How Much Does It Cost to Exterminate Moths?

Average Cost to Exterminate Moths

How Much Does It Cost to Exterminate Moths by Treatment Method?

There are four primary methods of moth control. A pest control technician can advise you on which method best suits your needs based on the location and level of your infestation.

Parasitic Wasps

This method of moth extermination generally costs $90 and involves placing cards containing Trichoramma eggs around the infested area. The wasps will hatch and grow, and then after mating, the female wasps will leave the cards to seek moth eggs in which to lay their own eggs.

While it may sound a little creepy, parasitic wasps can help rid you of a moth infestation. These parasitic wasps, known as Trichoramma, are most effective against a house or clothes moth infestation.

We know what you’re thinking: exchanging moths for wasps?! But, don’t panic. Trichoramma wasps are incredibly tiny and do not sting. They also require moth eggs in order to continue their life cycle. Once they’ve destroyed the moth infestation in your home, they’ll die, as well, ending up as mere specs of dust.

High-Heat Treatment

Heat treatment averages $120. It's a safe and effective option if you’re dealing with clothes moths or carpet moths. The cost for this treatment will depend on the treatment volume (for clothing, curtains, and other textiles) or area (for carpets, closets, and other spaces).

During a heat treatment, a moth exterminator will remove any contaminated items from the treatment area. The pros generally hang clothing and textiles on racks for treatment, while carpeted areas get powerful heaters pointed at them. Treatments usually last 30 minutes to an hour, and they’re effective because they kill moths at all developmental stages, from egg to adult moths.

Isolated Chemical Treatment

Assuming you have a standard-sized yard, you can expect to pay $100 for chemical treatment. In some cases, you may be able to solve your moth problem with just a single treatment. For particularly serious infestations, a lawn tech may need to return several times to ensure complete eradication. 

If you’re dealing with moths outside of your home, typically within the lawn or in trees, your exterminator will generally elect for a chemical treatment. Most moth control technicians spray professional-grade pesticides like bifenthrin to kill the moths. 

Total Fumigation

The average cost for moth fumigation is $150 if you’re treating just one area or $375 or more if you’re treating the whole house.

When you have an issue with brown moths, pantry moths, and other moths that take up residence inside your home, a local pest control technician may decide that fumigation is the best option. Depending on the severity of the infestation, the tech may suggest fumigation alongside other treatment methods, such as heat treatment or moth traps. 

After having you remove or cover items that may be contaminated by the treatment, the technician will use a pesticide in fog or mist form. They may apply it using a wand and sprayer or by activating aerosol cans. Once the chemical has dissipated, which generally takes a few hours, you’ll be allowed back into your home.

How Much Does It Cost to Exterminate Moths Yourself?

Considering that the cost to hire an exterminator generally works out to about $50 per hour, you stand to save a bit of money if you can treat your moth infestation yourself.

Depending on the location and severity of the pest infestation, you may use the following tools to exterminate moths:

• Space heater for heat treating small areas like closets: $50–$150

• Chemical aerosols for fumigating the house: $10–$30 each

• Spray or granules to treat grass: $20–$50 per treatment of a standard-sized lawn

Keep in mind that for some treatments, such as lawn treatments, you may need to purchase additional equipment such as sprayers or spreaders if you don’t already own them.

Note that treating for moths isn’t a job for everyone. For starters, it can be difficult to pinpoint from where your infestation is originating or what species of moth with which you’re dealing. And then after treatment, you may not be able to tell if you’ve solved the moth problem or whether you need to repeat the treatment for total eradication.

Cost to Exterminate Moths Yourself vs. Hiring a Contractor

Depending on where the moths are and what’s required to kill them, you may be able to use some pest control tips to handle the situation on your own. For example, spreading granules over your lawn is not difficult, and you may already do exactly that if you fertilize your lawn or treat it for other insects, such as ants.

On the other hand, clothes moths can be difficult to treat because they lay their eggs deep inside fabrics and textiles like fur coats and carpet. Buying a space heater and pointing it towards a closet may be enough to kill the moths and their eggs, but there’s also the chance that the heater you buy isn’t powerful enough to get the job done.

In other cases, you may spend just as much on equipment to treat moths as you would spend on an exterminator. When you consider that pest control service techs have the knowledge and experience to get the job done right, it only makes more sense to pay for their time than to potentially waste your own.

