Ant infestations are as unpredictable as the weather. With the country boasting of more than 1,000 species of ants, you can never be too sure that your home is ant-free. If you’ve spotted these small insects crawling around your house, you should consider professional ant extermination.

Most homeowners across the country spend an average of $300 on the extermination, or between $100 – $500. The actual amount you’ll spend will mainly depend on the type of ants and the size of your home.

How much does ant pest control cost

When it comes to ant extermination pricing, different contractors will handle the quotes differently. Most ant exterminators will base their estimates on your home’s square footage, but there are a few who’ll opt for a flat rate.

Overall, expect prices to range from as low as $80 to the highs of $1,200 (in special circumstances).

Cost of ant extermination

Typical range$100 - $500
Minimum cost$80
Maximum cost$1,200
National average$300

Ant extermination cost per square footage

The size of your home plays a significant role in the total amount you’ll spend on ant extermination.

Generally, bigger homes mean that ants have more places to hide making the treatments much more labor-intensive and requiring more products. As such, an ant exterminator will charge you much higher.

For instance, treating an ant infestation in a 1,000 sq. ft house will cost you between $175 – $250, while doing the same for a 2,000 sq. ft home will cost you anywhere from $200 – $350.

These costs may be slightly cheaper if you’re opting for a one-time treatment. Here’s a breakdown of the impact of square footage on the extermination prices.

Home SizeLowHigh
500 sq. ft $150$200
1,000 sq. ft$175$250
1,500 sq. ft$200$275
2,000 sq. ft $250$350
3,000 sq. ft $300$400
4,000 sq. ft $350$500

Professional ant extermination flat rates

Some pest control companies also opt to charge a flat rate for a one-time treatment visit. These extermination companies provide a set of services for which they can offer a warranty that covers the follow-up visit(s) if the ants resurface within a certain set period of time.

On average, these flat rates range from $75 – $135 for one-time treatments. You might also find exterminators charging $200+ for longer warranties (up to 12 months).

Ant extermination cost by type of ant

Besides the size of your home, you might also spend more on extermination depending on the type of ant that’s in your home.

In the United States, there are six major types of ants that are common in residential homes i.e.,

  • Pharaoh ants
  • Carpenter ants
  • Fire ants
  • Sugar ant
  • Argentine ant
  • Pavement ant
Ant speciesLowHigh
Fire ants$100$300
Carpenter ants$250$500
Pharaoh ants$200$250
Sugar ant$200$250
Argentine ant$200$300
Pavement ant$150$300

Fire ant control

Fire ants are a species of ants that attack by stinging their victims, resulting in an itching and painful sting. The ants appear reddish-brown with much darker abdomen.

The average cost to get rid of fire ants ranges from $100 – $300. The ant is very prevalent in the Southern parts of the country, especially around South Carolina and Texas.

Pavement ant control

Another quite common ant species in the United States is the pavement ant, sometimes known as the Black ant queen. These small pests occur as dark brown to black, and have two spines, grooves on the thorax and head, as well as antennae.

Getting rid of the pavement ants will cost you anywhere from $150 – $300. The insects are more prevalent in Northern parts of the country and Canada.

Carpenter ant control

The carpenter ant is the most common type of ant found in America. It’s what most people think of when they first picture ants. They tend to be quite big, and can easily be confused with termites since they both cause massive damage to wood.

Carpenter ants are usually reddish-brown or black and come in different sizes. They’re particularly very stubborn to exterminate because they tend to come back after a while.

You can, therefore, expect to spend anywhere from $250 – $500 for the carpenter ants extermination.

Pharaoh ant control

The pharaoh ant is another very common ant found in our households. It’s known to be very small and travels in multi-colonies. The ants appear in various colors, from light brown to red and sometimes, yellow.

Owing to their small size, getting rid of these ants is very difficult. On average, you can expect to spend anywhere from $200 – $250.

Sugar ant control

Right from their name, sugar ants refer to a species of ants that mainly feeds on sugar and other sweet foods. These insects are very common in the kitchen, pantries, and living areas where you’re likely to spill juice, honey, and other foods.

