Category Archives: Toronto Bed Bugs

Hamilton Public Library's struggle with bedbugs isn't unique. Other city libraries have had similar experiences, including Ottawa, Toronto and Burnaby.

Bedbugs are wingless insects that feed off the blood of mammals, animals and humans alike. And their problematic presence is not limited to public libraries. Entomologist Antonia Guidotti says hospitals and other public institutions are being infested, too.

Any place where people go, people can pick them up, including the subways, Guidotti said, noting she's cautious about sitting down in Toronto's subway cars.

A bedbug inspection in March at Hamilton's Central library found many spots potentially inhabited by the pests. Library branches inspected since then have revealed similar spots where specialized sniffer dogs picked up the scent of bedbugs in localized areas. The library says all of the affected areas were promptly treated after hours. The inspections are ongoing.

The issue became public after a Spectator story in May. However, the library only recently started posting inspection results online, a move chief librarian Paul Takala says shows a commitment to transparency and being proactive.

Guidotti, an entomology technician at the Royal Ontario Museum, believes the pests cannot thrive in libraries because bedbugs are primarily nocturnal and people, a key source of food, are not in libraries overnight. The bugs also need a stationary meal ticket, meaning the bugs fall off if a person moves, she said. You can shake them off fairly easily.

Learning of libraries with potential bedbugs is not going to stop me from a good book, Guidotti said. We have to learn to deal with them, how to avoid them and how to identify them rather than avoid places.

She suggests patrons avoid bringing too many bags with them into the library, and shake out their coats, clothing and bags.

The Canadian Library Association referred The Spectator to Deb Thomas, acting chief librarian in Burnaby B.C. to talk about bedbugs in libraries. Thomas has dealt with bedbugs in Burnaby's library since September 2011 and has written about it, including descriptions of staff in haz-mat suits, boot covers and dust masks wiping down and shaking out books after the items were treated and set aside for 15 days.

Thomas, who says she was consulted by Hamilton library officials recently, considers it not uncommon to find bedbugs in urban libraries but says things have really improved in Burnaby since they instituted a preventive program. The pest management company has recommended patrons keep their borrowed books in sealed plastic bags when not being read.

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Hamilton library not alone in battling pesky bedbugs

Hamilton Public Library's struggle with bedbugs isn't unique. Other city libraries have had similar experiences, including Ottawa, Toronto and Burnaby.

Bedbugs are wingless insects that feed off the blood of mammals, animals and humans alike. And their problematic presence is not limited to public libraries. Entomologist Antonia Guidotti says hospitals and other public institutions are being infested, too.

Any place where people go, people can pick them up, including the subways, Guidotti said, noting she's cautious about sitting down in Toronto's subway cars.

A bedbug inspection in March at Hamilton's Central library found many spots potentially inhabited by the pests. Library branches inspected since then have revealed similar spots where specialized sniffer dogs picked up the scent of bedbugs in localized areas. The library says all of the affected areas were promptly treated after hours. The inspections are ongoing.

The issue became public after a Spectator story in May. However, the library only recently started posting inspection results online, a move chief librarian Paul Takala says shows a commitment to transparency and being proactive.

Guidotti, an entomology technician at the Royal Ontario Museum, believes the pests cannot thrive in libraries because bedbugs are primarily nocturnal and people, a key source of food, are not in libraries overnight. The bugs also need a stationary meal ticket, meaning the bugs fall off if a person moves, she said. You can shake them off fairly easily.

Learning of libraries with potential bedbugs is not going to stop me from a good book, Guidotti said. We have to learn to deal with them, how to avoid them and how to identify them rather than avoid places.

She suggests patrons avoid bringing too many bags with them into the library, and shake out their coats, clothing and bags.

The Canadian Library Association referred The Spectator to Deb Thomas, acting chief librarian in Burnaby B.C. to talk about bedbugs in libraries. Thomas has dealt with bedbugs in Burnaby's library since September 2011 and has written about it, including descriptions of staff in haz-mat suits, boot covers and dust masks wiping down and shaking out books after the items were treated and set aside for 15 days.

Thomas, who says she was consulted by Hamilton library officials recently, considers it not uncommon to find bedbugs in urban libraries but says things have really improved in Burnaby since they instituted a preventive program. The pest management company has recommended patrons keep their borrowed books in sealed plastic bags when not being read.

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Hamilton library not alone in bedbug battle

A third of Hamiltons library branches were inspected for bedbugs in May and June and all of them had evidence of the pests.

Sniffer dogs picked up the scent in localized areas at eight of the 24 branches, although results released by the library suggest no actual bugs were visible. However, eggs were found on a book in the book bin at the Locke Street branch.

Live bedbugs, eggs and newly dead bedbugs give off a scent.

The remaining 16 branches have yet to be checked.