How Much Does It Cost to Exterminate Moths by Type?

An important part of putting together a moth removal program involves identifying the species of moth that’s causing issues. Here are the most common moth varieties in the US, how they cause damage, and how much it costs to treat them.

Carpet Moth

You’ll usually pay $120 and $200 per room to exterminate carpet moths. Carpet moths generally make their way into your home as eggs on the bottom of your shoes (or your pet’s feet) or when the adults fly in through an open window or door. Unfortunately, you may not realize you have an infestation until you notice carpet damage where the moth larvae have eaten away at the fibers. 

Clothes Moth

Treating clothes moths generally involve heat or fumigation, at a cost of $150 to $250. Clothes moths and webbing clothes moths are destructive insects that feed on fabric fibers. While you may first be alerted to the moth infestation by seeing adult moths flying around, it’s actually the moth larvae that cause the destruction. 

Gypsy Moth

The cost varies, depending on the number of trees you have, but you’ll usually pay $100 to $150 to eliminate gypsy moths. Gypsy moths are an outdoor variety that attack and kill trees. The most effective form of moth control for this species is chemical treatment. 

House Moth

In general, treatment for house moths costs $90 to $175. House moths, or brown moths, can cause devastating damage inside your home. Their larvae will eat both food goods and textiles, so they can easily spread throughout your house if left unchecked. For this reason, a pest control service tech may suggest using several treatment methods to be sure they get rid of these destructive pests.

Lawn Moth

Exterminating lawn moths usually costs $90 to $130 if you have a standard-sized yard. Lawn moths feed on your grass, leaving brown spots and bare patches in their wake. Because they’re mostly active before and after the sun has gone down, it may take a while before you can trace the lawn damage back to this pest. Thankfully, treatment tends to be quite effective. 

Pantry Moth

Exterminating pantry moths costs $120 to $200. For best results, treatment involves disposing of potentially contaminated food and fumigation. Pantry moths, including grain moths and Indian meal moths, can be annoying for several reasons. For starters, they generally make their way into your home through contaminated dry goods you bring home from the store. 

Once the eggs hatch, they’ll eat the food they came in on and move to other foodstuffs in your cabinets and pantry.

What Factors Influence the Cost to Exterminate Moths?

Type of Moth Infestation

Some moths are easier to treat than others. For example, pantry moths are notoriously difficult to kill because they easily spread from one dry good to another, leaving eggs behind. For this reason, the type of moth you’re dealing with will play a role in how much moth pest control treatment costs.

Level of Moth Infestation

How bad your moth infestation is also contributes to how much you’ll pay for moth extermination. For example, a carpet moth treatment in just one room will cost less than treating your entire home. This is another reason, in addition to the damage they can cause, that it’s important to seek moth treatment sooner rather than later.

Accessibility of Treatment Area

The more work a technician needs to perform to treat your moth problem, the more you’ll pay for treatment. A good example involves home fumigation. The more furniture the tech has to move or the more aerosol cans they need to set up will cause the treatment cost to go up.

Moth Extermination Method

The treatment method your technician uses also has an effect on moth extermination cost. Parasitic wasp treatment is actually one of the least expensive methods because it only involves placing cards around the infested area. Moth fumigation generally costs more because it takes more active effort to prepare and treat the house.

FAQs About Moth Extermination

Can exterminators get rid of moths?

Yes, exterminators can definitely get rid of moths. Depending on where the moths are and what species they are, moth exterminators have several treatment methods at their disposal. The best thing to do if you think you have a pest infestation is to contact a local pest inspector so they may take a look and give you options.

Do you have to fumigate for moths?

Fumigation is definitely one method to treat moths, but it may not be the best depending on your specific problem. For example, if you’re dealing with clothes moths, a pest control technician may decide that using parasitic wasps is the best option.

How long does it take to get rid of moths?

How long it takes to get rid of moths will depend on the treatment method and severity of your pest infestation. Using parasitic wasps generally takes a couple of months for total eradication, while heat treatments typically produce instant results because they kill moths at every stage of development.

What does a moth infestation look like?

Moth infestations may not always be obvious. For example, you may only realize that you have carpet moths when you notice holes in your carpet. Lawn moths often leave behind brown or dead grass. Moths that attack trees cause the tree’s leaves to fall off.