Vancouver ranked third most popular city for bed bugs in Canada in 2019
Credit to Author: Stephanie Ip| Date: Tue, 07 Jan 2020 19:48:36 +0000
An annual ranking of top Canadian cities for bedbugs has been released and Vancouver has itched its way into third place.
On the 2019 list released by Orkin Canada, Vancouver is bested only by Toronto in first place and Winnipeg in second. St. John’s follows in fourth place and Ottawa in fifth.
The only other B.C. city to make it on the top 25 list is Burnaby, coming in at 19.
As in previous years’ rankings, larger cities and travel hot spots populated the top of the list, with bed bugs reported in both clean and dirty homes, as well as office buildings. According to the pest control experts, bed bugs were a “rarely experienced irritant” just 20 years ago, but has since spread to become a common problem in urban centres.
Signs of a bed bug infestation include tiny, dark coloured spots or stains or cast skins. The critters are often spotted in and around mattress tags or in seams, under seat cushions, behind headboards, creases of furniture, buckling wallpaper and carpets.
The ranking is based on the number of commercial and residential bed bug treatments carried out by the company between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2019.
1. Toronto
2. Winnipeg
3. Vancouver
4. St. John’s
5. Ottawa
6. Scarborough
7. Halifax
8. Oshawa
9. Sudbury
10. Hamilton
11. Windsor
12. Edmonton
13. Montreal
14. North Yok
15. Moncton
16. Calgary
17. Mississauga
18. Etobicoke
19. Burnaby
20. Whitby
21. London
22. Saskatoon
23. Peterborough
24. Nepean
25. Dartmouth
• When travelling, don’t put clothing or luggage on the bed which allows the bugs, if present, to climb in.
• Use metal luggage racks to keep suitcases off the carpet and away from walls or wooden furniture. (The bugs can’t climb metal surfaces very well.)
• Use plastic bags to pack clothing. This prevents the spread of bed bugs if they do happen to hitch a ride in your suitcase.
• It’s rare but bed bugs can thrive not just in hotels, but also on airplanes and train seats, buses or rental cars.