Summer is when pest control contractors make or break their year. The phone rings more between May and September than the other seven months combined, and every call is a customer who wants the problem gone yesterday.
The contractors who do well during summer aren't just reactive. They have a schedule. They know which pests peak when, what treatments to apply in what order, and how to keep customers on a recurring plan instead of calling only when they see a roach on the kitchen counter.
Here's a month-by-month breakdown of what you should be treating, how to price it, and how to turn one-time calls into year-round accounts.
May: the season kicks off
May is when insect populations really start building. Soil temperatures are warm enough for most species to be actively breeding, and customers start noticing bugs they ignored all winter.
Primary targets:
- Ants. Carpenter ants and odorous house ants are the two you'll see most. Carpenter ants are the moneymaker because they require more extensive treatment and the customer knows they can cause structural damage. Odorous house ants are the volume call since every neighborhood seems to get them at once.
- Termites. Swarming season for subterranean termites hits in May across most of the eastern U.S. This is when homeowners suddenly discover they have a termite problem. Be ready with inspection slots and treatment options.
- Mosquitoes. If you offer mosquito control, start barrier treatments in May. Monthly treatments through September are the standard program.
What to do this month: Send your entire customer list a "summer pest season" email or text. Remind them that preventive treatment now costs less than reactive treatment later. Offer a seasonal package if you haven't already.
June: peak ant and tick season
June is typically the busiest month for new customer calls. The weather is consistently warm, people are spending time outdoors, and they're noticing pests they coexisted with all winter.
Primary targets:
- Ants (continued). If you treated in May, follow up. If you didn't, you're getting the callbacks now.
- Ticks. Tick populations peak in June in most regions. Customers with wooded lots, pets, or kids playing in the yard are your target market. Perimeter treatments with bifenthrin or permethrin are the standard approach.
- Wasps and hornets. Paper wasps start building nests in May, but by June the nests are big enough that customers notice them. Yellowjackets are still small colonies in June, which makes this the ideal time to treat ground nests before they hit peak population in August.
- Fleas. Flea season ramps up hard in June, especially in the South. Outdoor yard treatments combined with indoor treatment is the full solution.
July: the heat brings them inside
When outdoor temperatures hit the 90s, pests start looking for water and cool shelter. That means your customers' houses.
Primary targets:
- Cockroaches. German roaches are year-round, but American and Oriental cockroaches show up in force during July heat. Sewer roaches coming up through drains are a common July complaint.
- Spiders. Spider populations peak in mid-summer because their food supply (other insects) is at its highest. Most spider calls are really about comfort, not danger. Treat the exterior perimeter and knock down webs.
- Mosquitoes (peak). July is typically peak mosquito pressure. If you're doing monthly barrier treatments, this is the month where retreatment before the 30-day mark might be necessary, especially after heavy rain.
- Bed bugs. Bed bug calls spike in summer due to travel season. Hotels, Airbnbs, and returning vacationers drive the volume.
August and September: the tail end
August is still active, but the pest mix starts shifting toward fall invaders. September is when you transition from summer mode to fall prep.
Primary targets:
- Yellowjackets (peak aggression). August and early September is when yellowjacket colonies hit maximum size and the workers get aggressive. Nest removal calls peak now. Charge accordingly: this is genuinely dangerous work.
- Stink bugs and Asian lady beetles. These start looking for overwintering sites in September. Perimeter treatment of the home exterior in early September prevents the invasion that customers hate dealing with in October.
- Rodent prep. Mice start scouting for winter shelter in September. Seal entry points and set monitoring stations now, before the fall migration indoors.
Summer pricing by service type
Here's what I'm seeing pest control contractors charge in 2026 across different market sizes:
| Service | One-time price | Recurring (per visit) |
|---|---|---|
| General pest (quarterly) | $150 - $250 | $80 - $150 |
| Ant treatment (interior + exterior) | $175 - $300 | $100 - $175 |
| Mosquito barrier treatment | $100 - $175 | $75 - $125 |
| Tick yard treatment | $125 - $200 | $85 - $150 |
| Wasp/hornet nest removal | $150 - $400 | N/A |
| Termite inspection | $75 - $150 (or free with treatment) | Annual renewal $125 - $200 |
| Bed bug treatment (per room) | $300 - $600 | N/A |
One-time pricing should always be higher than your recurring per-visit rate. The price gap is the incentive for the customer to sign up for a plan. A customer who pays $150 for a one-time general pest treatment should see that the quarterly plan works out to $95/visit. That math sells the plan for you.
Run your specific cost numbers through the pricing calculator (it works for any service business) and use the contractor rates tool to benchmark against your local market.
Building recurring revenue through summer
The real money in pest control is recurring plans, and summer is when you sign the most new customers because bugs are on their minds. Here's what works:
Quarterly is the standard. Four visits per year: spring, early summer, late summer, and fall. Each visit covers the seasonal pests and includes a perimeter treatment. Price the annual plan 15-25% less than four individual treatments would cost.
The callback guarantee closes deals. "If you see pests between visits, we come back at no charge." This costs you almost nothing on a well-maintained account, but it eliminates the customer's biggest objection ("what if it doesn't work?").
Upsell specialty services to existing accounts. Your quarterly customer who's already paying for general pest control is the easiest mosquito treatment sale you'll ever make. They already trust you, you're already at their house, and the add-on is just $75-125 per visit.
Track everything. Note what you found, what you treated, and what you recommended at every visit. This documentation protects you legally, helps your techs on repeat visits, and gives you data for the annual review conversation where you renew (and potentially upgrade) the plan.
Staffing and scheduling for summer volume
If you run a crew, summer scheduling is a logistics problem that gets worse every year. Two things help:
First, separate your recurring route work from your reactive service calls. Recurring customers go on a fixed schedule that your techs can plan around. Reactive calls fill in the gaps. When you mix everything together, your recurring customers get bumped by emergencies and start losing trust in your reliability.
Second, build buffer into your schedule. If your techs can handle 12 stops per day at maximum efficiency, schedule 10. The other two slots get filled by callbacks, add-ons, and the inevitable "while you're here, can you also look at..." requests that eat 20 minutes each.
Track your pest control revenue by season
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