Termite Treatment Types: Full Cost Comparison

Liquid barrier treatment is the most widely used termite treatment in the US. A licensed pest control technician injects liquid termiticide (typically a non-repellent product such as Termidor or Altriset) into the soil around the home's perimeter. The chemical creates a continuous treated zone in the soil that termites cannot detect. Subterranean termites traveling through the soil encounter the treated zone, pick up the chemical, and carry it back to the colony, eventually eliminating it. The treatment requires drilling through concrete slabs, walkways, or patios that cover the soil next to the foundation. A standard-size house (1,500 to 2,500 sq ft) costs $500 to $1,500. Larger homes, those with extensive concrete coverage, or homes requiring treatment in multiple zones cost $1,500 to $2,500 or more. Modern non-repellent termiticides provide 5 to 10 years of protection. Most companies include a renewable warranty with annual inspections.

Bait station systems (such as Sentricon and Trelona) place plastic bait stations in the ground around the perimeter of the home at 10-foot intervals. Each station contains a cellulose matrix that termites prefer to wood. When termites find a station, the pest control company replaces the cellulose with an active bait containing a chitin synthesis inhibitor, which disrupts molting and colony reproduction. Workers carry the bait back to the colony, killing it over several weeks to months. Bait systems have very low chemical exposure compared to liquid treatments, with no soil injection required. They are the preferred option for homes with wells nearby, where liquid injection could potentially affect groundwater. The main downsides are cost and time: the initial installation runs $1,500 to $3,000 and annual monitoring fees of $200 to $400 per year are required to maintain the system and detect new activity. Colony elimination with baiting takes 3 to 6 months, slower than a liquid treatment.

Tent fumigation involves covering the entire structure with a large tent and pumping it full of sulfuryl fluoride gas (Vikane). The gas penetrates wood framing, furniture, and every enclosed space, killing all termites present including drywood termites living inside wood with no soil contact. The home must be vacated for 2 to 3 days, food and medications must be removed or sealed in special bags, and all plants and pets must leave. After treatment, the tent is removed and the home is ventilated until the gas dissipates to safe levels, typically 6 to 8 hours. Fumigation is the most comprehensive treatment for drywood termites because it reaches inside the wood where other methods cannot. Cost is based on cubic footage: $10 to $20 per cubic foot of fumigant space, making a typical home run $1,200 to $2,500 or more. Fumigation kills all termites present at the time but provides no residual protection, meaning re-infestation is possible without ongoing monitoring.

Heat treatment uses industrial electric heaters and blowers to raise the temperature inside the structure (or a targeted section of it) to 120 to 140 degrees F for several hours. At these temperatures, termites in all life stages die. Heat penetrates wall cavities, roof spaces, and inside wood members where chemicals may not reach. The key advantage over fumigation is that the home can often be treated in a single day and reoccupied within hours. The treatment is chemical-free, which is important for households with sensitivities or concerns about pesticide exposure. However, heat treatment has limitations: extremely high temperatures can damage electronics, wax-based products, and certain plastics if not removed or protected. It is most effective for localized drywood infestations. For whole-house treatment, it costs similarly to fumigation. A specialist can combine heat treatment for accessible areas with spot treatment for areas that are harder to heat uniformly.

Spot treatment addresses a localized termite infestation in a specific section of wood or a defined area of the structure. Methods include: direct injection of termiticide into galleries in infested wood through small drill holes, topical application of borate-based wood treatments to exposed wood surfaces, and microwave or electro-gun treatment to kill termites in a specific area without chemicals. Spot treatment is appropriate only when the infestation is genuinely limited to a small area and has been confirmed by a professional inspection to not extend into inaccessible areas. Using spot treatment on a widespread infestation is a false economy: it addresses what is visible while the colony continues damaging inaccessible wood. A professional inspection ($75 to $200) should precede any spot treatment to confirm the scope. If the inspection finds evidence of more extensive activity, a whole-house treatment is the correct approach.