Michigan pest guide
The pests Michigan homeowners call about most, grouped by type. Each guide covers how to identify them, when they show up here, what you can handle yourself and when it makes sense to bring in a licensed company.
Rodents
- Mice$150 to $450If you are hearing scratching in the walls or finding droppings in a kitchen drawer, you almost certainly have house mice or deer mice. In Michigan they move indoors in large numbers from September through November. Traps and sealing entry gaps solve most cases. A professional visit typically runs $150 to $450, more if the house needs full exclusion work.
Peak Sep to Nov
- Rats$250 to $600The rat you will run into in Michigan is the Norway rat, a heavy brown rodent that burrows along foundations, garages and sheds. Fresh burrows, runways in the grass and large droppings are the giveaways. Rats are harder than mice to trap and usually need a combination of baiting, trapping and sealing. Pro service typically costs $250 to $600.
Peak Sep to Dec
Indoor insects
- Cockroaches$150 to $500If you are seeing small, tan roaches in the kitchen or bathroom, you are almost certainly dealing with German cockroaches. They live and breed indoors all year in Michigan and spread through apartments and multi-unit buildings. Gel baits, sanitation and a few follow-up visits clear most cases. Professional treatment typically costs $150 to $500 including follow-ups.
Peak Jun to Sep
- Ants$125 to $350The small ants marching across your kitchen counter in spring are most often pavement ants or odorous house ants. In Michigan they become active as the ground thaws in April and May and come inside looking for sweets, grease and water. Baits placed along their trails usually work. Professional service typically costs $125 to $350.
Peak May to Jul
- Spiders$100 to $300Most spiders in Michigan homes are harmless cellar spiders, house spiders and wolf spiders that follow insects into basements, garages and lake cottages. Michigan does not have established brown recluse populations, and the northern black widow is present but rarely encountered. Cutting clutter, outdoor lights and insect prey cuts spider numbers. Pro service typically costs $100 to $300.
Peak Aug to Oct
Wood destroyers
- Carpenter ants$200 to $600Large black ants walking across your kitchen in April or May are often carpenter ants. In Michigan they nest in moist or damaged wood, so finding them indoors usually points to a leak, a rotted window sill or wet framing. They do not eat wood like termites, but they can hollow it out over time. Professional treatment typically costs $200 to $600.
Peak Apr to Jun
- Termites$1,200 to $3,500Yes, Michigan has termites. The species here is the eastern subterranean termite, and it is mostly a problem in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula. They live in the soil, build mud tubes up foundations, and swarm on warm spring days. Treatment typically costs $1,200 to $3,500 depending on the house and method.
Peak Apr to May
Fall invaders
- Stink bugs$150 to $400The brown, shield-shaped bugs crawling on your walls in fall are brown marmorated stink bugs. First detected in Michigan around 2010, they now gather on homes across much of the southern Lower Peninsula in September and October to overwinter. They do not bite or damage the house. Sealing gaps is the best defense. Exterior treatment typically costs $150 to $400.
Peak Sep to Oct
- Asian lady beetles$150 to $400Those orange ladybugs swarming the sunny side of your house in October are multicolored Asian lady beetles. In Michigan they gather on warm south and west walls after the first cold snap, then crawl into gaps to spend the winter. They do not breed indoors, but they can pinch, stain and smell. Sealing is the best fix; exterior treatment typically costs $150 to $400.
Peak Oct
- Cluster flies$150 to $400Large, slow flies buzzing at sunny windows in winter or early spring are usually cluster flies. Their larvae develop in earthworms in lawns and fields, and the adults overwinter in attics and wall voids. They are common in rural and suburban Michigan homes. Sealing and a late summer exterior treatment help most. Typical pro treatment runs $150 to $400.
Peak Mar and Sep to Oct
Biting pests
- Bed bugs$500 to $2,500Bed bugs are small, flat, reddish-brown insects that hide in mattress seams and bed frames and bite at night. They show up in Michigan homes, apartments, dorms and hotels in every season. They do not go away on their own, and store-bought foggers make them worse. Professional heat or chemical treatment typically costs $500 to $2,500 for a home.
Peak Jun to Sep
- Ticks$75 to $150Michigan has several ticks, but the one that matters most is the blacklegged tick, which can carry Lyme disease. It has spread across much of the state, with notable risk in the western Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula. Ticks are active from spring through fall. Repellents, daily tick checks and yard changes come first. A professional yard treatment typically costs $75 to $150 per application.
Peak May to Jul
- Mosquitoes$60 to $120Michigan mosquitoes peak from June through August, especially after wet springs and near lakes, wetlands and wooded yards. Some species carry West Nile virus, and Eastern equine encephalitis has caused outbreaks in southwest Michigan. Dumping standing water helps more than anything else. A professional barrier spray typically costs $60 to $120 per treatment.
Peak Jun to Aug
Wildlife
- Wildlife$300 to $1,500Raccoons in the attic, squirrels in the soffits, skunks under the deck and groundhogs under the shed are common problems across Michigan. Most start in late winter and spring, when animals look for safe places to raise young. Michigan DNR rules cover trapping and relocation, so most homeowners hire a licensed nuisance wildlife company. Removal usually costs $300 to $1,500.
Peak Mar to Jun
- Bats$400 to $1,500Bats in the attic or walls are common in Michigan in summer, usually big brown bats or little brown bats. Bats are protected, and exclusion has to be timed so flightless pups are not trapped inside. If a bat may have had contact with a person, do not release it; call your local health department. Professional exclusion typically costs $400 to $1,500.
Peak Jun to Aug
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