Bed bug basics: How to prevent them, how to find them, and what to do if you have them
Summer is moving season in Montreal. It's also the season when the most unwanted of roommates -- bed bugs -- are at their peak.
Don Prashker is the owner of Thermapro Solutions, a Montreal company that specializes in bed bug extermination.
He shared a few tips to keep in mind this summer, whether you're trying to avoid bed bugs or already have them in your space.
LEAVE CURBED FURNITURE ON THE CURB
According to Prashker, the easiest way to deal with bed bugs is to prevent them from entering your home in the first place.
The insects are particularly common in apartment buildings as they can easily migrate from one unit to the next -- but they can also hitchhike from faraway places.
One common mode of transportation is used furniture, which can be a major gamble when it comes to bugs, especially when that furniture is picked up on the side of the road.
Moving day in Montreal means piles of furniture and other discarded items along the streets. (Touria Izri/CTV News)
"There's a lot of furniture being left out on curbsides and on corners," he said. "People are literally collecting that, bringing that into their own home, and this is a great way to get bedbugs."
THE TRUTH IS IN THE POOP
But what about the furniture you already own -- how can you tell if there's an issue?
"Bed bugs always leave their calling cards, and that's their poop," says Prashker.
"They're black little dots, like someone took a toothbrush, dipped it in ink, and kind of spritzed it on the mattress."
(File image)
These speckles will often appear on the seams of the mattress or even on bedsheets.
When you move into a new place, search for these telltale stains around baseboards and electrical outlets, as their presence could indicate an infestation that's been around for a while.
Bugs sometimes relocate to these areas after the furniture has been sprayed with over-the-counter treatments, Prashker explains.
DITCH THE DIY METHODS
Speaking of which, Prashker says do-it-yourself treatments should be avoided if possible.
He says the trick to getting rid of bed bugs is by baiting them, not repelling them, which is why he recommends professional heat treatments over common chemicals.
"Please be careful when using over-the-counter products," he said. "They tend to be repellents, and you don't want to repel bed bugs. That's just pushing the problem from one unit to the next."
Instead, he recommends hiring professionals who can pump heat into the rooms and "literally cook" its contents, killing the bugs.
"Bed bugs are instinctively attracted to heat, so they come towards the heat treatment," he explains. "We just continue to crank up the heat everywhere until it's universal, and there's nowhere for the bed bugs to go."
When moving to a new place, he says tenants should keep an eye out for signs of treatments past.
"If you see any pesticides or residuals or traps, these are good signs to ask the landlord what was going on."
ACT FAST
Take action soon as you spot the signs, Prashker advises.
"The earlier you get on top of a bed bug problem, the easier it is to solve," he says. "It's a lot easier to kill five of them than it is to kill 5,000 of them."
If you don't address it right away?
"Within three months, you'll have an infestation. Within six months you'll have more eggs than you do bugs."
BUST THE STIGMA
The biggest way to prevent the spread of bed bugs is by addressing the shame that comes with them, according to Prashker.
"There's a huge psychological stigma to this problem," even though bed bugs don't necessarily indicate a lack of hygiene or a dirty home.
He says reluctance to openly discuss the issue hinders the implementation of protocols that could slow the spread.
When a child has lice, for example, school administration sends out a letter to parents informing them -- but these same measures don't exist for bed bugs.
"So kids are coming to school when they have bed bugs at home, and three more kids are now bringing them home as well."
--With files from CTV's Touria Izri
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.