Bed Bugs in Vancouver

I understand you perfectly. I didn't even know what bedbugs where until I came to Vancouver. I am from Mexico and, believe me, those things are not as common as in here. I used to live at UBC (Thunderbird) and, I never had any problem, although I knew some people had it, specially in the share units. I moved in May this year and the first week I spent here I had this really itchy and burning bites, my husband didn't had anything and I thought it was a spider, but that afternoon I found a bug on the floor! I didn't know what it was and I keep it, I started to look up for information on Internet and the nightmare started. I completely understand your paranoia, and I just want you to know that they will go, and your calm will return. It's been almost five months without any bites or findings.
Good luck and keep fighting! and thanks for making this problem even more public!

When my girlfriend and I visited last July, we stayed in a hostel in Gastown. A few weeks after our return home, we started getting itchy, and shortly after my girlfriend found a bedbug. I've had fleas and headlice before--no I'm not a dirtball, just unlucky--and bedbugs are FAR worse than either of those. Be vigilant. Eliminating these little monsters requires complete commitment.

I wish you the best of luck in your battle.

OH MY DEAR GOD. You have my complete sympathies. Best of luck on a speedy recovery and a thorough extermination.

They're everywhere! This past summer in Japan, an acquitance staying at a hotel complained of angry red welts. Bed bugs left by the previous occupant. Misery.

Dust mites, known in Japanese as dani, are a plague on tatami mats, the reed flooring so often used. Here we gas the little nasty guys to death.

I found these in my west-end apartment 2 weeks ago and was immediately horrified, angry and embarrassed all at once. The reality is, they can come from anywhere - a backpack thrown on your bed, a guests shoes, a neighboring apartment unit or yes - even that downtown eastside hooker sleeping it off on your carpet. I informed my apartment management immediately and was shocked at their lack of caring or interest in the problem. After some ado, 1 of 4 neighboring units may have been sprayed by an exterminator that seemed to be aware of this growing problem in the city, but "not to be concerned".
Over the next days, after I turfed ~$800 in wooden bed frame, mattress, and bedding and all but moved out of my apartment in favour of my girlfriends untainted digs, I have taken a new outlook when I walk down the streets and alleys of the west end. Notice all of those mattresses and couches that loom in the alleys? I used to think they were a result of lazy movers. Have a closer look, and you will see the tell-tale signs of bed bug infestation (a blue/black mould looking stain) on most every mattress you see out there. ...better stock up on Raid while you still can. And lay some plastic down for that hooker before she passes out on your carpet.

This problem is about to get a lot worse before this city admits there is a huge problem (and one that no longer has anything to do with the DTES).

I think I had bed bugs last Fall. My girlfriend and both had bite marks. We washed all the clothing, vacuumed everything with a shop-vac and bought dust mite covers for the mattress and box spring. Since then, no more bites. I think we may have killed (or at least trapped) our invader before he had a chance to reproduce.

The worst part was the lack of sleep, constant fear, and paranoia that set in. Not a fun few weeks.

This problem is more prevalent in Europe.

A couple of years ago I lived in Edinburgh in a beautiful flat in a nice part of town, and two weeks after we moved in, we realized the entire place was infested. We cleaned the place from top to bottom, we washed the sheets a million times, we threw out our pajamas. Eventually, we convinced our landlords to bring in the exterminators. The exterminators came in, sprayed chemicals all over the apartment, and took our beds away in a van to douse them in a gas chamber (I'm serious). Three days later, the beds returned (though I was a little weirded out by what kind of toxins were in the mattress), and we all went to sleep in the flat again. Pretty much immediately, we started getting bitten again. So we gave our notice and got the hell out of there.

Bed bugs are EXTREMELY hard to get rid of, don't respond to a lot of pesticides, and can go for a number of weeks without food if they have to. And if I ever encounter them again, I'm moving immediately. Which you guys might want to consider.

Best of luck. Seriously, I feel for you.

This problem is more prevalent in Europe.

A couple of years ago I lived in Edinburgh in a beautiful flat in a nice part of town, and two weeks after we moved in, we realized the entire place was infested. We cleaned the place from top to bottom, we washed the sheets a million times, we threw out our pajamas. Eventually, we convinced our landlords to bring in the exterminators. The exterminators came in, sprayed chemicals all over the apartment, and took our beds away in a van to douse them in a gas chamber (I'm serious). Three days later, the beds returned (though I was a little weirded out by what kind of toxins were in the mattress), and we all went to sleep in the flat again. Pretty much immediately, we started getting bitten again. So we gave our notice and got the hell out of there.

