Category Archives: Toronto Bed Bugs

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By Valerie Dittrich

A row of desks on the 10th floor of the Ryerson University Library has been blocked off after a report of a possible bed bug sighting.

The desks were cordoned off as a member of the community alerted the facilities team to a possible bed bug sighting on one of the desks on the 10th floor of the library late Friday, Ryersons facilities and management department (FMD) said in an email to The Eyeopener.

The university takes reports of potential bed bug sightings very seriouslybed bugs are a common and frustrating pest in Toronto and the university takes proactive measures to try to prevent their spread in our buildings.

Instagram account @ryerson_confessions, which posts anonymous confessions from Ryerson students, posted a photo on Friday of what appeared to be a bed bug with the caption, Possible bed bugs found on the 10th floor of the library.

The same account has also postedconfessions of students alleging they have seen bed bugs on the sixth floor of the Sheldon and Tracy Levy Student Learning Centre (SLC) and in a lecture hall at the Ted Rogers School of Management building (TRSM).

The Eye went to the SLC and TRSM on Nov. 17 and did not find any bed bugs. The row of desks on the 10th floor of the library that were covered in plastic with the bottom of the sheet taped down to the floor, wrapped in caution tape.

The FMD said that Orkin, a pest control company, brought in their canine team on Monday morning to assess the area and said that no bed bugs or bed bug activity was found.

Bed bugs were previously found by The Eye last year inside a classroom in the Victoria Building after the university said there was no evidence of any bed bugs or other insects after a visual inspection by the FMD.

According to Health Canada, bed bugs are small, wingless creatures that feed on the blood of humans and animals. They are most commonly found in small, compact spaces, such as in-between mattress seams and inside box springs.

Bed bug bites usually dont require medical attention but they can take up to 14 days to appear on the body and appear as red and raised.

If you see an insect that you suspect to be a bed bug, please send us a photograph so we can identify the pest and address it, stated the FMD.

Related

Read the rest here:
Reports of bed bugs around Rye campus - The Eyeopener

For Toronto exterminator Dylan Aiello, eliminating bedbugs from office buildings is a particularly insidious challenge.

The blood-sucking pests have been spotted at governmentbuildings across the country, including offices in Ottawa-Gatineau, Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg, according to the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

The federal workers' union has been urging the government to step up its eradication efforts, from letting sniffer dogs do their thing in bug-ridden buildingsto teaching workers how to identify and report any problems.

"The issue with office buildings is ... there's no place where people are sleeping or sitting or resting. It's usually very bright, people are most active during the day, they're a lot more empty at nighttime," Aiellosaid.

"Bedbugs will be wandering around in a way that is a lot different than how they would behave in a normal domestic environment."

Aiello was Wednesday's guest on CBC Radio's Ontario Today, where he shared both his expertise on how to deal with bedbugsand his sympathy with those livingwith infestations.

Here are four big takeaways.

If you work in a building where bedbugs have been spotted, you'll want to have a change of clothes handy, Aiello said.

His advice isto shimmy out of your work clothes after you leave workbut before you crash on your couch perhaps by changing on the porch, for example.

That way, if the work clothes have been contaminated, at least you're not bringing bedbugs into the house.

Keep your work clothes on the porch, Aiello said, or seal them inside an airtight container and bring them inside. It's also a good idea to do a "quick visual inspection" of shoes, bags and purses.

"It's a small daily inconvenience to save yourself potentially a large expense."

It's a "common misconception" that bedbug infestations are more likely to be found in homes that are dirty or messy, Aiellosaid.

"They have nothing to do with cleanliness," he said. "We've been in the least-cluttered, cleanest homes you can imagine, with thousands of bedbugs on the bottom of a mattress."

That said, the less clutter a home has, the easier theyare to spot, Aiello said.

"Changing your sheets more often, flipping up your bed a couple of times a year you're going to spot them if they're there."

The bedbug has a common doppleganger, Aiello said.

Carpet beetle larvaeare one of the most frequently encounteredpests Aiellodeals with, and while they resemble bedbugs, they're actually a completely different creature.

The tiny larvae chew on discarded skin cells,hair folliclesor other protein-rich organic matter, Aiello said. As they do that, they shed their own wiry skin and it's the friction from that skin that causes red markssimilar to those left by bedbug bites.

"That's something people should be aware of, too not to raise the alarm as soon as they see any kind of small insect."

For Aiello, confronting the stigma around bedbugs in workplaces is "priority number one."

When it comes to high-traffic locations like government buildings, doctors' offices, schools or mass transit systems, a bedbug infestation is going to happen sooner or later, he said.

