Mississauga Has Disturbing Ranking on National Bed Bug List
Published August 1, 2017 at 9:29 pm
Are you afraid of bed bugs?
Of course you are.
These reddish-brown appleseed size bugs can hide in your bedframe and other furniture and feed on your delicious blood in the night. Worse still? Pest Control company Orkin Canada says the insects have resurged over past few the years and are prominent in a host of Canadian cities–including Mississauga.
Orkin’s recently released Top 25 Bed Bug Cities list breaks down the cities where you’re most likely to find what it calls “extremely efficient hitchhikers.” According to Orkin, bed bugs can easily move across rooms and climb onto luggage or anything left on a bed in just one night.
So, what cities are the worst for the scary little beasties?
According to Orkin, Toronto is number 1, while Winnipeg, Vancouver, Ottawa and St. John’s follow at 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively. Mississauga comes in at 18 (so not as bad as its eastern neighbour, but not great either). The other cities rounding out the top 10 include Edmonton (6), Halifax (7), Sudbury (8), Scarborough (9) and Calgary (10).
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Other local-ish cities on the list include Hamilton (13), Brantford (15), North York (16), Etobicoke (19) and Oshawa (17).
Orkin says the cities are ranked by the number of bed bug treatments the company performed from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017.
Although bed bugs are typically associated with unsanitary conditions, it’s wrong to assume cleanliness keeps them at bay (or what anyone who has them neglects to maintain their space). They can easily make their way into your bedroom, so Orkin has some tips on how to prevent them?
Their advice?
- Do not put your clothing or luggage directly on the bed. If bed bugs are present in the bed, they can climb into bags, suitcases or any laundry left on the bed.
- Use metal luggage racks at all times. Bed bugs cannot easily climb metal surfaces, so they make an ideal overnight spot for your suitcase. Keep the rack away from the walls and any wooden furniture.
- Use small plastic bags to pack clothing, shoes and other personal items. This will help prevent any bed bugs that climb into your suitcase from getting into your house with your clothing. Bed bugs can also hide in books, cloth toiletry kits and other non-metal personal items.
- Orkin also says that hotels aren’t the only bed bug travel threats. Bed bugs thrive in dark, cool places with long-term access to humans and can also be found on airplane and train seats, buses or in rental cars.
If you think you have a bed bug issue, speak to a pest control service.
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