Male sugar ants are usually black in color while the female ants are orange in appearance. You’re more likely to spot these insects during the months of July and August.

An ant exterminator will charge you anywhere from $200 – $250 to get rid of these ants.

Argentine ant control

Expect to spend anywhere from $200 – $300 for the extermination of Argentine ants. These ants are usually quite large in size and come in a range of colors from dark to light brown.

The Argentine ants are very rampant in Southern cities of the United States, particularly in California. They can also be found in more than 15 countries across the six continents, including the island of Hawaii.

Other common ants

Besides the ants mentioned above, other common ants you might find in your house include the odorous house ant and acrobat ant which tend to thrive in moist areas of your home.

When squashed or threatened, odorous house ants tend to excrete a nasty smell that attracts more ants to your home. They also transmit the harmful bacteria, Salmonella, through contaminating your food or open wounds, posing a health risk to your family.

The ant treatment cost to get rid of these ants varies between $200 and $250.

Ant extermination cost by infestation location

The rooms in your house infested with ants also influence how much you’ll spend on the extermination. This is because the labor required to eliminate ants is different for every room.

In a room like your basement or lawn, ants have multiple hiding spots making it much harder for an ant exterminator to eliminate. They’ll also need more treatment products for their job to be effective.

On the other hand, it’ll be much easier to spot and get rid of ants in your kitchen, pantry, or shed. As such, pest control services will offer relatively affordable quotes for such rooms than in other rooms of the house.

Here’s a breakdown of how much you can expect to spend if you have an ant infestation in one of these rooms.

Location LowHigh
Kitchen$100$300
Bedroom$200$500
Shed$100$300
Pantry$80$300
Heating duct $150$400
Garage $100$600
Attic$150$600
Basements$200$500
Floorboards$150$400
Lawn$100$500
Plant pots $100$400
Under house foundation$200$500
Walls$100$500
Ceiling$125$300
Window frame$125$400
Car$200$700

Kitchen

Ants love the kitchen because of all the food it offers. From crumbs to open food dishes, the ants can almost always rely on your kitchen.

Depending on the size of the kitchen and the number of furniture present, kitchen extermination may cost you anywhere from $100 – $300. However, an exterminator’s cost may rise to $500+ in cases of a severe ant infestation.

Outdoors

Ants may also be found in your lawn or yard, where they find shelter in the leaves and grass. If you have fruit trees or vegetables on your lawn, the ants might also be there to feed on any fruits that fall on the ground.

This becomes a huge problem for you, and hence, you may spend anywhere from $100 – $500 on the extermination.

Car

Although not very common, ants can also be easily drawn to your car, especially if you eat inside and fail to wash it regularly. The small spaces in the car provide excellent hiding spots for these tiny insects, making it much harder for ant exterminators to reach.

You’ll therefore pay significantly higher if you need a car ant extermination. On average, most pest control companies will charge you from $200 – $700 for the job.

Get Matched with a Tree Removal Expert in Your State

Ant extermination costs by the level of infestation

You’ll also find that exterminators will charge you differently depending on the level of ant infestation in your house. The reason for this is that generally, you’ll spend fewer products and less time treating a small infestation than a severe one.

The level of ant infestation also determines how often an exterminator needs to follow up after the treatment and which treatment method is most effective.

As such, depending on the infestation levels, you can expect to spend anywhere from $200 – $1,300.

Level of infestation LowHigh
Small$150$350
Medium $250$600
Large $500$1,000
Severe $800$1,300

Small infestation

An infestation is only regarded as small if it only affects one room and it’s caught right at its onset. Small ant infestations don’t usually require a follow-up visit and so are relatively cheap.

You can expect to spend an average of $200 for the job, or between $150 – $350 depending on the ant species.

Medium infestation

This refers to ant infestations that spread across multiple rooms but not the entire house. You might notice a few ants walking around or their droppings lying in several parts of the house.

Treatment for medium infestations will usually require several follow-up visits, making the total costs pricey.

