Category Archives: Bed Bugs Vancouver

Once a pest of the past, bedbugs now infest every state in the U.S.. Cimex lectulariussmall, flattened insects that feed solely on mammalian and avian bloodhave been living with humans since ancient times. Abundant in the U.S. prior to World War II, bedbugs all but vanished during the 1940s and '50s thanks to improvements in hygiene and the use of pesticides. In the past 10 years, however, the pests have staged a comeback worldwidean outbreak after the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney was a harbinger of things to come. This revival may be the worst yet, experts say, due to densely populated urban areas, global travel and increasing pesticide resistancesomething to consider as the summer travel season gets underway.

"By every metric that we use, it's getting worse and worse," says Coby Schal, an entomologist at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Health authorities and pest control operators are regularly flooded with calls, and the epidemic may not have yet peaked. And because bedbugs are indoor pests, there are no high or low seasons throughout the year, he adds, only continual bombardment. "It's just the beginning of the problem in the U.S.," Schal says.

Spreading rapidly with the bedbugs is a mass of misinformation about their biology and behavior. Straight from the experts, here are the facts behind some of the most notorious myths about the diminutive bloodsuckers.

Myth 1: Bedbugs can flyBedbugs lack wings, and therefore cannot fly. That is unless you put a blow dryer behind them, says Stephen Kells, a bedbug researcher at the University of Minnesota. Then they'll fly about 1.2 meters. On their own, bedbugs crawl about a meter a minute, he says.

Myth 2: Bedbugs reproduce quicklyCompared with other insects, bedbugs are slow to reproduce: Each adult female produces about one egg per day; a common housefly lays 500 eggs over three to four days. Each bedbug egg takes 10 days to hatch and another five to six weeks for the offspring to develop into an adult.

Myth 3: Bedbugs can typically live a year without a mealScientists debate this point, but evidence suggests that at normal room temperature, about 23 degrees Celsius, bedbugs can only survive two to three months without a blood meal. But because they are cold-blooded, their metabolism will slow down in chillier climates, and the insects may live up to a year without feeding.

Myth 4: Bedbugs bite only at nightAlthough bedbugs are generally nocturnal, they're like humansif they're hungry, they'll get up and get something to eat. "If you go away to visit a friend for a week and you come back and sit down on the couch, even though it's daytime the bedbugs will come looking for you," Schal says. Keeping a light on, then, unfortunately does not keep these tiny vampires away.

Myth 5: Bedbugs live exclusively in mattresses"'Bedbug' is such a misnomer," Kells says. "They should also be called pet bugs and suitcase bugs and train bugs and movie theater bugs." Bedbugs spread away from beds into living areas and can be seen on any surface, he says, including chairs, railings and ceilings.

Myth 6: Bedbugs prefer unsanitary, urban conditions"Bedbugs are terribly nondiscriminatory," Schal says. Bedbugs can be found anywhere from ritzy high-rises to homeless shelters. The prevalence of the bugs in low-income housing is therefore not a result of the insect's preference, but of dense populations and the lack of money to pay for proper elimination strategies. "Any location is vulnerable," Kells says. "But some people are going to have a harder time getting control of them because it is such an expensive treatment."

Myth 7: Bedbugs travel on our bodiesBedbugs do not like heat, Kells says. They therefore do not stick in hair or on skin, like lice or ticks, and prefer not to remain in our clothes close to our bodily heat. Bedbugs are more likely to travel on backpacks, luggage, shoes and other items farther removed from our bodies.

Myth 8: Bedbugs transmit diseaseBedbug bites can lead to anxiety, sleeplessness and even secondary infections, but there have been no reported cases of bedbugs transmitting disease to humans. They do, however, harbor human pathogens: At least 27 viruses, bacteria, protozoa and more have been found in bedbugs, although these microbes do not reproduce or multiply within the insects. Canadian researchers announced (pdf) in the June issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases that bedbugs isolated from three individuals in a Vancouver hospital carried methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, aka MRSA. Still, there have been no reported cases that the bugs actually transmit human disease.

Myth 9: We should bring back DDTWhen the controversial pesticide DDT was banned in 1972, most bed bugs were already resistant to it, Schal says, and today's populations are even more widely resistant thanks to the use of a new class of pesticides. Pyrethroids, the main class of pesticides used against bedbugs today, targets sodium channels in bedbug cells, just like DDT. Consequently, as bedbugs develop resistance to pyrethroids, they also become cross-resistant to DDT.

Myth 10: You can spray bedbugs awayThanks to pesticide resistance, those cans of spray at your local hardware store simply will not do, Schal says, adding: "Relying strictly on chemicals is generally not a good solution." The most effective solutions are fumigation and heat treatments, but these can cost a cool $2,000 to $3,000 apiece for a single-family home. Scientists are diligently pursuing other strategies, including freezing and bait similar to that used for cockroaches. In the October 2010 issue of the Journal of Economic Entomology Schal and colleagues at the U.S. Department of Agriculture published a technique that employs inexpensive infrared and vibration sensors to track bedbug movement, which could be applied to the development of automated traps that detect the pests.