That's why Aiello believes employers should be displaying messaging about the pests in the same way they'd share health and safety protocols or tell workers what to do in case of a fire.

Unfortunately, that's not happening as often as it should.

"People don't want to hear about bedbugs," Aiello said, "until it's already too late."

Read more from the original source:
Bedbug infestations: 4 takeaways from an expert - CBC.ca

Bedbugs showed up in two more federal office buildings in the past week, bringing the total in the capital to five and stirring the Public Service Alliance of Canada to new action.

New in the past week were small numbers of bedbugs found in the Jeanne Mance Building at Tunneys Pasture and another facility at 22 Eddy St. in Gatineau.

Previously the blood-sucking insects had shown up on one floor each at 235 Queen St., 70 Crmazie St. and 350 King Edward Ave.

The latest two findings brought this statement fromEddy Bourque, national president of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union, speaking on behalf of PSAC.

Were very concerned with the recent outbreak of bed bugs in federal buildings across Canada. This is a serious health and safety issue affecting workers, and the government needs to take proactive measures to eradicate bed bugs in all federal buildings. These are not isolated cases; bed bugs have been found in federal buildings in Ottawa, Gatineau, Montreal, Hamilton, Toronto and Winnipeg.

Bedbugs are good at hitching rides in the clothing or handbags of people who move from one building to another.

PSAC calls on the government to:

Proactively inspect all federal government buildings across Canada with sniffer dogs to check for bed bugs. Fumigate the entire building if bed bugs are found, not just one floor or section. Cover all fumigation expenses for federal employees who find bed bugs in their homes if they work in a building where bed bugs were found. Provide accommodations for employees to work from home or tele

PSAC also wants a registry of buildings with a history of the bugs and training for employees on how to recognize them

Public Services and Procurement Canada says it has been treating outbreaks quickly and effectively, in most case eliminating the problem.

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A person dealing with bed bugs in Toronto should understand that the Federal Government of Canada has only approved a very limited number of pesticides that can be used by ANY company for bed bugs. It doesn't matter how large or small the company is - they can only use those limited products!

So, with that in mind - it would makes sense to hire a smaller, less overhead-burdened company to handle your bed bug problem. But, that's not the whole story.

Procedure is everything!...Read on...

With the mass media coverage of the bed bug problem in Toronto hitting record levels in the past six months, there have been numerous companies - one man start ups - that have hit the market. Be careful not to jump at the lowest price.

Here are some tips to help you choose what type of company you should be looking for - Ask them about the following:

To get rid of bed bugs in Toronto, the pricing structure should be based around what type of home it is. For example, a 5 bedroom house will surely cost more than a bachelor apartment... but how much more?

Bed bug extermination pricing in Toronto, if graphed over the last year, would look like a roller coaster. One year ago the average price for a 4 bedroom home was almost $2000. Today, the average price should be somewhere around $800. Now, as we discussed, not all bed bug treatments are alike!

Your exterminator should include at least two treatments for whatever price they quote to you. This has to do with 'breaking the life-cycle' of the infestation. It is rare indeed for a bed bug problem to be adequately dealt with in only one service!

Make absolutely sure that the company you go with will never leave you hanging. Meaning, make sure they offer a written service guarantee - no company can guarantee that you're bed bugs will be gone in a certain length of time - no company can do that! Bed bugs are simply too unpredictable an insect for that to be genuine. What you should look for isa companythat will guarantee that they will come back if you need them to and utilize different methods of extermination specific to your particular situation. This is referred to as IPM or Integrated Pest Management.

Beware of the guy that tells you that "one treatment should do it" or "...you don't need a written guarantee - I'll come back, trust me..." If you hear comments similar to this - move on!

At the very least, make sure the company you hire is BBB accredited! The Better Business Bureau hold companies to the highest ethical and moral business practices standards. The vetting process is intense and regular checks are done by the BBB on their accredited companies to ensure that those standards are constantly being met. Any bed bug exterminator you hire should be accredited by the BBB!

Pricing: Our latest research shows a sampling as follows:

4 Bedroom house, full treatment including steam as necessary:

Orkin $1,600 http://www.orkincanada.ca/ Toronto Exterminator.ca $799 http://www.torontoexterminator.ca/

To summarize, you should go with a company that specializes in bed bugs extermination. They should be willing to spend some time with you on the phone and in person discussing your bed bug problem when they arrive. They should utilize IPM or Integrated Pest Management (different methods) to solve your bed bug problem. Appropriate pesticide application, steaming, dusting and vacuuming should do the trick.

Link:
How much does it cost to get rid of bed bugs in Toronto?