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REGIONAL PEST REPORT

Winter season

Pest threat

Mice are moving inside and other wildlife may be looking for potential harbourage areas. Cluster flies have hibernated in attics and wall voids. As the temperature fluctuates keep your eyes and ears open for the signs and sounds of unwanted pests this winter. Carpenter ant activity may be seen in the home where moisture is found on a warmer day.

 

Stay alert

Get more info on local pests

Identifying Bed Bugs

What Do Bedbugs Look Like?

Photo of a bed bug

Since bed bugs are nocturnal and so small, detecting them can be very difficult. Evidence of a bedbug infestation can be found in bedding and on mattresses. People will sometimes roll onto bedbugs while sleeping, resulting in blood stains on the sheets. Live bed bugs will leave dark brown or black spots of dried excrement on infested surfaces after feeding and also exude a very subtle sweet, musty odour.

Bedbugs are small, flat and have oval-shaped bodies. They have six legs and two antennae. Bed bugs cannot fly and have short, golden coloured body hair that can make their bodies appear to be striped.

Adult bed bugs are reddish-brown in colour and approximately 5-6mm in length. After feeding, bed bugs can swell to upwards of 10mm and get fatter and darker in colour. 

Bed bug nymphs are approximately 1-4mm in length (the size of the head of a pin) and are white or a golden colour until they feed. This light coloration acts as a camouflage and helps them hide in mattresses and carpets.

Spotting The Signs Of Bed Bugs

Spotting the signs of bed bugsYou should regularly Inspect all sheets and pillowcases for small brown blood stains (fecal spots) and inspect the seams and folds of mattresses for live insects and bloodstains.

Bed bugs usually stay close to the feeding areas so look in the areas where they congregate including along mattress seams, in the frames of beds or the headboards, behind baseboards and under carpet edges. Bed bugs can also hide behind pictures, door and window casings, loose wallpaper and any cracks.

Bed bugs typically hide during in the daytime, so it can often be very difficult to spot them. If you don't see the actual bed bugs look for tiny, rust-coloured stains that they leave behind on mattress tags and seams, ceilings, under seat cushions and behind headboards.

Keep an eye out for potential hiding places, such as buckling wallpaper or carpet, and conditions that can attract bed bugs like excessive heat or moisture.

Preventing Bed Bugs While Travelling
Can Bed Bugs Jump?
Life Stages of a Bed Bug
Bed Bug Bites
Informative Bed Bug Videos

If traces of bed bugs are found:

Do not:

  • Disturb the room further. Leaving the “scene” untouched will help Orkin Canada diagnose the problem.
  • Take any items out of the room. Doing so will only help the bed bugs spread.

 

Do:

  • Stop using the room and "quarantine" it
  • If the room is occupied, work with management to move guests to a new room
  • Contact a professional pest control company immediately in order to inspect the infested room and/or pre-treat rooms to which any guests might be moved. In British Columbia you can only pre-treat when evidence of an infestation is found.