Bed bugs are EXTREMELY hard to get rid of, don't respond to a lot of pesticides, and can go for a number of weeks without food if they have to. And if I ever encounter them again, I'm moving immediately. Which you guys might want to consider.

Best of luck. Seriously, I feel for you.

Those are some rough stories. I have about 4 friends who went through what you are right now, but not nearly to the same extent.

At the moment I'm considering directing a short documentary about bedbugs in Vancouver, and you guys really stood out with your self motivated blog.

If any of you are interested in meeting up, to share tales for my research phase, that would be great.

Please give me an email if your interested in sharing some knowledge.

docmaker@email.com

Speaking from the point of view of having been a bed bug victim, I find it so hard to believe that our US govt., and Canada...do not recognize these monster bugs as a health hazard. My infestation was the most horrifying, stressful thing that happened to me ever, not to speak of the expense. How is Vancouver going to host the 2010 Olympics? Will the Bed Bug be the Mascot? Beware of these monsters....they are evil....

I AM IN EU THERE ARE NO BED BUGS HERE BECAUSE THEY CLEANING WASHROOMS IN GENERAL UNLIKE VANCOUVER HOTELS INSTEAD CLEANNING THEY SPRAY AND ALOW HOMELES TO OCATIONALLY TAKE ROOMS...I SPOKED TO CITY OFFICIALS WHICH IS USELESS THEY ARE TO IGNORANT AND STUPID...TILL THEIR KIDS WILL BRING HOME BED BUGS FROM DAYARES OR SCHOOLS...
THIS IS A SOCIAL ISSUE AND HEALTH DEPT. CANADA OR BC DOES NOTHING AS USUALLY DONE... WEAKNESS RULE...CANADIAN MENTALITY...

YOURS TRULY
GEORGE

I moved into an apartment in Vancouver. It was a takeover from a friend. He left a huge mess. It was gross. He lived in conditions worse than a thrid world country. He left a fold out leather couch that he was going to sell me. After I finally cleaned up the apartment (which took 4 days), I realized there was a fruit fly problem. The drains were clogged and there was puke in the freezer. Worse than all those things, I notice I was getting bites on my body. They were eventually identified as bed bug bites. I found out the couch that he left was infested. I threw it in the garbage and hope they are now gone.

We have them in Toronto too and I have just realized I've got them. Pest control will come to fumigate in a few days and I hope to be rid of them then.

What a hassle!

GET DDT ON THE BLACK MARKET! SPRAY IT AND VACATE YOUR PLACE FOR 24 HOUR... SWEAR TO GOD IT WORKS!

"Fed up with the loss of money due to exterminators’ ineffectiveness: some individuals have decided that the easiest way to REALLY get rid of bedbugs was to make DDT themselves. That is because it is not sold anywhere unless you have a special permit."

This sounds terrible, and I didnt realize it til after, but the four seasons resort in whistler had a bug bite infestation that spread from the staff housing which shres teh same floors as the first 2 floors of guest suites. I paid $900 a night to come home with a infestation of bedbugs in my own home. Apparently, they can travel through walls.. Just food for thought. I will NEVER stay there again.