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Top 10 Myths about Bedbugs - Scientific American

Eww.

They may be creepy, crawly, and downright disgusting, but they are extremely common in Vancouver.

Each year, pest control company Orkin compiles itslist of top bed bug cities in Canada. The company determinedits latestrankings based on the number of commercial and residential bed bug treatments carried out in each city between Jan. 1 and Dec 31, 2020.

According to Orkin, its ranking demonstrates"the national prevalence of this growing problem."

Canada's bed buggiest city is Toronto, followed by Sudbury, Ontario in second. The third most-infested city Canada-wide is Oshawa, Ontario.

This year, Vancouver ranked fourthon the list, which represents an improvement over last year when the city was the third most-infested Canada-wide. It was also the lone British Columbian city included in the ranking.

Winnipeg rounded out the top five, with St. John's ranking sixth most-infested. Scarborough came seventh, with Whitby in eighth. Edmonton took the number nine spot, with Canada's capital, Ottawa, rounding out the top 10 bed bug cities.

Orkin is also advising residents that the pesky critters may find themselves new homes over the winter season. Unfortunately, bed bugs are adept hitchhikers, and they can thrive in either clean or dirty homes.

Since bed bugs are talented home-hoppers, early detection is the best way to reduce the chances of an infestation.

The creepy crawlerscan move easily across a room and climb onto luggage or anything left on a bed in just one night

Some things you can do to reduce the risk of picking up bed bugs as you travel include:

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Vancouver ranks #4 most bed bug-infested city in Canada - Vancouver Is Awesome

Even with sightings down 20 per cent over last year, Canadas largest pest control company says that Toronto has topped the list of top bed bug cities in the country two years running.

In a news release, Orkin Canada says that while Toronto holds the top spot, five other areas in Ontario also made the top 10.

Sudbury ranked second, Oshawa third, Scarborough seventh, Whitby placed eighth and Ottawa came in 10th.

Vancouver, Winnipeg, St. Johns and Edmonton also made the list.

The findings are based on the number of commercial and residential bed bug treatments carried out by Orkin from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2020.

And while it may be unsettling to see your citys name on the list, the company says that bed bug sightings are actually down year over year, which they credit to the public health measures in place to fight COVID-19.

Travel bans, stay-at-home orders, and a general shift to working remotely have resulted in less opportunities for these hitchhikers to move around, for the first time since Orkin Canada released its annual survey five years ago, the news release reads.

However, the company says that when the economy reopens, bed bugs will also be back in business.

Due to their ability to double in population about every 16 days, it should not be difficult for bed bugs to regain their grip on the Canadian market.

In the meantime, Canadians concerned about a possible infection are encouraged to carefully examine bags and clothing, inspect all second-hand or returning office furniture, and dry potentially infested bed linens or clothing on the highest heat setting.

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Toronto tops list of bed bug cities again but sightings are down amid COVID-19 - CP24 Toronto's Breaking News

Postmedia

Toronto still tops the list of 25 bed bug cities in Canada with Sudbury coming in second.

On the bright side, that doesnt mean the number of critters is going up.

In fact, according to an annual survey by pest control company Orkin Canada, some hitchhikers couldnt catch a ride in 2020, with bed bug sightings across the country down by nearly 20 per cent over the previous year.

And whats to thank for that? COVID-19 restrictions.

As a result of their ability to latch on to people, clothing and furniture, all it takes is an airline or bus seat, an unsuspecting office, or a house or hotel with changing visitors, for bed bugs to travel great distances, Orkin said in a news release Tuesday.

Travel bans, stay-at-home orders, and a general shift to working remotely have resulted in less opportunities for these hitchhikers to move around, for the first time since Orkin Canada released its annual survey five years ago.

However, Orkin Canada said its expected that once the economy reopens, bed bugs cases will rise again.

Due to their ability to double in population about every 16 days, it should not be difficult for bed bugs to regain their grip on the Canadian market, the company said.

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Sudbury second on Canada's bed bug list - The Sudbury Star

Good night. Sleep tight. Dont let the bedbugs bite! Well, if you live or travel to one of these cities in Canada, Orkin Canada says you have a higher chance of you getting up in the morning with nasty rashes.

Bed bugs, the insects that live on the blood of humans and animals, are efficient hitchhikers and Orkin Canada, the countrys largest pest control provider, has released its fourth annual list of top bed bug cities based on the number of commercial and residential bed bug treatments carried out by the company between the period of January 1 December 31, 2020.

Toronto tops the list with Sudbury and Oshawa claiming second and third positions respectively. Scarborough, North York and Etobicoke appear in the top twenty. Considering the fact that Scarborough, North York and Etobicoke are part of Toronto and not separate cities, the bug problem in Toronto must be really bad.

If you do not want to bring home Cimex lectularius (bed bug) as your travel companion, then

More information can be found here.

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These Are Cities That Top the List for Bed Bug Infestations in Canada for 2020 - To Do Canada