Expect to spend at least $250 on the job, with most exterminators charging between $300 – $1,300.

Large to severe infestation

This defines an infestation that has spread all over your house or yard. Such infestations are characterized by colonies of ants walking across your open spaces.

You may also notice several ant mounds in your yard or house, even if they’re not very large. As such, exterminators will need to use multiple treatment methods as well as make several visits to ensure the ants are completely gone.

This will significantly increase the cost of ant removal, forcing you to spend anywhere from $800 – $1,300.

Ant extermination cost by frequency

Again, how often an ant exterminator visits you will affect how much you’ll spend. The industry standards today dictate that any pest control professionals in the market should offer at least these four treatment plans:

  • One-time visits
  • Monthly treatment plans
  • Quarterly treatment plans
  • Annual treatment plans

Most one-time visits usually cost around $250 and are more suitable for homeowners with a small ant infestation. Homeowners with medium infestations often opt for quarterly and yearly plans.

The quarterly treatment plan usually costs anywhere from $350 – $600 while the annual plan costs between $100 – $200 per visit.

For homes with large and severe infestations, the monthly plan is the best treatment plan. Some exterminators may even curate a bi-monthly plan for you to prevent the ants from coming back.

Opting for the monthly treatments will cost you between $800 – $1,300 depending on the type of ant (i.e., higher for carpenter ants) and the size of the house.

Note that these costs are usually paid annually and don’t account for any discounts you might receive.

FrequencyLowHigh
One-time visit $150$350
Monthly plan$800$1,300
Quarterly plan$350$600
Yearly plan$100$200

Ant extermination cost by method of treatment

Another crucial price point for your ant extermination cost is the method of treatment employed by your exterminator. Depending on what the expert goes for, you’ll spend anywhere from $150 – $4,000.

Besides the treatments, these costs also account for the cleaning and cracks patching or repairs, if the ant exterminator is to handle them.

Treatment methodLowHigh
Poison treatment$100$220
Ant fumigation$1,300$4,000
Two-step method$500$1,000+
Mound treatments$100$150
Barrier sprays$80$150

Poison treatment

In this treatment method, exterminators set poisoned ant baits along the path of the ants. Once the ants carry the bait back to their nests, all ants eat it and die. This makes ant traps one of the cheapest treatments in the market.

Most homeowners spend anywhere from $100 – $220 on bait traps. You, however, may need to wait for weeks to see the results depending on the amount of bait and the size of the ant colonies.

Ant fumigation

Fumigation is the most expensive treatment method for your ant problem. It’s usually the last resort for exterminators once all other treatments have failed.

The treatment is expensive because the chemicals required for the fogging can be costly. Fumigation also extends to the entire house and kills not just ants but also other pests like rodents and spiders.

The average cost of ant fumigation ranges between $1,300 – $4,000, depending on the size of your house.

Note: You might also have to vacate your home for at least 3 days during the fumigation process.

Two-step method

Also known as the Texas Two-step method, this treatment combines two strategies of treatment to get rid of the ants.

The first step is usually spreading an insecticide (broadcast methods), or poisoned bait traps all over the infested areas i.e., yard or house.

The second step is usually treating the ant mounds individually, to ensure that all the ants are gone. Exterminators usually use mound granular, drench or dust to treat each mound at least 3 days after setting the bait traps.

There are other variations of the two-step method depending on the type of ants so, consult your ant exterminator to find out how they’ll conduct the treatment.

Expect to spend anywhere from $500 – $1,000 on this treatment method.

Mound treatment

Treating fire ant mounds will usually cost an average of between $100 – $150. The method involves applying chemicals into ant mounds to kill the queen of the colonies and other remaining ants.

The method is mainly used alongside the poisoned ant traps to ensure that no ant remains standing. Some exterminators may also pour hot, boiling water into the fire ant mounds, which tends to kill ants nearly 60% each time.

Barrier sprays

This treatment method involves spraying ant repellants across your entire house to kill the ants.

