Bed bugs are small insects that usually live on furniture and bedding. Their bites can cause itching but there aren’t usually any other health concerns.
When you visit an infested hotel or property when on holiday, they attach themselves to items like clothing, backpacks, furnishings and other fabrics to follow you home.
Once an infestation has occurred, DIY methods of removal are ineffective and require chemical treatment. Therefore, you’ll need to hire a professional to get them treated and removed.
This article will cover how much you can expect to pay for treating bed bugs and factors that affect the cost.
Average Cost in the UK
Below are the prices per room for spray treatments and include VAT.
| Bed Bug Treatment | Cost Per Room |
|---|---|
| UK Average | £50 |
| Typical Range | £35 - £70 |
Example prices are given are different house types below.
| Bed Bug Treatment Example | Cost (1 Visit) | Cost (2 Visits) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Bedroom House, Bedrooms Only | £100 | £200 |
| 2 Bedroom House, Full House | £200 | £400 |
| 3 Bedroom House, Bedrooms Only | £150 | £295 |
| 3 Bedroom House, Full House | £250 | £495 |
| 4 Bedroom House, Bedrooms Only | £200 | £395 |
| 4 Bedroom House, Full House | £300 | £595 |
Most companies will offer a callout free of charge. However, others may charge for a callout to cover themselves. Expect to pay roughly £40 – £50 including VAT if a company charges for a callout.
Why You Can Trust This Data
We contacted 27 companies across the UK for quotes on bed bugs for both a single room and multiple rooms. Most companies quoted depending on the number of rooms that need to be treated, although others had a set price.
Once we got enough cost data to accurately determine the cost, we then averaged the prices and took the lowest and highest ranges. All our prices are independent with no interference from other companies.
Factors That Affect the Cost
Type of Treatment Used
The two ways to treat bed bugs are fumigation and heat treatment.
Fumigation is used when immediate eradication of bed bugs is needed and involves chemical treatment. It is used to treat whole complexes at once.
Heat treatment does not require chemical usage and treats bed bugs by heating infected to temperatures high enough to kill every stage of a bed bug.
A pest control specialist will be able to advise which is more appropriate for your infestation. Expect to pay more for heat treatment than fumigation.
During our research, one contractor quoted for heat treatment:
- £525 + VAT for 1 room
- £750 + VAT for 2 rooms
- £100 + VAT per additional room treated.
Level of Infestation
Bed bugs are amongst the worst pests to get rid of and very rarely you can get away with one visit. To fully eradicate bed bugs often requires two visits, but if you’re lucky, you may only need the one visit.
Location
Labour costs in London and the south of England are generally more expensive than elsewhere.
If the contractor needs to travel beyond a certain radius that they serve, then they may charge an extra call out fee on top. Not all pest control companies offer to treat bed bugs, so this could be a possibility if you live in a rural area.
Heat Treatment vs Chemical Spray
Chemical Spray
The traditional spray method is usually the most cost-effective option, especially for low levels of infestation. However, when the infestation is more severe, then heat treatment may be preferred.
Because the eggs can take up to a month to hatch, and the residuals have pretty much worn off within two weeks, generally about two visits about 2.5 weeks apart is recommended to give around 5 weeks of effective residual.
There are also a few things to remember when using the conventional spray method:
- Chemical treatment usually requires more than one visit to completely eradicate bed bugs and cannot kill the eggs
- Certain bed bug species have built up resistance to most insecticides on the market
- Certain materials cannot be treated with chemical
Heat treatment is far more expensive than the conventional chemical spray, but may be necessary.
Heat Treatment
Heat treatment, or heat remediation, is a safe and effective method of treating bed bugs.
It is more expensive but can be more effective. It is particularly appropriate where infestation is well established and seems impossible to deal with using professional strength insecticides.
If heat treatment is used, the facility can be inhabited immediately once the treatment has been completed.
It is an effective treatment because:
- It doesn’t rely on the bugs coming out over in the insecticide.
- It kills all life stages, including the eggs (insecticide doesn’t kill the eggs)
- It treats items we can’t treat with insecticide (e.g clothes, books)
However, because no chemicals are used, it can’t offer protection against future infestations.
How to Choose a Contractor
I recommend that you steer clear of anyone that is just going to spray insecticide as BB’s have built up a resistance to most insecticides on the market.
Look out for certifications below, which can act as a benchmark for quality within the pest control industry
- BPCA – British Pest Control Association. Ensures companies have at least £2 million Public and Products Liability insurance and have been audited to BS EN 16636 Standard for Pest Management
- NPTA – National Pest Technicians Association
- CHAS – Contractor Health and Safety Assessment Scheme
- CEPA – Confederation of European Pest Management Associations
- Think Wildlife – for responsible rodenticide use
No contractor can 100% guarantee the removal of bed bugs with insecticide. A contractor with good preparation, the right approach and insecticide, plus good post-treatment protocol on your end, and see where you are at after about five weeks.
Look out for contractors that will have guarantees that will come out if the infestation isn’t completed sorted. The longer the infestation has been there, the harder it’s going to be to get rid of with insecticide.
Get Prices on Bed Bug Treatments Near You
We’ve done our best to give you a good idea of what you can expect to pay to treat bed bugs.
However, our guides are not a substitute for a fixed written quote specifically for you.
We work with all the best pest control contractors ready to price your job. Get free, no-obligation quotes in your local area and compare prices using the form below.
- Compare Multiple Quotes & Save Up to 40%
- Certified & Vetted Contractors
- Free & No Obligation
- Local Bed Bug Treatment Experts Near You
About the Author
Alex Johnson is a qualified quantity surveyor and writer with a passion for conducting original research and uncovering the true cost of jobs. His cost data has been referenced by EDF Energy and the Scottish Government.
You May Also Be Interested In:
- How to Check for Bed Bugs – Fivespot Green Living
- How to Identify and Get Rid of Bed Bugs – Andermatt UK
- How to Prevent Bed Bugs – US Environmental Protection Agency
- Everything You Need to Know About Heat Treatment for Bed Bugs – BPCA
- Flea Extermination Costs & Prices – Price This Please