One of Canada’s largest pest control providers has released a new list that no city should be happy to top.
Orkin Canada has released its listing of the 25 most afflicted bed bug cities in Canada.
For those not in the know, bed bugs are “parasitic insects of the cimicid family that feed exclusively on blood.” In the case of the most common bed bug, the blood they feed on is human blood. Great.
To be clear, Orkin Canada’s data is derived exclusively from the number of commercial and residential properties that have received bed bug treatment directly from Orkin between January 1 and December 31, 2020.
Top 10 bed bug cities in Canada
1. Toronto
2. Sudbury
3. Oshawa
4. Vancouver
5. Winnipeg
6. St. John’s
7. Scarborough
8. Whitby
9. Edmonton
10. Ottawa
The bed bug registry allows people to search for houses, hotels, and apartments that may or may not have had a reported case of bed bugs. It has information available for most major Canadian cities including Metro Vancouver and Toronto.
This year, things have been a bit different, with the looming pandemic and all, but bed bug sightings are down from the year prior by close to 20% nationally, according to Orkin.
Compared to last year’s list, Toronto and Vancouver kept their spots in first and fourth place, respectively, but Ottawa fell from fifth place to 10th, and Whitby jumped from 20th to eighth.
According to Orkin, tips for homeowners and vacationers include:
- Thoroughly inspect the beds, soft furnishings and framed pictures – look for insects, blood stains, dead bugs and eggs
- Keep all your luggage elevated and away from soft furnishings
- When returning home, leave your luggage in the garage and put all clothing in the dryer at the highest appropriate temperature for at least 15 minutes
Orkin Canada
“It is expected, however, that as the economy opens, bed bugs will be back in business (tip: beware of the return of borrowed office chairs). 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,” shares Orkin.
So sleep tight! And don’t let the bed bugs… well, you know.
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