Yikes! I have them too and the past nine months have taken a toll on my overall health, too much stress and sleepless nights. Here's what I do. Buy some Diatomaceaous Earth from Rona Revy or Canadian Tire. It comes in a plastic container for about $10.00 Put it everywhere. I sprinkle it on the mattress and then put a bed sheet over it so I don't breathe it in. You can also put Vaseline on the bed legs so they can't crawl up into your bed. Some people use containers filled with water. When the bedbugs crawl into the powder, it kills them by choking them. It's made from some kind of vegetable powder that attracts them, (they think it's food). I also put it around the plastic molding around the floor where they hide and behind cupboards and pipes in cracks and holes. They are nocturnal pests and come out at night to feast on the host--which is You and they come out one (1) hour before dawn when you are fast asleep. They have been around for 35 million years and can live for up to eighteen (18) months without food--blood. There are 92 different kinds of bedbugs, some you can't even see. They hitchike their way over continents on backpacks and luggage and are anywhere that humans are; which is just about everywhere. They are so smart that if you fumigate your place they will crawl upwards to the ceiling to survive and then drop themselves down to where you are sitting to get at your blood. Yes! So you really do need to be vigilant. I have had 2 disputes with the Residential Tenancy Branch over this problem and did not win simply because I did not have all my ducks in a row and this was a new experience for me and one that you can learn from. The landlord said in the First hearing that "No bedbugs were ever found on inspection and No treatment was ever done" which was an outright lie. Advanced Pest Control was in here 3 times and treated my apartment but the landlord lied again and said it was "only some spray to appease the tenant." Each time that Advanced Pest Control came in, I was ordered out of my apt. for 6 to 8 hours each time in the freezing rain. You don't know the stress this caused me. After the hearing with the R.T.B. I phoned up Advanced Pest Control and asked them what they did on my apt. and they CONFIRMED that my apartment was TREATED 3 times and they told me the chemicals they used, Ficam and Tempo. They then sent me two emails (one ten pages long and the other 16 pages long). So the landlord didn't mind lying to the R.T.B. I asked for a Review but didn't win as the Arbitrator (who is a judge) said in the decision "that I could Not prove that this evidence was not available to me during the original hearing." Bastards eh?! You must submit all evidence that will be used in the original hearing when you serve your landlord with the documents for dispute resolution. I complained many times to many M.L.A.'s and learned that the Gordon Campbell gov't took away all the laws that once protected the tenant that were put in place by the N.D.P. party. Remember this the next time you vote because I certainly will. I take my vengeance to the polls and don't mind saying so. Remember who has your health and best interests in mind. I am thinking of a law suit next. Get hold of the Residency Tenancy Act which is a small booklet from the R.T.B. which is located at Kingsway and Marlborough near Metrotown Mall. Good luck. If you have to get a hooker, why don't you do it in the road? Save yourself some grief. And don't forget to double bag it.

I understand you totally since I am right now experiencing same thing. Here is my Bedbug Bad Dream Story!!!

I live on 1540 Davie Street - Vancouver, BC, V6G 1V7 in the Minton Apt (9 floors) building, owned by Colliers International (since Oct. 2007). In the morning of April 2nd 2008, two weeks ago, I woke up feeling unpleasantly itchy. While still in bed I kept to scratch my arms and legs irresistible. Quickly, I went to washroom to check in the mirror and my arms and legs were full of red spots; some of them were bleeding. Later on while I was making my bed it surprised me to see plenty bloody dots all over my bed sheet. The very next day I left my work and went to see the doctor in walking in clinic on Seymour street. The lady Doctor did not give me straight answer saying that it might be: food allergy, soap allergy or bedbugs. I told her that I never had any allergies and I did not see any bugs in my apartment. She prescribed: Reactine pills against allergies and Betaderm crème against itch. Since it did not help much, I visited walking in clinic again, after 5 days. This time it was another Doctor and she insisted that those are bedbugs bites; so she prescribed some pills and strong ointment. It help a lot, but I still was getting new itchy spots every day and kept looking for those bugs that I never her about. Finally, yesterday, I found two of them and captured them to show to the Building Manager. After talking to my roommate I found out that he killed two during the same night. We invited our Building Manager and he confirmed that those are bed bugs. Care Pest & Wildlife Control Ltd will be treating our suite on the Tuesday morning, April 22nd. Those last two days I am reading everything related to those hard to get rid of blood suckers. Even though my roommate and me are eager to follow all Bedbug Preparation Instructions; for our benefits of course, we are kind of pessimistic that those treatments will work out, unless they decide to treat all building, or at least apartments on our floor and apartments below and above of ours. It is not luck of trust in our Building Manager, but he is new here and he might try to keep low profile, due to danger of bad reputation of Minton Apt and Colliers International Company. It would move away current tenants and potential future tenants. So we intend to let know other tenants in order to make bedbugs infestation high priority; and possible to find out did anybody else have same problem. Actually, in report Submitted by "Anonymous" on 08/21/2007 the lady mentioned that she reported it the Summer of 2004. I can just calculate that previous owner of the Building 'Minton Apartments, either didn't do anything about her complain or they did terrible job and filthy blood suckers are back and trusty. Let us wait and see how the new owners 'Colliers Macaulay Nicolls in Trust' will deal with this serious situation now. That was my story which I wish were only a bad dream. -:(
http://bedbugregistry.com/address.php?id=27562

My Daughter and her relatives from Edmonton were in Vancouver For a week starting the 18th of April, They were staying at the Park INN Suites on Broadway near the Hospital. after the third night three of them including my daufgter broke out in bed bug bites it has been over a week now and they are still itching and my daughter missed a day of work when she returned.We also had costs fo medicene and washing everything twice and spraying all the bags and suite cases with raid which the cost does add up. I thought i would let everyone know about this recent case and hope you don't get them i believe they fumigated the room at the hotel but I don't believe they threw out the mattresses. Good luck to anyone staying in Vancouver I here it is a big problem over there for bed bugs.

