Itchy! These are most bed bug-ridden cities in all of Canada
In some very gross news, Orkin Canada has revealed the Canadian cities with the most bed bugs, and you might be living in one of them.
The pest control company releases an annual ranking of the top 25 “bed-buggiest” cities in Canada every year.
The data for this report was collected over 2023. It’s always compiled based on the number of commercial and residential bed bug treatments performed by the company a year.
Orkin Canada
Toronto maintained its winning streak as the most-infested city for the seventh year in a row.
It was followed by Sudbury, Oshawa, Hamilton, and Ottawa — all these Ontarian cities were also in the top 10 last year.
In the sixth spot, we have Vancouver. The city ranked #2 last year, so this is somewhat good news for Vancouverites and bad news for the city’s no-longer-thriving bed bug community.
Winnipeg and St. John’s ranked seventh and eighth, while Sault Ste. Marie and Scarborough — again, Ontario cities — took the ninth and 10th spots (which begs the question, what the hell is going on in Ontario?)
“As we’ve seen travel return to pre-pandemic levels, Canadians should be on guard for bed bugs. These pests are extremely resilient and can hitchhike from place to place unnoticed and with ease,” said Dr. Alice Sinia, an entomologist with Orkin Canada.
“Known as expert hitchhikers, bed bugs cling to clothing, luggage and furniture to invade new spaces, stowing themselves in baseboards, electronics, bedding, wallpaper, wall hangings and sofas.”
Not sure you know how to identify bed bugs? Here’s what they look like:
Orkin Canada
According to Orkin, bed bugs are usually oval-shaped with flat bodies, two antennae and six legs. They’re reddish brown and have a darker abdomen due to digesting blood. A single bug is about the size of an apple seed — 4-5mm long.
Despite their name, bed bugs don’t just hide in your bed. They can slip into small nooks and crannies around your house, like sofa creases, behind loose wallpaper, floor cracks and baseboard gaps, under carpets, and even behind picture frames.
“While bed bugs are visible to the naked eye, they are cryptic and excellent at hiding, making them difficult to control,” say the experts at Orkin. “Having a trained professional intervene at the first sight of a bed bug is highly recommended.”
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