Bed bugs | City of Ottawa

Bed bugs are small, brownish insects about the size of an apple seed. They typically come out at night to bite. Anyone anywhere can get bed bugs.

Bed bugs can be brought into a home on used furniture and used clothing. They can also be brought home in your suitcase after travelling.

Bed bugs can be identified and controlled using a licensed pest control company. There are things you can do to control bed bugs such as thorough vacuuming, steam cleaning, drying clothes at high temperatures, reducing clutter and sealing cracks and crevices.

There are no known diseases spread by bed bugs.

We invite you to visit the website, http://www.bedbuginfo.ca, which was specifically designed to help answer questions and to provide you with valuable information on bed bugs. If you have bed bugs you can stop bites by making your bed an island.

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Public Health Inspectors and Public Health Nurses are available to provide information and to answer questions. Please Note: Public Health Inspectors/Nurses will not visit for the purpose of identifying bed bugs. For more information on bed bugs, call the Ottawa Public Health Information Line at 613-580-6744.

If a tenant has a problem with bed bugs, they should notify their landlord, superintendant or property manager so they can take action to try and control the bed bugs. It is the landlords responsibility to maintain the rental unit so that it is fit for habitation. It is the tenants responsibility to cooperate with the landlord to help manage the bed bug problem.

For additional assistance, the tenant/landlord should call 311 and ask for Bylaw Property Standards

There may also be help available for vulnerable clients dealing with bed bugs. Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and Ontario Works (OW) tenants should contact their worker to determine if support is available. Old Age Security (OAS) tenants should contact Essential Health and Social Supports (EHSS) to determine if support is available.

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Bed bugs | City of Ottawa