All the best

As someone whose been in the phylathropic biz in Vancouver for the last twelve years and been a front end desk clerk at a Gastown Hotel I've had em too. fortunately not all people are bothered by them and in many Asian countries the lil vamps might as well be pets. The cheapest way to "avoid" getting them is not to live in an SRA / SRO hotel (if you can), keep your windows open when you can (the cooler the better) and they scurry from light. It's important to put pack rats in there place (your neighbours) and have the whole building sprayed twice, two weeks appart, by a pro every year. Oh ya! don't sit in other peoples (or Starbucks) plushy chairs, they love laying in wait for you there. On the up-side, if you've got la cocka roaches you probably won't get bedbugs as they rarely (rarely) co-exist.

Get a quality dry steamer. It is the only way to get rid of bedbugs. They are resisitant to pesticides but the dry heat kills them and destroys the eggs.

I just wanted to say a few things about BEDBUGS!! My daughter went to hang out at a friends place and while she was there she began scratching her legs and back a lot,she asked her friend if she had any itchy spots and the reply she got was horrible. Her friend had told her that they have not only BEDBUGS, but TICKS, FLEAS, and of course COCKROACHES!!! My daughter then said to her friend that they should go for a walk for awhile, and abit later as they were outside she didn't feel the bites anymore. Her friends mother called me to say sorry for this and explained that her oldest son is a crack addict and will sleep just about anywhere, and then will come home,,,NICE AH!!!I still had to throw out my daughters bed and area rug etc,and all of us are living with the thought that we might still have them, but I had the Public Heath Dept come in to inspect and had told us that we are free of those creatures and then asked me what I used to get rid of them.. I told them that I put bleach in a spray bottle no water added and spraid all the baseboards and everywhere else I could use it, and I keep a spray bottle handy just incase. I was told that Bedbugs are similair to roaches and have pours on and under their legs and stomach area, which picks up anything they walk thru which then clogs their pores and they die. So far so good. Oh and all beds, pillows. blankets, sheets etc are stored in either plastic bags or plastic bins with duck tape around the edges. Good Luck to the rest of you who are trying to be free of those things. Sincerly Yours from Hamilton, Ontario

For those who use Kleen-Free for its role as a bedbug killer (if you spray if directly on them) I just saw online that Vancouverites can buy it at Blue Shell (11 West Hastings St) . the rest of us can now order online in Canada from www.ecoginesis.com and the prices look reasonable (a little more than US prices but not ridiculous like I had seen at one other Canadian place)

It is about time that we did not have to wait for it to be shipped from the States and pay customs and duty and everything else.

Bedbugs really bite so watching them die when I spray them with Kleen-Free is a nice piece of revenge. may not kill them all but nice to see a few of them die!

I am from Las Vegas. I just got back from a trip from Vancouver on June 24th. My friend who went with me is covered in bed bug bites. She lost count at 50. Ramada Inn on Granville is the place she got them. She called hotel when we returned. They are letting people stay in the same room without alerting them to situation. They said that it is against the law to tell the room's occupants that there is a problem. They are waiting until they check out to bring in fumigators. The doctor here in Las Vegas said that he has never seen a case so bad...

I just found out that the bites my sister has been getting all over her body was a bad case of infestation of bedbugs! Being unfortunate, because I sleep on the top bed of the bunk, have found them in the corners of my bed sheets (they walk on walls and hang on ceilings). We both had to get the room cleaned till 5am and had nightmares before getting up for the morning a few hours later. I however live in London. I am shocked that the worst nightmare has come true living in the UK. Hopefully it was discovered at a stage before the bedbugs have gone out of control but I know its far form over. I live in a flat and they have travelled to the top floor. I have pets which do not help (as I have seen them on the dog). I first started wondering if my room was home to the bugs when deciding to sleep on my sisters bed when she stayed out and I was too tired to climb up to mine. I spent the whole night scratching my feet, sleeplessly and complained to my mother in the morning. It was itchy and appeared as little red spots. I knew I was being bitten by bugs but did not know which or what kind so I kept asking my mum to check it out and for my sister to clean her bed but nothing was done. My sister had been blaming the cat for her itchy spots and rashes as being allergic to her fur so my mother easily accepted it. Now it has been over a month and just discovering it yesterday makes me wish that I should have been more alert and done research to see that the signs where bedbugs. I have not seen bedbugs before nor have my family so when we saw a few days before the discovery we just killed them and thought nothing serious of it.

