whether re-treatment is free.
- Check licensing. Pest control is state-licensed everywhere in the US. Ask for the number.
- Separate treatment from repair. Never accept one combined figure — you want to know what each costs, and you may want a different contractor for the repair.
- Don’t be rushed. High-pressure “sign today” tactics are common in this industry. Termites have been eating for months; another week for a second opinion changes nothing.
The Bottom Line
For most homeowners with subterranean termites, a liquid barrier at $1,300–$3,000 with a transferable warranty is the sensible answer. Drywood infestations that have spread need fumigation, and that’s simply a bigger number.
The one thing not worth economising on is the inspection. An annual professional inspection costs little or nothing and catches infestations while they’re still a $500 problem rather than a $15,000 one. If you’ve seen mud tubes, discarded wings, or wood that sounds hollow when tapped, book one this week — and read when to call a professional pest control service for what to expect from the visit.
Cost figures are estimates compiled for budgeting purposes and vary significantly by region, structure and infestation severity. They are not a quote. Always obtain written quotes from licensed local professionals — see our Disclaimer.
