Watch above: Bed bug infestation forces woman from Saskatoon apartment
SASKATOON – Bed bugs. Just the thought of them makes your skin crawl and according to local pest control experts, they’re becoming more prevalent.
“Bed bugs are simply a hitchhiker and you’ll pick up bed bugs in many, many different places,” said Murray Davison, branch manager for Poulin’s Professional Pest Control Services.
“They’re making a come-back because of international travel,you know lots of people traveling to different destinations around the world and they’re just bringing them back.”
Surviving up to a year without a blood meal, bed bugs can live in walls and transfer in between apartments.
“They’re quite happy to live in the top third of your bed, in your headboard, in your night stand that kinda stuff and as long as there’s a blood meal there every night, you know you’re sleeping in there and they’ll come and feed on you.” explained Davison.
Serina McKeen, a young mother of one, says she’s packing up after getting fed-up with a bug infestation in her apartment complex on Avenue O South.
“It’s not a safe place for my kid.”
She and her two-year-old son now share an air mattress at their new apartment after McKeen said she’s had to either toss or leave behind hundreds of dollars worth of her belongings.
“We were told not to bring our furniture because they don’t want the problem over at my new house and I’m having an inspection next Monday to see if I brought bugs,” said McKeen.
Struggling to pay the bills, McKeen says she has no idea when she’ll be able to replace her furniture including her son’s crib.
“It makes me feel like a crappy parent that I can’t afford to go get my son a brand new bed which he deserves and I’m suppose to be his provider and I can’t even afford it right now.”
Two floors up in the same apartment complex, James Smith says the infestation in his apartment is so bad a good night’s rest is hard to come by.
“She gets up in the middle of the night, my wife and check two or three times and surprisingly enough we find one or two a night,” said Smith
“I get up with her, she gets up, baby’s up, we’re checking all around and just not feeling comfortable going back to sleep.”
Tenants say they’ve filed complaints with the company but the building hasn’t been professionally treated since the spring.
Avenue Living, the property management for Angela Dawn Apartments, says otherwise.
In statement to Global News, Avenue Living said “125 Avenue O south has been treated several times by both third party pest control providers and staff over the last year. Most recently in late July, 2014…” The full statement is below.
“A lot of the times we go in to treat and it’s just not a very thorough job in term of prep work and a lot of times you’ll just get them back,” said Davison.
Avenue Living says it provides a notice to it’s tenants when pest control will be happening and details on how to prepare the unit then it’s up to the tenant to follow through to ensure the treatment is effective.
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