Worse part is, I have got the blame for the infestation since I came back form Japan in March but my sister living upstairs has recently been on 2 holidays. Latest is from Spain. But I am horrified and embarrassed about bedbugs. Take sign of bug bites very seriously!

"cocka roaches you probably won't get bedbugs as they rarely (rarely) co-exist."

This is not true. All DTES SROs with bedbugs have serious cockroach infestaions as well. and rats. and mice. Let's just burn Vancouver to the ground already!

Since they dislike light, might a short term solution [while waiting for the long term solutions to take full effect] perhaps be to sleep with the lights on in the room? In the summer it is warm enough to stay above the covers, so you could sleep in the light. Might help a bit.

I moved into a new place back in April. I started getting itchy red bumps, and I had no idea what they were. I began to think they were an allergic reaction to something, but I've never really had many allergies so it confused me. Then when I went to wash my sheets about a week and a half ago, I found red beetle like bugs in my bed. I thought they were bugs from outside or something because my window always has a crack due to a portable air conditioner. Then I went to my doctors just to find out for sure and he told me they looked like bed bug bites. So I've began washing all my clothing and will be doing it step by step to get rid of these little buggers. But reading these stories, I'm a little scared that if they're that hard to get rid of, it might be impossible. Wish me luck!

HELLO IHAVE BED BUGS FOR THE PAST YEAR NOW.ON MY 5TH TREATMENT THEY HAVE SPREAD TO MY POOR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS APT.SHE HAD HEAR APPT TREATED AND THEY SPREAD BACK INTO MY APPT SO I HAVE A TREATMENT DONE.WHAT AM I TO DO IF SHE HAS HER APPT RETREATED AGAIN THEY FILTER BACK INTO MY UNIT?SHOULD I MAKE A COORDINATED EFFORT WITH HER TO BOTH APPTS SPRAYED THE SAME TIME?WHERE CAN YOU GET DDT ON THE BLACK MARKET?

The best protection I heard for now is Dr. Doom Residual Insecticide. It has been recommended to me by an expert... it cost around $ 50... 650 grams... comes with an injection tube to apply to Cracks & Crevices. You can buy it at 2621 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC... Phone 604-433-2500 or TOLL FREE 1-888-621-2111. Web site is: http://www.poulins.ca/ . Also you might want to check site: http://bedbugregistry.com/ in which you can find the list of residential buildings and hotels in Canada & USA that are infested by bedbugs. Just in case you decide to move you will know which buildings to avoid.

I am going now to write something about my stressful experience... something I do NOT wish to happen even to my worst enemy. For full two months we had big problem in our old apartment. It has been infested with bedbugs... so did several other apartments in the building. Once they are in the building it is hard to get rid of them... so we decided to move out... but, in order not to have them in our new place we have to throw everything in the garbage, except PC, TV, other electronic stuff and our clothing which we washed in hot water and put through the dryer... that is the only way to kill them. Even though pest control guy treated apartment, once per week for 2 months, they did not go away.... we were still bitten more or less every night. Since I was especially allergic at the beginning I looked more or less like the guy at this page, who started this topic. On July 1st my roommate and I finally moved to a new apartment. We are paying now $ 320 more, but it's great... NO MORE BLOOD SUCKERS! I still have so many scars on my body... it was horrible, experience. Just to be on safe side we treated our new place with above mentioned Dr. Doom Residual Insecticide... and we are know relaxed for next 3 months... than we might do it again as precaution if blood suckers or any other crawling insects are already in the building. This Treatment you have to do on your own risk since it is not recommended by Health authorities... Before you buy it I suggest you ask sales person more information how to do it and what danger if any might cause on your health. Anyway, I wish you good luck in removing those evil creatures!

