Standard home warranties do not typically cover pest control. Most base plans exclude pest extermination because infestations are considered regular home maintenance issues. However, some companies offer it as an optional add-on or have specific tiers that provide limited extermination for common household pests.
Standard home warranties do not cover pest control or pest-related damage, so you need to check your policy carefully for any optional add-ons. Some home warranty companies offer separate add-on coverage for specific pest issues like termite inspections, rodent removal, or treatment for certain infestations.
Exterminators widely agree that bed bugs are the hardest pest to get rid of. Their ability to hitchhike, resilience against over-the-counter pesticides, and talent for hiding in microscopic crevices make DIY eradication nearly impossible.
Clemson University scientists reported that 'Termites hate smells of cedarwood, geranium, and tea tree oil. It has also been found that clove bud, cinnamon, and garlic oils can also repel termites.
Watch out for unsolicited "FINAL NOTICE" letters or aggressive sales tactics using scare language. Key indicators of a predatory plan or poor provider include vague contract terms, unverified company reviews, and arbitrary maintenance clauses used to deny claims.
Home Warranty: Skip and Build Your Emergency Fund
Dave Ramsey recommends skipping any home warranty for a couple of reasons. First, the typical home warranty costs $450 annually, and only 25% of premiums are paid to homeowners.
Home warranties often sound like a safety net, but they come with significant drawbacks, including expensive service call fees, strict coverage exclusions, and limited control over who fixes your home.
The fastest way to kill visible termites instantly in your house is to directly inject termiticide foams (like Termidor Foam or Spectracide Termite Killing Foam) directly into infested wood, cracks, or mud tubes. For long-term colony eradication, non-repellent liquid soil treatments are required.
Here are the top five signs of termite infestation to look out for in your home.
Among all predators, ants are the greatest enemy to termites. Some ant genera are specialist predators of termites. For example, Megaponera is a strictly termite-eating (termitophagous) genus that perform raiding activities, some lasting several hours.
The mayfly is the most famous insect known for an adult lifespan of just 24 hours (with some species lasting only a few minutes or hours). As adults, they have no functional mouthparts and do not eat; their sole purpose in this short window is to swarm, mate, and lay eggs.
The Bible contains no commands against killing insects and does not classify it as a sin. Instead, scripture establishes that humans have "dominion" over the earth and its creatures, making it completely acceptable to remove or kill pests to protect your health, home, and livelihood.
The only methods that guarantee a 100% kill rate for both bed bugs and their eggs are extreme heat and professional multi-step pest control treatments.
Avoid making guesses or unsupported statements about what caused the damage to your property. Speculating can lead to inaccuracies in the adjuster's report, potentially affecting your claim.
Seeing two mice doesn't automatically mean you have a full-blown infestation, but it is a strong warning sign. It typically indicates the beginning of a problem or suggests that a small family group is living nearby.
The "worst" pest depends on what you value most. Termites are the worst for your wallet due to structural damage, while bed bugs and German cockroaches are the worst for your peace of mind and health due to rapid reproduction and disease risk.
Termites dislike strong scents like clove oil, neem oil, tea tree oil, and orange oil. These natural repellents can help deter them but aren't a permanent solution. Worker and soldier termites usually live 1–2 years, while termite queens can survive for over a decade, sometimes up to 25 years in ideal conditions.
Termites are most active during the warmer months, specifically from March through early fall. Peak activity occurs in the spring (March–May) when winged "swarmer" termites leave their colonies to mate and start new ones, usually after a warm, humid day following rainfall.
Termites are most commonly mistaken for flying ants and carpenter ants. While ants and termites both swarm in the spring to mate, termites have straight antennae, thick, waistless bodies, and all four wings are the exact same size. Carpenter ants are also destructive and target damp wood, making them doubly easy to confuse with termites.
Termites hate sunlight, moisture control, and certain scents. Because they thrive in dark, humid environments, exposing them to UV rays or drastically drying out their living spaces causes them to die or flee.
Winged termites that do not find a new area to infest will die from dehydration within a few hours. Just sweep or vacuum them up. However, a significant swarm of 50 to 100 winged termites at the interior of your home is a sign that a colony exists somewhere in your home and has been present for 3 to 6 years.
Yes, you can manage mild or localized termite infestations yourself, especially for drywood termites. However, severe or subterranean infestations usually require a professional exterminator.
Extended car warranties typically don't cover damage from accidents (you'll need car insurance for that) or wear and tear. They only cover what's specified in the warranty. You may even need to purchase separate extended warranties for different parts, depending on what you want coverage for.
Best Home Warranty Companies of May 2026
A 10 or 12-year building warranty is an insurance policy that covers any structural defects which may arise in a new build property for the first 10 or 12 years after completion.