The library says all of the affected branches were promptly treated. This is done after hours with steam, heat chambers and spray, among other measures. The checks follow a schedule formed after a March 25 inspection of the Central branch and the librarys two bookmobiles.

The library is now posting its inspection results online, a move that came on the heels of officials releasing documents about bedbugs at city library facilities to The Spectator under a Freedom of Information request.

The request followed a Spectator story published in May that revealed the sniffer dogs found evidence of bedbugs at Central in March. A report to the library board in April said the dogs found evidence of the parasitic, bloodsucking insects in many areas and on every floor.

However, officials said no actual bedbugs were found.

RELATED: Its enough to keep you awake all night

Chief librarian Paul Takala said the inspection results are being posted to show the librarys commitment to transparency and to being proactive. The list of branches inspected so far and the findings are at the end of the librarys new posting of its bedbug prevention and containment policy. The policy was first formed (but not publicized) in April 2011 when bedbug problems were on the rise throughout the city.

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Dogs sniff out evidence of bedbugs at eight libraries

The coast is now clear at Cedar and Afton avenues, but the pile of bed bug-infested trash dumped in the residential east-end neighbourhood has residents and city staff shuddering about the bed bug problem.

Its a problem Hamilton and other cities in Ontario say would be a lot easier to tackle with provincial funding that ran out in March.

The funding stopped as if the problem had been solved and, of course, it hadnt been, said NDP poverty critic Cheri DiNovo.

The provincial government doled out $5 million in 2011 to public health departments across Ontario to combat the bugs. But it was a one-time deal when the money dried up in March, so did the resources, which included advertising and educational outreach projects.

There needs to be simpler access to information people are in the dark about the proper way to deal with it, said Cedar Avenue resident Heather Clayton.

Clayton was horrified Wednesday after tenants in the building across from her house, near Gage Street and Cumberland avenue, fled their infested apartment and left their bug-ridden belongings all over the buildings lawn.

City staff agree the community desperately needs those information resources, said Matt Lawson, a manager in Hamiltons public health department.

Information is the key in this fight. The more people know about it, the more often they wont get confused or angry and throw their stuff out on the lawn.

A large part of Hamiltons funding was also used to help vulnerable members of the community (the elderly and people with disabilities or mental health problems) prepare their units for spraying.

But the city has never had a special collection program for infested trash. So, where should it go?

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It’s enough to keep you awake all night

Bed bug bites were long thought to be relatively safe, but recently published reports indicate that bed bug bites can indeed transfer dangerous pathogens

TORONTO, June 7, 2012 /CNW/ - Researchers and scientists have studied bed bugs for many decades and have generally come to the conclusion that bed bugs could not transfer dangerous pathogens. However, recently published reports by Sean Abbott, Ph. D., senior biologist for Natural Link Mold Lab (NLML) determined that bed bugs have the ability to transfer live staphylococcus aureus (staph).

One recent report describes a Tennessee man's luxurious getaway to a premium rental cabin, which turned into a trip to the E.R. after he received multiple bed bug bites causing a severe bacterial staph infection. Fortunately, the man's infection, located on his leg, responded positively to an E.R.-prescribed oral antibiotic and he fully recovered from the infection approximately two weeks later.

Due to these recent discoveries, the Bed Bug Division of Magical Pest Control urges property managers to protect their tenants or renters from potentially lethal bed bug bites by hiring a licensed bed bug detection team to inspect their properties for bed bugs and bed bug eggs before opening their doors to customers.

"With the recent news of bed bugs transferring deadly pathogens, anyone renting their property must now take on the serious moral responsibility of hiring an expert bed bug detection team to perform a quick bed bug inspection of their property to ensure the health and safety of their tenants and renters," says Alex Dayan, manager of Magical Pest Control. "If bed bugs are detected, the best method of getting rid of them is through ThermaPureHeat treatment which is eco-friendly and pesticide-free."

Magical Pest Control's ThermaPureHeat treatment penetrates deep into a structure's cracks and crevices to kill bed bugs and their eggs where they are hiding. Pesticides, in contrast, are typically not effective in exterminating bed bug eggs, therefore, when relying on pesticides multiple treatments are often required to kill bed bugs after eggs hatch. With ThermaPureHeat, only one treatment is required to get rid of bed bugs and their eggs simultaneously.

For a free bed bug consultation or to book a bed bug inspection, contact http://www.magicalpest.ca.

Magical Pest Controlwww.magicalpest.ca

Magical Pest Control is a Canadian owned and operated pest-management company based in Toronto, Ontario. Magical is composed of a large team of government licensed technicians. In business since 1997, it is one of the largest pest control providers to the property management sector. While specializing in pest management for apartments, condos and commercial accounts, Magical also services residential homes and office complexes.

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New Research Reveals Bed Bugs' ability to transfer harmful bacteria