Most ant control services, however, only use barrier sprays after conducting other treatments, e.g., poisoned bait, as a way to ensure the ants don’t come back. You’ll, therefore, notice this treatment being used mainly during the follow-up visits.

The average cost of barrier sprays treatment stands between $80 – $150.

Ant extermination cost by company

Who you hire for the extermination job will also influence how much you spend. This is because different companies use different treatment products and have expertise in different treatment methods.

The three biggest pest control companies in the country today are Orkin, Terminix, and Aptive Environmental. Here’s how much you’ll spend on either company.

Company LowHigh
Terminix$150$1,200
Orkin $200$1,400
Aptive Environmental$200$1,500
Ant extermination cost by company

Terminix

Being the world’s largest pest control company, Terminix has made a name for itself as the best extermination company around. The charges for exterminating ants with the company range from $150 – $1,200.

For one-time visits, Terminix will charge you at least $200 and around $475 for their annual plan. Monthly treatments tend to cost around $100 per visit.

Orkin

This company has quickly become a household name, renowned for its excellence in customer satisfaction. It’s widely known as the best pest control company for emergency pest control services.

The company charges an average of between $200 – $1,400 on ant treatments. This makes it only slightly more expensive than Terminix.

Their quarterly treatment plan costs around $300 while that of the annual plan is approximately $500.

Aptive Environmental

If you’re looking for more flexibility in pricing and payments, Aptive Environmental is the company for you. Started in 2015, the company boasts of its comprehensive covers and eco-friendly solutions to pest problems.

The average cost of ant treatment with Aptive Environmental ranges between $200 – $1,500.

Get Matched with a Tree Removal Expert in Your State

Average ant exterminator cost (handyman)

If you opt to hire a handyman to help with the ant treatment, expect to spend anywhere from $70 – $150 per hour. This quote will cover the cost of making repairs, sealing cracks, and blocking all other entry points for the ants.

How long does it take for exterminators to get rid of ants?

Even though the treatment may take just a few hours, results won’t be seen for at least 3 days to a few weeks or even months.

The actual timeline will depend on the level of infestation, treatment method used, and whether or not the ant exterminator makes follow-up visits.

Ant damage repair cost


When left untreated, ants can cause a ton of damage to your house. Carpenter ants, for instance, usually pose the same threat to your house as termites.

If the attic, floors, or walls are wooden, they can easily chew through it, leading to serious damage to the home’s structure. Repairing this damage may cost you as much as $1,500 for treatment.

What’s worse, damages from the carpenter ants, or termites for that matter, aren’t covered in your homeowner’s insurance.

Ant damage repair cost

How much does it cost to exterminate ants yourself?

If you opt to handle the ant extermination yourself, you can expect to spend anywhere from $50 – $250, depending on the size of your home. Some of the expenses you might incur include:

  • Ant sprays – $5 – $8 for each can
  • Ant granules – $10 – $15 for each gallon
  • Ant baits – $6 – $12 for each 4-pack

You’ll also spend more on protective gear and other supplies you might need. Nevertheless, DIY methods will only be effective for a small infestation.

If you have large or severe infestations, contacting an ant exterminator is the only way you can prevent future ant infestations.

Additionally, you also need to hire an ant exterminator if you have stubborn ants like the carpenter ants, even in cases of a small infestation. Handling such insects is tricky since they are repellent to some of the conventional treatment methods.

FAQ's

Between three days to several months. How fast you get rid of the ants will depend on the treatment methods you use.

Sadly, yes! When you squash ants, they emit pheromones (scents) that attract the ants in a nearby colony to your house.

No. Ants can come into your house at any point of the year as they seek food and shelter. That said, ants are, however, more active during summer.

Yes. A professional exterminator has the right tools and knows the best treatments to get rid of ants in your home or yard. He/she is also more experienced meaning he can guarantee you an ant-free space after the treatment.

Ben McInerney
Author: Ben McInerney - Ben is a qualified arborist with 15 plus years of industry experience in Arboriculture. He ran a successful tree service before turning to writing and publishing. Ben is dedicated to providing users with the most accurate up-to-date information on everything trees.