Category Archives: Canada Bed Bugs

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OTTAWA, Ontario (CTV News) Of the very few good things to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, bed bug sightings plummeted in 2020.

In a report released on Tuesday from Orkin Canada, bed bug sightings dropped by 20 per cent in 2020, marking the first decline in the five-year history of the report.

Bernie Grafe, Orkin Canadas branch manager for the Greater Toronto Area residential division, said the pandemic is the primary factor behind the decline.

Bed bugs are hitchhikers, he said in a phone interview with CTVNews.ca. As people move around and visit, travel, go to work, go to public places, hotels, long-term rentals, you name it, they are essentially transporting the bed bugs around.

Youre not seeing a lot of people congregating in higher percentages and areas, so therefore the bed bugs are just not spreading.

Grafe said this is a trend Orkin Canada is seeing nationwide, but warned that this decline may go away when the pandemic ends.

Once the lockdown is released and one day there is a sense of normalcy, we will again see that spike go up just from that natural social behaviour, he said.

Bed bugscan lie dormant for several months at a time, meaning bugs in an office may still be alive when office work resumes.

People going back to work who havent been in to these environments for the last eight, nine, 10 months, those bed bugs are going to be hungry, he said.

Grafe said there arent any chemical treatments available that can prevent bed bugs from entering the home, meaning vigilance is the best method to keep them from spreading.

The biggest form of prevention is awareness, and that is through inspections and visually inspecting the environment that youre in, especially with hotels and long-term rentals, he said.

Grafe said its key to inspect the bed, behind picture frames and curtains for any bugs or fecal matter that the bugs may have left behind. He also recommends a thorough inspection of your office setting.

The report also included the Top 25 cities for bed bugs in Canada, with Toronto topping the list, followed by Sudbury, Oshawa, Vancouver and Winnipeg.

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Bed bug sightings plummet in Canada as COVID-19 makes it harder for them to spread - Local News 8 - LocalNews8.com

Toronto has topped Orkins list of worst Canadian cities for bed bugs in 2020.

In the pest control companys annual list, Toronto is followed by Sudbury in second place and Oshawa in third place.

However, it appears that bed bug sightings were down overall for the year, which Orkin said is likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Travel bans, stay-at-home orders, and a general shift to working remotely have resulted in less opportunities for these hitchhikers to move around, a news release from the company read.

The company said that as the economy begins to reopen, bed bugs will likely become a growing problem again.

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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 release said.

Orkin said the list is based on the number of commercial and residential bed bug treatments done by the company throughout the year.

2021 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Toronto tops pest control companys list of worst Canadian cities for bed bugs - Global News

Aaron Flunkie can count 12 red bite marks spread out all over his body, and is constantly resisting the urge to scratch them.

He has been isolating at Chateau Nova Hotel in Yellowknife, one of the territorial government's designated isolation centres, since Wednesday.

Northwest Territories residents who travel outside the North have to isolate for two weeks in either Yellowknife, Inuvik, Hay River or Fort Smith when they return.

"I've been getting severe bite marks and I had no idea what it was from," said Flunkie.

On Sunday night Flunkie said he ordered pizza, and threw the hot box down on the bed. That's when he said he first saw the bugs. Bedbugs can't live in heat and steam, whichcan penetrate soft surfaces, so it'soften used to kill them.

"I noticed something black that was moving,I lifted the pizza box and I just saw bedbugs crawling out of the bed, out of the sheets."

Flunkie said he knew they were bedbugs right away, because he has encountered them before.

"It was really disgusting," he said.

The territorial government confirmed to CBC News on Tuesday that it is aware oftwo reports in the past month of bedbugsat different isolation centres.

Itbecame aware of the first on Sept. 1 through social media, and "immediately began an investigation."

Mike Westwick, a government spokesperson, told CBCNews via email that they would not be naming the isolation centre, but took immediate action with guidance from health officials, including cleaning several rooms in the affected area.

"For the guest's part, they were moved immediately to another room, only to find that the bedbugs had moved with them through their clothing," said Westwick, adding that the guest was given personal items including clothing and a new room.

Westwick said the territory received another report on Mondayabout someone with bedbug bites.

"We worked with hotel staff to get the individual and those accompanying them to a new room. We also offered to arrange medical attention if required. The individual indicated it wasn't," said Westwick.

He said the territory is investigating the situation right now, and that environmental health will be working with the hotel to ensure the proper protocols are followed to avoid further exposures.

Flunkie confirmed to CBC that when he went down to the front desk they switched his room, but said they didn't give any details about extermination at the time.

"I did go downstairs, I did tell them to move me because there were tons of bedbugs on the bed, and they didn't say anything about exterminating."

He was moved to a new room, but said no one gave him further information about sanitization procedures for bedbugs. Flunkie said hesoughtadvice from friends and made surehis clothing was washed.

