[MetroMan]

Jeez, that's a really bad case. As far as I can tell, my case was mild. I say "was" because I haven't spotted a bug for about a week today. But then again, in reduced numbers, they're very hard to find. I was just starting to get used to the idea that I may have won when this morning I saw a huge blood spot on my mattress, as if one had been crushed in my sleep. It was under my pillow so I'm not sure how long it's been there, but I'm unfortunately pretty sure that I would have seen it had it been there days ago.

I guess I'm heading for spray #3 just in case.

 

[Marko]

I hear the sprays vary in effectiveness regardless of how many times they're done, but heat kills them no matter what. One of the procedures is to come in and generate so much heat in your place that they basically cook to death, eggs included. Has anything like this been part of your considerations?

 

[MetroMan]

My building is providing the service (as they are required by law) so I have no choice in what method is used. Heat is indeed the best way to kill them but it would probably be over kill in my case. I don't have them crawling everywhere.

At the beginning, I was finding 2-5 of them every morning in crevices and folds around my bed, then after the first treatment, I stopped seeing adults, and only found nymphs which would not have been killed by the treatment if they weren't hatched yet. The second treatment had a residual which gradually killed off what appeared to be the last remaining nymphs before they were able to become adults of breeding age.

If this big blood spot proves to be recent, then I still have some adult bugs wandering around which is really really depressing after all the work that has been done already.

I've taken my own measures as well, such as steaming the mattress very thoroughly, encasing the box spring in a bed bug proof enclosure and more recently, powdering up the baseboards and my bed frame with diatomaceous earth which should kill 100% of bed bugs that walk over it. The catch being that they have to walk over it. I can't put the DE on my mattress (it's dangerous if inhaled) or I would, guaranteeing that every bug that wanted to get to me would walk on the DE and die.

 

[Southoftheborder]

When did this all start? In 2005 when I was there, I heard nothing about them. Are they riding imports from another continent? I just found this list of reports http://bedbugregistry.com/location/ON/M1N/Toronto/2151%20Kingston%20Rd# 2151 Kingston Rd is the hotel I reserved. I sure won't expose anything I own to infestation. I wrote an email to their address saying if I saw any sign at checkin, I'd cancel.

 

[MetroMan]

They were mostly irradicated in North America but the ubiquity of world travel has brought them back from the countries where they've thrived all this time. Now we don't have DDT that got rid of them before and even if we did many types are resistant.

Education is the key to eliminating this problem. They're obviously not desirable so if everybody who has them knows their tenant rights if they rent or knows how to act in ridding the infestation if they own their home, bed bugs will be made once again into a bedtime rhyme.

 

[Southoftheborder]

Will the blessings of globalization never cease? Bugs that wipe out our trees. Zebra mussels, Asian carp, bird flu. It just goes on and on. But, on the bright side, rich people are a LOT richer than ever before.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Will the blessings of globalization never cease? Bugs that wipe out our trees. Zebra mussels, Asian carp, bird flu. It just goes on and on. But, on the bright side, rich people are a LOT richer than ever before.

All while middle income earners slide down the pay scale or take two jobs because they can't land a full time job.
I remember my grandfather (a big union man) ranting on about this free trade stuff in the late 80's and how it would benefit the rich and take from everyone else. He saw it coming!
Back on topic, bed bugs really seemed to explode about 2007-2008 in Toronto and it just gets worse & worse. Whoever comes up with a safe, effective treatment or a preventative treatment is going to make a lot of money.

 

[MetroMan]

That's the thing. Somebody already did. Heat treatment is 100% effective -- if done right -- but it's just too expensive for the common person to do it. Education is the key. Like I said, nobody wants to have these so they either live with them because they're embarrassed or lose hope and just give up. If they know how to get rid of them, they will. Knowing that your landlord is responsible for extermination and in turn having the landlord know how to tackle the problem will indeed keep them away. The less places that have them, the less chances of it spreading. People also need to stop picking up "free" mattresses and other furniture. There's almost certainly a reason why a new looking mattress was put out on the curb.

 

[Southoftheborder]

Maybe the city or province should make the "mattress on the curb" thing illegal. Could the garbage collecxtion handle picking up infested mattresses? Where I live we put things like that out by our garbage can and a separate truck comes through and picks it up (along with castoff appliances and many things too big for garbage cans)

 

[MetroMan]

Maybe the city or province should make the "mattress on the curb" thing illegal. Could the garbage collecxtion handle picking up infested mattresses? Where I live we put things like that out by our garbage can and a separate truck comes through and picks it up (along with castoff appliances and many things too big for garbage cans)

You know... That is the best idea I've heard all week! Bravo!

I'm going to contact my councillor (Mike Layton) to take up that cause. I'll also talk to my contacts at City Hall to see if there's an appetite in Council to do such a thing. Making illegal leaving out mattresses and furniture out on the curb will not only prevent people from transmitting bed bugs directly, but such a prohibition will become news and significantly raise the profile of bed bugs and the education campaign that will come with it.

Even if people don't follow the law, the mere law itself will educate people that mattresses and furniture transmit bedbugs. Brilliant!

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Stencils should be made & distributed to landlords & hotels that read "Bed Bug Infested".
Also beware of lawn/garage sales in the downtown area in front of any apartment or condo. They can get into books, toys - everything and it's unlikely you'll see the bed bug eggs even if you look carefully. The only thing recommended to buy is anything fabric that can be immediately washed and dried in the hot cycle. Bed bugs & their eggs cannot survive the dryer's hot cycle.

 

[Southoftheborder]

I'm not sure if I'm crazy, but it would SEEM like the health department would be making visible efforts to head off the spread of any infestation. Like providing something like the 311 number we have that links all city services so that anyone who knows of bedbugs can easily call and report the circumstances. Of course, rats, roaches, etc also apply.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Toronto Public Health does indeed have a yearly budget allocated to bed bug prevention and education. About two years ago they came out and did a presentation for our Tenants Association at our local community centre. They did a really good presentation, then a Q&A session.

 

[MetroMan]

Their budget is too low. They're clearly not attacking this issue aggressively enough because every year, the number of cases shoots up dramatically. It's getting worse with no slowdown in sight.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Having a bigger budget will help, but I highly doubt that it will solve the problem - you really need a change in the legislation that would compel mandatory treatment if infestations are found in a unit. No ifs, no buts.

AoD