Pest control giant Orkin Canada has once again released its list of the 25 worst Canadian cities for bed bugs, and for the fourth straight year Sudbury is among the top 10.
For the last three years (2017, 2018 and 2019) Sudbury has been ranked in the No. 8 spot, but this year has dropped down one place to No. 9.
The top 10 worst offenders for bed bugs are as follows:
- Toronto
- Winnipeg
- Vancouver
- St. John's
- Ottawa
- Scarborough
- Halifax
- Oshawa
- Sudbury
- Hamilton
The small creatures, approximately four to five millimeters long when fully grown, have been making a recent resurgence in Canada and North America.
Some reasons behind the resurgence include the reduced use of pesticides, the use of second hand furniture and international travel. These critters are notorious hitchhikers.
No need to fear however as they don't cling to humans, but they will hide in your belongings.
Bed bugs live near their hosts and since they feed off of humans, they inhabit the space around us including our homes, hotels or anywhere people frequent.
Bed bugs only require a protected area close to a feeding source to survive, and adults can survive up to a year without feeding. Since they are attracted
to the warmth and carbon dioxide emitted by humans, they tend to frequent high activity areas like hotels where they are often brought in on luggage or
furniture.
Thanks to their small, flattened, oval-shape body, they have a unique ability to hide in small dark places including baseboards, cracks in floors, under
carpets, bed frames, loose wallpaper and couches, and can be rather difficult to find.
The rust-coloured parasites multiply quickly and tend to stick together. If you suspect you are suffering from bed bugs, early detection is the best way to
prevent an infestation.
Orkin says you can detect them by looking for live or dead bed bugs, small reddish-black spots, and skins left behind from molting.
A few tips to preventing bed bugs are to clean and vacuum bedrooms regularly, protect your mattresses and boxsprings with certified bed bug
encasements, check all furniture near sleeping areas, inspect second hand furniture before bringing it into your home, look around seams, crevices and
folds, and seal cracks in walls, trim and bed frames.
If you come into contact with bed bugs, Orkin suggests you seek expert advice to prevent a further invasion.
For more information on bed bugs, you can visit the Public Health Sudbury and District page on bed bugs, or Orkin Canada's page.
Ryan Marcotte is a co-operative education student from Lasalle Secondary School.
