Toronto and its surrounding suburbs are facing a pest epidemic, and experts are sounding the alarm that our home-working habits could fuel an explosion in the population of unwanted houseguests like rats, cockroaches, and the dreaded blood-sucking bed bugs.
Toronto is often ranked as the worst city in Canada for bed bugs, and before lockdowns exacerbated the problem, they could be found in public places like the TTC. Bed bugs are not the only plague plaguing the town as cockroach and rat plagues also seem to be on the rise.
Rebecca Morton of Toronto’s Armor Pest Control explained the worrisome situation to blogTO, describing how changing eating and work patterns are the likely causes of the shift, where pests come from in search of food, and why your home could suddenly be in their crosshairs .
Local pest experts say there is a bed bug epidemic in Toronto right now – đź“ą @ArmourPestGTA #Toronto #BedBugs pic.twitter.com/T6YYSR7FU4
— blogTO (@blogTO) July 19, 2022
Morton tells blogTO that “with the arrival of the pandemic and the subsequent trend towards working from home, we’ve definitely seen increased calls to treat bed bug and rat infestations.”
“As restaurants and public spaces were closed, rats were forced from traditional restaurant strips and high-litter areas into residential buildings and neighborhoods in search of new food sources, where they began establishing new populations.”
Morton notes that demand for bed bug treatments has increased after public gatherings and venues were removed from the equation in 2020.
“People started visiting each other’s homes more often and unfortunately may have brought these little hitchhikers with them, which is one of the main causes of the spread of bed bugs.”
Lockdown conditions have also come with fears of welcoming strangers into your household, and Morton points out that “many potential customers would be reluctant to allow pest technicians access into their homes to treat their problems. This has been particularly problematic in dwellings, where an untreated infestation can easily spread to neighboring units.”
“In a press release issued Monday, Orkin Canada announced that Toronto was the city with the highest number of bed bug treatment service calls. The company also named Toronto Canada’s worst city for bed bugs last year.” https://t.co/nShrYY5zzy pic.twitter.com/dwkU8287Ov
— Paul Stewart II (@PaulStewartII) March 8, 2022
Once in a building, particularly in apartment and condominium complexes, pests can quickly spread from unit to unit. In the case of roaches, Morton recommends treating all buildings at once to prevent unit-to-unit migration.
She explains that “it’s not common to treat bed bugs the same way as they tend to be isolated in more concentrated areas and don’t spread as quickly. A conscientious landlord would treat a unit promptly and with quality products as it should be no major problem.”
“But if there’s a heavy infestation in a unit, it’s fairly common (and sensible) for the building to treat the surrounding units before the problem can spread.”
Morton says the best way to prevent a bed bug infestation is to pick up never-used furniture that is left at the curb.
“Picking up used furniture on the street, especially when it looks new, might be tempting, but it’s also a pretty strong signal that something is wrong. Look for small black dots on the furniture that indicate insect debris.”
Even if you see your dream furniture outside in the dead of winter, don’t think that extreme cold is enough to kill whatever lurks inside.
Morton says that “Bed bugs in particular can survive outdoors over a wide range of temperatures and can remain on furniture for some time. If you absolutely must pick up the item, give it a thorough steam before bringing it inside. “
Someone just spotted a bed bug on the #TTC subway #Toronto pic.twitter.com/kJYJ6zvpRh
— blogTO (@blogTO) March 1, 2019
Some local authorities are taking their own proactive measures to control pest infestations, such as the Peel Region, where there is a pilot program to subsidize homeowners for outdoor rat control.
It’s a service not provided by the City of Toronto, which Morton says may make residents “less likely to buy the service even at the first sign of a problem.”
Creepy crawlies and rodents will jump at any opportunity to inhabit your home, and while they can cause disruption, damage, mental health problems, and even disease, it’s not usually the end of the world.
“Usually” is the operative word, as there have been multiple instances of homes being burned down by authorities due to a runaway infestation. A thought that gives most people goosebumps.
