A new report says most of the bed bug ridden cities across Canada are in Ontario with Toronto taking the top spot for the seventh straight year.
Orkin Canada, a pest control company, has released its annual list of the “bed buggiest” cities.
Cities are ranked by the number of bed bug treatments the company performed for both residential and commercial customers during 2023.
Orkin said Vancouver dropped from second to sixth place in the 2023 ranking, while Sudbury rose to second place and Oshawa to third. Winnipeg also cracked the top 10 in 2023, now ranking seventh, after placing 11th in 2022, Orkin said.
Here are the top 10 bed bug ridden cities in Canada:
- Toronto
- Sudbury
- Oshawa
- Hamilton
- Ottawa
- Vancouver
- Winnipeg
- St. John’s
- Sault Ste. Marie
- Scarborough (a suburb of Toronto)
Seven out of the top 10 on the list are in Ontario.
In Orkin Canada’s extended list, several other Ontario cities made the top 25 list, including London (13th), Timmins (15th), Windsor (16th), Mississauga (21st), Niagara Falls (22nd), and Peterborough (24th). North York (17th) and Etobicoke (20th) were also ranked as suburbs of Toronto.
In most other provinces across Canada, only one or two cities were listed in the top 25.
Bed bugs are tiny pests that are red to dark brown and flat, oval shaped. Orkin Canada says these bugs are known for their rapid reproduction and long-term survival capabilities.
These insects can produce one to five eggs a day, with females laying from 200-500 eggs throughout their lives, which can last from four months to almost a year, Orkin Canada says. They can also survive for months at a time without a meal with their sole source of nutrition being blood.
“Known as expert hitchhikers, bed bugs cling to clothing, luggage and furniture to invade new spaces, stowing themselves in baseboards, electronics, bedding, wallpaper, wall hangings and sofas,” said Alice Sinia, an entomologist with Orkin Canada.
Most recently, in a TikTok video, what appeared to be a bed bug was spotted on the TTC — Toronto’s transit system — raising concerns for riders about infestation.
Videos also surfaced from Paris, France of a bed bug infestation with the pests crawling over seats in the metro and high-speed trains and even in cinemas and at the airport during Fashion Week.