Pest control services in Adelaide cover a wide patch: an end-of-lease internal spray in a Salisbury rental, a 1920s Norwood villa with a termite inspection due, a Glenelg restaurant needing clear pest-service records for its food-safety inspections, a Mount Barker family with paper wasps under the eaves and a toddler in the yard. Pest Fox handles the lot — twelve primary services, four termite specialties, one quote process.
Every service below uses APVMA-registered products applied to the label. Termite work follows the AS 3660 series — Part 1 (2014) for new building work, Part 2 (2017) for existing buildings — and AS 4349.3-2010 for timber pest inspections. Click through for scope, pricing context, the types of products involved and an FAQ specific to that service.
General pest control
Internal and external residential treatment for the standard household pests — ants, cockroaches, spiders, silverfish, mice, the routine ones. Treatment uses an APVMA-registered residual insecticide externally, plus targeted gel baiting for cockroaches and dust application in roof voids where harbourage demands it. One-off, quarterly or annual schedules available. Most jobs run $180–$350 depending on house size. Same-day where we can when you book early.
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Termite inspections
A standard residential termite inspection runs $180–$350 (larger or older homes toward the upper end) and takes 60–90 minutes. The inspector checks the entire structure — sub-floor where accessible, roof void, every external timber, fence-lines, garden-bed perimeters, slab edges — using thermal imaging and a moisture meter as standard, with termite radar where a wall cavity calls for it. You get a written report following AS 4349.3-2010 (timber pest inspections), with findings and recommended actions. AS 3660.2-2017 calls for regular inspections of existing buildings no more than 12 months apart.
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Termite treatments
Active termite treatment for confirmed infestations — chemical soil treatments and foam injection, in-ground baiting systems, or dusting where the activity is contained and the colony can be targeted through trophallaxis (food sharing between termites). Treatment selection depends on the severity, the construction type and the access, guided by AS 3660.2-2017. Costs run $800–$3,500 depending on the treatment chosen and the scope, with a follow-up inspection program recommended.
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Termite barriers
Termite barrier installation for new builds, extensions and post-construction retrofits, following AS 3660.1-2014 for new building work. Chemical reticulation systems (refillable pipework around the slab perimeter, recharged with a registered termiticide), physical barriers (such as stainless mesh and other proprietary systems), and slab-edge treatments. Installation is timed to the construction sequence — pre-pour for full reticulation, post-construction retrofit where the slab’s already down. Typical full-perimeter system runs $2,500–$6,500 depending on home size and access.
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Pre-purchase pest inspection
A combined timber pest and general pest inspection for property settlements — termite, borer, fungal decay, rodent presence, plus general pest evidence. Written report following AS 4349.3-2010, ready to share with your conveyancer. $250–$450 depending on property size. Especially important on inner-Adelaide character homes (Norwood, Unley, Prospect, Walkerville, Semaphore) built before modern termite-management standards, which usually have no termite management system from construction.
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Rodent control
Rats and mice — residential and commercial. Treatment includes lockable, tamper-resistant external bait stations, internal snap traps where chemical bait isn’t appropriate, and exclusion advice for the entry points the rodents are using. Important note for 2026: the APVMA suspended the registration of products containing second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides for one year from 24 March 2026, and they can now only be supplied and used under the conditions the APVMA has published while tighter controls are put in place. That changes what’s on the supermarket shelf and how rodent baiting is done. Most residential rodent jobs run $250–$450.
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Ant treatment
Ant treatment targeted to species — sugar ants (the small black ones in your kitchen), black house ants, coastal brown ants (the orange-brown ones around skirtings), bull ants (the big ones in the yard), Argentine ants (the invasive supercolony species). Different species, different bait, different outcome. Spray-and-pray on the wrong species kills the workers and leaves the queen alive — the colony rebuilds. We identify the species, then bait it. Standard treatments run $180–$350.
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Cockroach control
German cockroach (the small light-brown indoor species — the bad one), American cockroach (the big russet outdoor species), Australian cockroach (similar to American, common in roof voids). Treatment is gel baiting on the harbourage points (under benches, behind kickboards, under fridges, in roof voids), backed by residual spray on the perimeter. German cockroach jobs are stubborn — expect a follow-up visit at 3–4 weeks. $180–$350 for a standard residential job. Same-day where we can.
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Spider control
Internal and external spray for huntsman, white-tail, redback, wolf and black house spiders. Application targets webbing zones (eaves, fence-lines, garden-bed edges, sheds, garages) and internal harbourage (skirtings, behind furniture, in roof voids). Note on huntsman: they’re the big shock-factor spider but they’re not aggressive and they eat smaller pests; many homeowners want them out anyway. Redback and white-tail are the bites that warrant treatment urgency. Standard external + internal spray runs $180–$350.
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Wasp & bee removal
Paper wasp, European wasp and mud wasp nest removal. European wasp is the aggressive one — large papier-mâché nest, often in wall cavities or roof voids; treatment requires dust application directly into the nest entrance, usually after dark when the wasps are at home. Paper wasp is the smaller open-comb species under eaves — simpler treatment. Bees are different: where the swarm or hive is healthy, live relocation by a local beekeeper comes first; we treat only as a last resort. Wasp jobs $180–$350, bee jobs quoted on inspection.
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End-of-lease pest control
End-of-tenancy pest treatment — internal and external spray, flea treatment if pets were on the property (check what your lease requires), plus a certificate of treatment for your property manager. Jobs are scheduled to fit your vacate date — usually the day before or day of handover. $180–$350 depending on property size and whether flea treatment’s needed.
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Commercial pest control
Restaurants, cafes, food premises, body corporates, schools, warehouses, offices. Integrated pest management plans (IPM — the structured approach combining inspection, exclusion, monitoring and targeted treatment), clear service records for council food-premises inspections, scheduled service intervals, and a logbook on site for the inspector. Scope and pricing depend entirely on premises type, square metreage and risk profile — a Norwood Parade restaurant on a quarterly schedule is a different conversation to a Salisbury warehouse on a monthly contract. Annual contracts typically $1,200–$8,000+.
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Termite specialties
Four termite-specific services sit underneath the three primary termite pages — specific inspection, treatment and barrier options with their own pages if you want the detail:
- Thermal imaging termite detection — non-invasive infrared inspection that picks up temperature anomalies in walls and timbers without opening anything up. Used as standard on every inspection; the dedicated page explains how it works.
- Annual termite programs — recurring inspections in line with AS 3660.2-2017, which calls for regular inspections no more than 12 months apart, with booking reminders so the next one isn’t missed.
- Termite baiting systems — in-ground monitoring and baiting stations. The right call when soil chemical barriers aren’t viable (heavy landscaping, paved perimeters, body-corp paving constraints).
- Reticulation systems — refillable pipework around the slab perimeter, recharged with a registered termiticide. Installed pre-pour on new builds; retrofittable around the slab edge on existing homes.
Not sure which service you need?
Honest answer: a fair share of the people who call us aren’t sure either. They’ve found droppings in the pantry without knowing if it’s mouse or rat. They’ve seen a mud trail along the skirting without knowing if it’s termite or ant. They’ve been quoted by another operator for a treatment that doesn’t fit their situation. The form below has a “Not sure — please advise” option in the service dropdown for exactly that reason. Send a photo through the quote form and we’ll tell you what’s involved before you commit to anything.
Get a free quote → · Book same-day pest service → · Call Pest Fox