While you may think your wildlife issue is a simple one, the costs to remove them can vary quite a bit. You may find yourself paying anywhere from $150 up to even $1000 depending on many factors. While some pest removal experts will charge a flat fee, others may charge an initial service fee with the actual cost increasing depending on how they assess the situation. This may involve an hourly fee after an initial timeframe or a single determined cost.

Things that can affect the cost of pest removal

While hiring a pest removal company might seem like a straightforward expense, there are several factors that can play into the actual cost of hiring a company to deal with your infestation.

1. The kind of pest you are dealing with

Depending on what kind of pest you need removed, the job can range from fairly simple to quite complicated. A single squirrel that’s made its way into your attic is going to be a lot easier to remove than a family of raccoons during baby season. In the same vein, spraying for spiders or ants is much less risky than trapping an angry possum.

2. Whether there are babies involved

If a pest removal expert determines that there are no babies involved in the removal, the process can be fairly simple. In this case often exclusion methods like setting up a one-way trap or exit can solve the problem. However, if a raccoon, squirrel or other pest has had babies in the space the removal can become more difficult and in turn, more expensive.

3. Where in your home the infestation is located

Some areas are easy to get at than others and if a removal expert has to tear out wall or ceiling or get into some other hard to access space the removal fees can add up quickly. Not only will the professional have to find a way to access the infestation with as little damage as possible, you’ll also have to pay for the repairs after the fact. On the flip side, an easy to access infestation can help keep the cost lower.

4. How much damage they’ve done

One of the costliest parts of a pest infestation is often the clean up after they’ve been removed. If an animal has been living in your attic or basement for an extended period and been able to create a lot of damage to the space, you might have a big repair bill after the removal has been completed.

5. The level of cleanup needed

Some animals are more likely to leave a significant mess behind than others, and this clean up cost needs to be factored into the overall cost of pest removal. Bats will leave layers of harmful guano; rodents can tear apart insulation and leave their urine and feces to be cleaned and mice will leave trails of dangerous droppings that all need to be cleaned up.

6. What prevention methods have to be taken

Once the pest has been removed from your home, you’ll want to take steps to prevent their re-entry. The amount of pest proofing that needs to be done can affect your overall cost of pest control. Things like covering vents, repairing holes and gaps in soffits and sealing window cracks will help prevent critters from re-entering.

Are DIY methods cheaper?

You could save some money by doing some of the work yourself, but there are things to keep in mind if you go this route. Leaving things like excrement, chewed up wires, worn down wood beams and torn up insulation can lead to health and fire hazards.

At the end of the day, you’ll want to consider whether the cost to hire someone who knows how to do the job efficiently is going to be a better investment than buying the traps and figuring out how to do each step yourself.