In Toronto, it’s Hard to Find a Place Where the Bed Bugs Don’t Bite

Toronto has had a problem with bed bugs for a long time. With a population of more than 2.6 million people, Toronto is the bed bug capital of Canada! And this infestation is reaching almost epidemic proportions. In fact, the problem is so large that, in 2011, the provincial government invested $5.0 million to combat Ontario’s bed bug problem; Toronto received $1.2 million of that money.

After the city received that $1.2 million to combat bed bugs, the number of reported cases in Toronto began to decline. According to Toronto Public Health, there were about 1,764 calls in 2011 and 1,375 calls in 2012. Unfortunately, that well-spent bed bug money is gone, and the number of reported cases of bed bugs is on the rise.

Aside from being found in so-called “expected” places like homes, apartments, hotels, movie theatres, subways, and cars, bed bugs are also beginning to turn up in a large number of unexpected places. In recent years, they have been found in fire stations, community centres, employment offices, police stations, and dozens of other city buildings.

Once a relatively uncommon sight, bed bugs are found just about everywhere in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) today. Even though bed bugs do not spread any diseases and their bite is painless, the experts at  City & Country Pest Control Inc.  realize that the idea of sharing your bed with a bloodsucking bug is bad enough.

While many people in the GTA equate bed bugs with bad hygiene, the fact of the matter is hygiene has nothing to do with it. City and Country Pest Control explains that bed bugs can be found anywhere.

Unfortunately, because many people still equate bed bugs with filthy conditions, they are afraid of being blamed for an infestation and are reluctant to report the presence of bed bugs in their home or apartment, according to the experts at City & Country Pest Control. Naturally, this only makes matters worse.

City & Country Pest Control maintains that the best way to deal with a bed bug infestation is to report it and take action. How can you tell if you are sharing your space with bed bugs? Growing to just 4 – 5 mm in length, bed bugs leave many telltale signs; including the presence of blood stains from crushed bugs and rusty dark spots of excrement on sheets (mattresses, bedding, clothes, etc.).

Bed bugs eggs are white and about the size of two grains of salt. After being laid, they are cemented to surfaces, making them difficult to remove. Immediately after hatching, the nymphs are on the hunt for blood, and they aren’t discriminating; they can live on the blood of humans and other warm-blooded creatures such as birds, rodents, and pets. Because bed bugs are nocturnal, they feed on their hosts while the hosts are asleep. That’s why the experts at City & Country Pest Control say it’s better to find bed bugs before they find you.

But finding bed bugs is just the beginning. Due to their high resistance to most insecticides and ability to live several months without food, bed bugs are difficult to eliminate.

To successfully eliminate an infestation, City & Country Pest Control reports, you need to find and kill every last bed bug. These efforts are complicated by the fact that bed bugs can hide almost anywhere.

And off-the-shelf pesticides aren’t very effective either, according to City & Country Pest Control. That’s because bed bugs can sense chemical odours, and even avoid areas where pesticides have been applied. The improper use of “bug bombs” can be dangerous; not only do they spread pesticides throughout your home, they can also just make the bed bugs scatter in between the walls or to other parts of the dwelling.

While it is not difficult to remove the odd bed bug, to completely eliminate them, it will be necessary to contact an indoor pest control company in the GTA that has a proven track record of eliminating bed bugs, such as City & Country Pest Control.