SUDBURY – A Northern Ontario city topped a list no one wants to be on, Orkin Canada’s Top 10 Bed Bug Cities.
Sudbury ranked second behind Toronto for the most commercial and private bed bug treatments carried out by a Canadian pest control company in 2020.
There is a ray of hope, however, as the company said in a press release, that bed bug sightings are down nearly 20 percent nationally from last year.
“Travel bans, home ordering and a general shift to remote working have resulted in fewer hitchhikers getting around for the first time since Orkin Canada’s annual survey was published five years ago,” the pest control company said.
However, there is a risk that bed bugs will spread when the economy opens again.
“Beware of returning borrowed office chairs,” Orkin said. “Because of their ability to double the population roughly every 16 days, bedbugs shouldn’t have a hard time getting a grip on the Canadian market again.”
There are a few tips to help prevent bed bugs:
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Careful examination of bags and clothing
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Drying potentially infected bed linen or clothing on the highest heat setting
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Inspection of all used or returned office furniture
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Get help from a pest control service
The top 10 Canadian cities with the most bed bug calls are:
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Toronto
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Sudbury
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Oshawa
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Vancouver
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Winnipeg
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Saint John
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Scarborough
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Whitby
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Edmonton
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Ottawa
Some of the changes from last year include Toronto and Vancouver staying in the same locations, Ottawa falling from No. 5 to No. 10, and Whitby rising from No. 20 to No. 8.
The full list of Canada’s 25 Best Bed Bug Cities is available here.