Westwick said the territory will not be naming the isolation centres allegedly affected by bedbugs because they are confident the right protocols are being followed to keep the situations contained.

"We have confirmed the facility has professional pest control programs in place and is monitoring for bugs," he said.

Westwick said these programs normally include the use of mattress covers, monitoring of high-likelihood areas, and "immediate follow up/steam heat treatment of the room and rooms nearby."

He added that the territory has been made aware of a bedbug situation at a boarding house often used by medical travellers in Alberta, and it's possible there might be a connection.

Flunkie said he wants the hotel to prevent this from happening to other guests in the future.

"I think they should find out how many bedbugs are in each room and they should exterminate them. If this thing spreads then no one's going to want to stay here. It's just going to shut down the hotel."

Flunkie's grandmother, Violet Martin, said she's worried about the conditions that her grandson is staying in.

"I don't want to go in and start fighting or anything, I was just really mad," she said.

"He's got bedbugs all over, he's isolating and they're supposed to take care of him. And to be in a room, and he's going to come out with these red marks all over, I wasn't happy about it."

The territorial government says that hotel staff are responsible for facility maintenance and things like pest control programs.

"We all share responsibility for keeping our guests safe throughout their time there," said Westwick.

Reached by phone, Nova Hotels CEO Richard Wong said he was unaware of an investigation at the Chateau Nova. He did not provide further comment.

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'It was really disgusting': 2 cases of bedbugs reported at N.W.T. isolation hotels - CBC.ca

SASKATOON -- The owner of a Saskatoon hotel poised for closure by the Saskatoon Fire Department claims inspectors have been looking hard for any reason to shut down his business.

I dont think this is right. At my age, Im 77-years-old, I dont feel good about this at all. (The inspectors) have the power to do whatever they want, when they want, the time they want and if its sunny or rainy they choose what day, John Pontes said in an interview Wednesday, which you can watch portions of using the player above.

City Centre Inn and Suites, which was previously known as Northwoods Inn and Suites, is under a closure order issued by the fire department that will go into effect Thursday afternoon. The order comes after inspectors found dozens of maintenance and fire code deficiencies at the hotel.

On Wednesday, the City of Saskatoon shared photos illustrating some of what was found inside the hotel, including raw sewage in a bathroom and signs of bed bug infestations.

Pontes said he's working to correct many of the issues and the presence of cockroaches and bed bugs does not warrant the closure of his hotel.

"So what, we have medicine for that. So what, we spray that. We have a guy that's going through there."

Also, Pontes dismissed concerns raised about the presence of bed bugs at the inn.

"One here, one there. There's no bedbugs."

He said he has told inspectors numerous times he needs more time to meet their requirements.

We will clean the rooms. We will fix the windows. Whatever needs to be repaired will get fixed but right now with the COVID-19, its hard and its hard to find good, quality labour.

Over the years the inn has also been the scene of several crimes and police say they have been called to the hotel nearly 3,000 times over the past six years.

In 2014 Pontes was fined $45,000 for sexually harassing a former female employee.

Five years later, in 2019, Pontes was handed a90-day probation for sexual assault and required to register as a sex offender.

Roman Todos, who is president of the Caswell Hill Community Association, considers the hotel an "ongoing problem."

It seems to be a magnet for ongoing issues and it filters out to the greater neighbourhood. The individuals living there seem to be being used and if you look at the crime statistics its been a problem area, many people here have a big concern," Todos told CTV News on Wednesday.

Roughly 150 residents, including three children, who live at the hotel are being relocated due to the hazards found by inspectors.

I am worried about the people here, Pontes said. Where are you going to put them? On the street? This is very discriminatory. (Indigenous people) are always being discriminated against by everybody. The country I came from has never done such a thing. I will get a hold of a lawyer."

--With files fromCreeson Agecoutay and Josh Lynn

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'One here, one there. There's no bedbugs.': Owner of former Northwoods Inn says closure unwarranted - CTV News

Bed bugs have been a household pest issue for more than 3,300 years, dating back to ancient Egypt. They were first brought to the Canada and the United States by early colonists, where they thrived for many decades. However, by the 1950s, bed bugs had been all but eradicated in the developed world, thanks to the availability of new pest control products, coupled with the widespread use of vacuums and washing machines which helped to control the spread of infestations in living spaces.

Several factors led to theresurgence of bed bugsbeginning in the late 1990s; increased international travel, more targeted pest control products and methods and a lack of public awareness about pest prevention methods. However, today the wide spread of bed bugs has been identified as people purchasing second hand furniture and bringing it into their homes. The homeowners sleep soundly tucked in their warm beds as the bed bug feast on their unsuspecting bodies.

SLEEP TIGHTDONT LET THE BED BUGS BITE!

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Patrick Martens

Read more from the original source:
The Bed Bug Armageddon | Alberta Fire and Flood