Bed bug infestations on the rise in Toronto, Study

Crawling into a bed with bugs is a creepy thought… but it’s a problem that’s becoming more common in the city.

A COMPAS Research survey of Canadian Health Inspectors says Canada is seeing a 20 per cent increase in bed bug inquires compared to the same period last year.

The research was conducted on behalf of Abell Pest Control and found that most cases are coming from cities like Montreal, Halifax and Toronto.

Bed bugs are insects with oval-shaped bodies and no wings. Bed bugs usually bite at night and will bite all over, especially around the face, neck, upper torso, arms and hands. There are currently no known cases of infectious disease transmitted to people by bed bug bites.

How can I find them?

Use a bright flashlight to look for bed bugs or their dark droppings in bedroom furniture, windows and doorframes. Or use a hot hair dryer, a thin knife or an old playing card to force them out of hiding spaces and cracks.

Check:

behind your headboard and around cracks and crevices of your bed.
in the seams and tufts of your mattress.
inside your box spring and along your bed frame.
along bedroom baseboard cracks.
in and around nightstands.
other bedroom items, including window and door casings, pictures, mouldings, nearby furniture, loose wallpaper, cracks in plaster and partitions and clutter.

What does a bed bug bite feel and look like?

Most bed bug bites are initially painless, but could turn into large, itchy skin welts. Some people have no reaction at all. Most bed bug bites eventually go away by themselves and don’t need treatment.

Agencies/Canadajournal