Pest control in Memphis and Shelby County
Bugs or rodents in the house? Get a chartered local company to call you back.
Tell us what you're seeing and your ZIP. A pest control company that serves your area calls you back and sets a time to look.
- Free to ask, with no obligation.
- Only companies with a current Tennessee Department of Agriculture charter. Check one yourself.
- Ask for a free inspection and a written price before any treatment.

The Memphis pest year
How we built this- Avg. nights at 50°F or warmer, when most bugs stay active (NOAA, 1996 to 2025)
- Months with 10+ nights at 70°F or warmer
- Months averaging 5 inches of rain or more
- Months averaging 5+ freezing nights
What a local company can handle
Wasps by the door, a rat in the kitchen, or bed bugs right now?
Call or text and say it's urgent. Keep kids and pets away from it until someone looks.
How it works
- Tell us what you're seeing. Use the form, or text us a photo of the bug.
- A chartered local company calls you back. After a few questions they set up a time to look.
- Ask for a free inspection and a price. Nothing is treated until you say yes.
Memphis Pest Desk is a referral service. The company that calls you does the inspection and the work, and sets its own prices.
What it usually costs
Published national price ranges, not quotes. The company that inspects your home gives you its own price before any treatment.
One-time general pest visit
$50 to $500
This Old House, March 12, 2026
Termite inspection
$75 to $325
This Old House, June 17, 2026
Termite treatment
$250 to $1,000
This Old House, March 12, 2026
Bed bug treatment
$1,000 to $4,000
This Old House, March 12, 2026
Rat extermination
$189 to $656
HomeAdvisor, June 19, 2026
Mosquito service, per visit
$100 to $400
HomeAdvisor, June 17, 2026
Why Memphis homes see so many pests
Water and warmth. NOAA's daily record for Memphis International Airport shows about 56 inches of rain in an average year, spread over roughly 111 days with measurable rain (1996 to 2025). Damp soil against a foundation is what subterranean termites need, and it keeps ants and the big outdoor roaches close to the house.
Nights stay warm. About 92 nights a year never drop below 70°F, nearly all of them from June to September, and about 221 nights stay at 50°F or warmer. Most household insects stay active on nights like that.
Winter is short. The airport averages 44 nights a year at freezing or below but only 6 at 20°F or colder, and the median last spring freeze is March 13. When it does turn cold, rodents move indoors, which is why rodent calls pick up in late fall. This year has been dry: 33.1 inches through October 24, 2026, against about 44.5 by that date in an average year.
Average rainfall by month at Memphis International Airport (inches)
Average nights per month that stay at 70°F or warmer, Memphis
Memphis by the numbers
56"
of rain in an average year at Memphis International Airport (NOAA, 1996 to 2025)
92
nights a year that stay at 70°F or warmer, the peak months for roaches and mosquitoes
54%
of homes in the 33 Shelby County ZIP codes we cover were built before 1980 (Census ACS 2020-2024)
159
current pest control charters with a Shelby County address in the state's public list (October 29, 2026)
Read this before you call
What pest control costs
Published price ranges for common jobs, from ants to bed bugs.
The Tennessee termite letter
What the WDI report covers when you buy or sell a house.
Termite bonds and contracts
What a bond covers, what Tennessee requires, and what to ask.
Brown recluses in Memphis
How to spot one, what a bite does, and how to cut their numbers.
How to check a pest control company
Look up a charter and a technician with the state.
One-time vs quarterly service
When a single visit is enough and when a plan pays off.
Door-to-door pest contracts
Red flags before you sign, and the three-day right to cancel.
Memphis pest data
Rain and freezes by month, plus housing age by ZIP.
Areas we cover
Memphis and the Shelby County suburbs around it. If your Shelby County neighborhood isn't listed, ask anyway.
Questions homeowners ask
How much does pest control cost in Memphis?
It depends on the pest and the house. National cost guides put a one-time general visit at $50 to $500, with a national average of $171 (This Old House, 2026). Those are published figures, not quotes. The company that inspects your home gives you its own price before any treatment.
Is a quarterly pest control plan worth it in Memphis?
For pests that keep coming back from outside, like ants and roaches, a plan can make sense in a climate this warm and wet. For one wasp nest or a single mouse, a one-time visit is enough. Ask what each visit includes and how you cancel before you sign.
Why are there so many bugs in Memphis?
Warmth and water. Memphis International Airport averages 56 inches of rain a year and about 92 nights a year that stay at 70°F or warmer (NOAA, 1996 to 2025). It averages only 6 nights a year at 20°F or colder, so winter does little to knock insects back.
Are termites a problem in Memphis?
Yes. Subterranean termites live in soil and reach houses through pencil-wide mud tubes on foundations and piers, and winged swarmers or shed wings on windowsills are a telltale sign (University of Kentucky Entomology). Memphis gets about 56 inches of rain a year, which keeps the soil by a foundation damp. Ask for an inspection if you see tubes or wings.
Do I need a termite letter to sell a house in Tennessee?
Lenders often ask for one. In Tennessee the report is called a Wood Destroying Insect Infestation Inspection Report, and the Department of Agriculture says it must be warranted for ninety (90) days for the accuracy of what it reports.
How do I know a pest control company is licensed in Tennessee?
Tennessee requires a pest control charter for each office, and the Department of Agriculture keeps a public charter search. The charter number must be visible on the company vehicle, and you can ask to see the technician's certification card.
Get the bugs out of the house
One request. A chartered local company. A free inspection and a price before any treatment.