A Growing Problem in BC

I’m about to talk about a topic that will make your skin crawl…bed bugs! Yes…they’re not the subject of myth…they’re real and they’re nasty little creatures reaching near epidemic proportions in our city. Bed bugs are now found in 5 Star Hotels and Resorts and the most expensive of luxury buildings to the least expensive. They’re everywhere. But with a few simple preventative steps you can help stop the spread and protect your home from pests.

Bed bugs were nearly extinct in the 1940’s but started a ressurgence about 10 years ago when pesticides used to stop cockroaches changed. The old pesricides used to also kill bed bugs (what few were still around).  New York City has just held a public forum on the problem…it’s become that serious in the city that now an estimated 50% of residences both owner occupied and rentals have infestations.

What can you do to protect yourself and your family? One of the best things to do is to invest a mere 40$ from a department store Wallmart, Zellers etc) on a mattress and box spring cover. Be sure to buy the type designed for your bed size and the type designed to resists dust mites, bed bugs and waterproof.

Bed bugs can live without food for up to 1.5 years! They feed much like mosquitoes, they attack at night, typically one hour before dawn when you are most certainly asleep. They hide in the creases and folds of mattresses and are typically about 2 millimetres long and light brown in colour. They are wingless and cannot fly. They are sometimes mistaken for Ladybugs…but make no mistake…unlike the Ladybug they serve no purpose!

Downtown Vancouver is near epidemic proportions…many people move in and out of the downtown core and bedbugs find it rather easy to travel in multi family residential units…typically through the ceiling air ducts or holes around plumbing fixtures in the walls. They are attrated by CO2 and heat. We exhale CO2 when we sleep which makes it easy for them to find a source of food…us!!

The bites are quite harmless…however they can be extremely itchy and annoying and if welts develop as a result of scratching then infection can arise. The bites are much like mosquito bites.

These nasty bugs breed at an alarming rate…500 eggs per day can be laid in a 10 day period…which is why the discovery of 2 bedbugs is something that needs to be dealt with immediately.

It’s only a matter of time before this problem is going to reach all the corners of this province. If you Google “bedbugs” you will most likely come across the bed bug registry…it’s typically disgruntled renters upset about a landlords refusal to phone an exterminator.

Exterminators will be happy to charge 450$ for a visit…but rarely are they able to stop the problem.

The best, most effective ways to help stop and prevent the problem is so simple…go to a local department store and buy a mattress cover. This will make it impossible for bedbugs already burried to reemerge and it will make it impossible for new ones to bury and hide in folds and creases. And it’s so inexpensive! Other tips are to check your baseboards for any area where they may hide and vacuum those areas…then dispose of the bad immediately in a dumpster…not in your home. These bugs are so tiny they could easily creep back out.

One of the reasons why people often think this is a problem that only plagues renters is because of embarrassment. People fear they will be labelled “dirty” or “messy” by their landlord…and home owners wouldn’t dare report their dwelling to the bed bug registry. This is a problem that affects everyone…rich, renters, home owners…everyone!

If you’re a landlord…educate your tenant and buy them a mattress cover…it will be alot cheaper than sending an exterminator. It’s your responsibility to send an exterminator under the BC Law. This problem is now becoming so serious, the BC Government has issued a statement in regards to this. 

An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of remorse!