In recent months people of the Toronto, Ontario area have been experiencing a growing problem with the number of bed bugs being found in homes and hotels throughout the city. Residents have been having such a problem with bed bugs bites that they have reported that they have had to rip everything apart in order to completely get rid of bed bugs. This was not before she fully felt the bite of a bed bug and was even able to show her war wounds to reporters. The Bourassa-Burke family of the Toronto area had to call in professional exterminators to help rid their home of these pests. There were three kinds of pesticides sprayed in the home and all of their clothes had to be bagged and put into a dryer on the highest possible heat setting in order to kill the bugs. In a normal year there about fifteen hundred bed bug infestations but in the last few months there already have been over one thousand calls about reported bed bug infestations.
The Toronto Public Health has been trying to help residents of the area deal with the problem. Anyone concerned about an infestation of bed bugs can call the Public Health Inspector who will do a number of things to help rid your home of the problem. The first thing that will be done is an over the phone consultation to help you get rid of the bugs yourself. If this does not work then he or she may come to your home to inspect the home to see the extent of the problem and work from there to get rid of the bed bugs. The health inspector may also call the building manager or pest control if needed. If the infestation is extreme the health inspector may issue a Health Protection Order.
In March of 2010 the Toronto Star created a map of the areas that have been reported to be infested with bed bugs as of that date. It surprised many Torontians to learn that there were very few areas in the city that were free of bed bugs. A few months later, MPP Mike Colle introduced the Renters Right to Know Act to parliament. If this act is passed then it will be mandatory for landlords to make it known to renters if a residence has been infested with bed bugs and what was done to rid the home of the problem.
It has been found and reported by the Toronto Public Health that the bed bug problem in the Toronto area shows no signs of going away and that problem is likely to get worse before it gets better. Residents are encouraged to report any signs of bed bugs in their homes as soon as they see them and to take every measure possible to get rid of them.