Bedbugs infest Christ the King Centre

Several weeks ago, “Betty” started noticing bug bites on her skin. Then she noticed a small bug in her bed, then another on the floor, and then another on her couch.

It turns out there's an infestation of bed bugs in the Christ the King Centre, where she's lived in a ninth-floor apartment for six years.

The insects have been found in about eight apartments in the 155-unit Elgin Street seniors' apartment complex. The building is owned by Christ the King Parish (Sudbury) Development Corporation, and is run by a board of directors.

According to information on the provincial government website bedbuginfo.ca, bed bugs are small insects about the size of an apple seed with oval-shaped bodies and no wings. They usually come out and bite at night.

Betty, who did not want her real name used, said her apartment was treated by a pest control company, but she's been left to clean her possessions by herself.

She's washed all her clothes in hot water, and now keeps them in plastic bags. She washes her bedding every week, and every second day, she throws her bedding and pillows into the dryer to make sure she's gotten rid of all of the bugs.

Betty, who spoke to Northern Life June 26 while sitting on a bench outside of the apartment complex, has also thrown out many of her belongings, including her books, DVDs, knitting projects and some furniture.

She said she's even afraid to visit family members because she doesn't want to spread the bedbugs.

Betty said she and and other residents often cry together when they speak about the situation.

“It's devastating,” she said. “At least it is for me.”

Jean LeBlanc, who works for Luxor Management Inc., the company which manages the Christ the King Centre, said the property managers became aware of the bedbug outbreak roughly three weeks ago.

He said two apartments were badly infested, with about eight in total affected by the insects.

Luxor has brought in a pest control company to treat the affected apartments, LeBlanc said. In some cases, they've even had to rip out carpets and baseboards to deal with the problem.

All of the building's lounges have been roped off so there's less chance of tenants transmitting the bugs between themselves.

In some cases, because tenants haven't been able to properly clean their belongings, the pest control company has had to come back two or even three times, Leblanc said.

All tenants have been given Health Canada pamphlets about bedbugs, he said.

However, he said there's been a bit of “fear-mongering” amongst the Christ the King Centre residents about the situation. He's also concerned that in some cases, tenants aren't reporting bedbugs in a timely fashion.

Because of this, the company is holding an information session at the Christ the King Catholic Church July 28 at 7 p.m.

“What we're going to do is have an information session where they can basically voice their concerns,” LeBlanc said.

“They'll be addressed by the health professionals in the community, the (pest control) service provider, and of course, we're going to be represented there, as well as members of the board.”

Burgess Hawkins, manager of environmental health with the Sudbury and District Health Unit, confirmed there is a bedbug problem at the Christ the King Centre.

However, he said he couldn't get into the specifics of the case because of privacy legislation.

The health unit has been receiving more complaints about bedbugs this year than it did last year, he said.

“However, we don't have hundreds and thousands of complaints like you do get in some places like Toronto,” Hawkins said.

When there's a complaint of bedbugs at an apartment building or a hotel, a health inspector is sent out to do an examination, he said.

If there are signs of bedbugs, the health unit will give information to the tenant about what they need to do, and contact the landlord to inform them that the unit needs to be chemically treated by a pest-control company.

“If we have trouble with the landlord – and this is extremely rare that this would happen, because most landlords wouldn't want bedbugs in apartments or hotels — we'll get ahold of bylaw,” Hawkins said.

“Under the local bylaws, there is a section that says the houses cannot have an infestation of insects. At that point, we'd transfer over to them to write an order.”

Although bedbugs aren't considered to be a health hazard, they are a “real nuisance,” he said. “It would be really upsetting if you have them, but they are treatable,” Hawkins said. “You can get rid of them.”

Sue Wallingford, who lives on the second floor of the Christ the King Centre, said one of the women on her floor just found out June 26 her apartment is infested.

She said she's also been helping another neighbour who has bedbugs — an elderly woman — wash her clothes for the past two weeks.
This neighbour is now currently on her “second bout” of bedbugs, Wallingford said.

“It's a scary situation,” she said, adding that many people have moved out of the building because of the problem.

Eradicating bedbugs

-Consult with your landlord, building manager, health unit or a pest control professional to confirm that you have bed bugs.
-Ensure a licensed pest-control company treats your home.
-Use a nozzle attachment on your vacuum to remove all signs of bedbugs.
-Vacuum all crevices on your mattress, bed frame, baseboards and any objects close to the bed.
-Wash all your clothing, bed sheets, blankets, mattress pads, pillows and their cases in the hottest water possible and place them in a hot dryer for 30 minutes.
-Consider covering your pillows and mattress with a plastic cover.
-Remove all unnecessary clutter.
-Seal cracks and crevices between baseboards, on wood bed frames, floors and walls with caulking.
-Repair or remove peeling wallpaper, tighten loose light switch covers, and seal any openings where pipes, wires or other utilities come into your home
-Dispose of infested items that cannot be cleaned and get rid of clutter.
-Seal all items tightly in a plastic garbage bag and discard in a clearly labelled outside container.

Preventing bedbugs

-Regularly inspect your home for bedbugs, and keep your home clean.
-Seal cracks and crevices with caulking, even if you don't have bedbugs.
-Be careful when buying used furniture, ensuring you inspect it for bedbugs.
-Never bring discarded bed frames, mattresses, box springs, upholstered furniture or electronics into your home
-When travelling, inspect hotel and motel rooms and furniture for blood spots, droppings or live insects.
-Inspect luggage when you return home, preferably before you bring your luggage into the house, and wash clothing in the hottest water possible followed by 30 minutes in a hot dryer immediately after returning from a trip.

(Source: bedbuginfo.ca)

Posted by Arron Pickard