Bedbugs in Calgary | Canada Bedbugs

Bedbugs are a growing problem for the residents of the city of Calgary.

Lynne Navratil of Alberta Health Services says that a provincial bedbug committee has been set up to address the topic of bedbugs. She comments, We are eagerly anticipating the results of their survey and the first step is to try to get an assessment of if the problem is growing and how severe the problem is.

Calgary area exterminators say that there are more and more bedbugs cases each month. One company reports that they received only 2-3 calls for bedbug infestations a few years ago, and how they average 150 per month and the number is growing. For bedbug infestation sufferers who chose to go the chemical route, multiple bedbug pesticide spray applications are usually required.

The city of Edmonton is distributing surveys to landlords to discover the extent of the bedbug problem. The city of Calgary is not planning on any similar surveys. Alberta Health Services (AHS) reports this year is currently on par with last year for bed bug infestations, though Calgarians are growing increasingly aware of the pests.

In Calgary, bedbugs are classified as vermin. This year there were 101 vermin complaints between January 1 and June 30. Additionally, there were 192 vermin infractions reported between Jan. 1 and June 11.

Bedbugs are 5-7 millimetres about the size of an apple seed and are reddish brown. Bedbugs can live up to 18 months without a feeding, and a well fed female bedbug can lay up to 500 eggs. Bedbugs do not discriminate and are being spotted in increasingly unexpected places such as banks, movie theatres, and libraries.

Property management companies will frequently not reveal if a building is infested with bedbugs, but the majority insist they are taking the appropriate precautions by disinfecting parts of affected building. According to Alberta law, landlords are obligated to clean up and control the spread of insects.

Tenants can check if a property has ever had a bedbug infestation by visiting the Bedbug Registry, a free public database that and report the building they are living in on Bedbug Registry. Infestations in strata owned buildings rarely appear on Bedbug Registry because homeowners are afraid that reporting their bedbug infestation will lower property values.

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Bedbugs in Calgary | Canada Bedbugs