The Lewandowska family has had their low income apartment sprayed for bed bugs, but they are still dealing with the parasites.
The first treatment didn’t work and Montreal’s Municipal Housing Office is set to return in the next few days for a second treatment.
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“The minimum is two treatments, but we never know with bed bugs,” said Ingrid Dirickx, Montreal municipal housing office spokesperson.
However, spraying isn’t the only way to get rid of bed bugs.
Don Prashker and his bed bug extermination team use heat treatment rather than a spray.
READ MORE: Bed bug infestation plagues Montreal family living in social housing complex
He said the issue with the spray is that bed bugs become more resistant to the pesticides.
“The chemicals are superficial and they’re spraying the perimeter of the apartment … making the problem even harder to solve,” Prashker said.
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The heat treatment reaches 135 degrees Fahrenheit (52 degrees Celsius), killing the bed bugs and their eggs.
“We don’t want to control the problem, we want to eliminate the problem,” Prashker said.
READ MORE: Bed bugs an ‘epidemic’ in Montreal, says housing group
That’s exactly what the Lewandowska family is looking for.
“I would like to actually see them do their job properly and not just say that they will,” said Kamila Lewandowska, tenant of the apartment.
“It is time to do something about it. We’ve been asking for too long.”
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The family is also unhappy with how the housing office has dealt with the situation.
“I honestly just think they’re sending the first person they can think of to close our eyes,” Lewandowska said.
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