Yip - we had 'em too. Never in my life have i seen or heard of them - only in the old saying "Nite Nite - dont let the bed bugs bite" - and Oh my God when you have them its an experience from hell. Our mattress was brand new - only 2 years old and when the guy from Advanced Pest control came around to spray our home - which is brand new as well - he said it was the worst case he has ever seen. My sons room was also dismantled we threw away every mattress in the house just to be sure - threw out all the bedding and soft furnishings pillows duvets the works. We slept in our basement on air mattress's for the past 1 and a half months and have only just replaced our beds - the cost has been over $3000 in start to finish and the worst thing is INSURANCE does not cover this expense. We picked them up from travelling my husband and I have done a lot of travelling over the past 6 months for work purposes and while I am not using this as an excuse - Hotels do not warn you of this danger. One hotel must have had them and we transported them home in luggage i am told. and this is a fairly common thing - so why are there no signs up in the hotels saying "THIS ROOM HAS BEEN SPRAYED FOR BED BUGS - TAKE CARE NEVERTHELESS... THE GUEST BEFORE YOU USING THIS ROOM MIGHT BE A CARRIER". I am now put off staying at any hotels - and couldnt care if they are 5 star - i just am so traumatised from this horror.

i found a bug in my apartment 2 days ago, and i was surprized that when i smashed it there was blood... i went to school and described it to my teacher and he told me that it might be a bed bug...

and while reading about it 15 minutes from posting this... i found a big one coming out from beneath my pillow. the strange thing is i looked everywhere for more of them but i couldnt find any!

They could be confused because its getting colder

I had moved into a unit at 2150 Pandora St (@ lakewood) on August/07 . It wasen't until May 2008 until I noticed we were infested with these little bastards.

A few monthes after we moved in I noticed a bug climbing on the curtins which I thought was a roach due to it's colour,shape and speen in which it moved.
I told the landlord and she gave me a couple shitty traps.

I few months later my gf had told me she noticed a bug climb from her pillow case. I thought she was kidding and didn't take much notice of it.

It wasen't till May/08 did I notice we had a problem.

It started with bumps on my hands and feet. At first I thought I had a reaction to something. But as the persisted I knew it was something else.

Searching on the internet looking at skin rashes I found what looked exactly the same as the lesions I showed on my flesh.

It wasen't until the next morning when I woke up did I feel a creepy crawly walking up my leg. I tore off the cover and what did I find but a fat, full fucking bed bug slowly loodwalking back to it's hiding spot gorged on my blood.

I got up and started looking for them.

And within seconds find their hiding spots. They were in along the running boards around the room, In my bed frame, in my luggage under my bed, in the pillows in the bed and even in a basket of cloths I kept near the bed.

I had to throw everything I owened in the bedroom out. All my cloths were bagged and brought to the cleaners.

It took the pest control to spray 6 times ( once a week ) to get rid of these fucking things.

I felt like I was violated like never before and would neevr wish this kind of experience on anyone. It truly felt like a dark period during that part of the year.

It caused alot of stress and anxiety at that point in my life.

Not a very nice experience for my first year in the city.

-Kevykev

Believe me - if there's one bed bug there are more. I found one in our previous apartment and we had the place sprayed, cleaned all linens etc (pillows and other non-washables in hot dryer for 30 mins). Then we put down diatomaceous earth (DE). Google it - that stuff is the best. Available at Rona as DIO for about $10. Buy two cannisters. A great preventative measure for peace of mind and so you don't have to vacuum every single day, or throw out your furniture (we powdered our fabric sofas with the stuff and had covers over them for 3 mos) We have now had no bugs for six months- knock wood. Good luck.

Hello Been there,
Thank you for sharing your experience in solving bed bug monsters problem. After googling diatomaceous earth(DE), I am sure that DE will help us who are STILL THERE!
Thanks again!

Hey few Questions to you - how many times did you have your place sprayed? Did you have to throw out your mattress? We did .. How do i know if the bugs are all gone. We bought new stuff and every day i wake up with a phobia of it all happening again. I itch just thinking about it. to the point of actually making marks on my neck ..and start panicing that they are back. Please reply with some info i am about to lose my mind over this horrific experience.. and i am a vacuum queen nonetheless.... I am beside myself with worry.

Hey few Questions to you - how many times did you have your place sprayed? Did you have to throw out your mattress? We did .. How do i know if the bugs are all gone. We bought new stuff and every day i wake up with a phobia of it all happening again. I itch just thinking about it. to the point of actually making marks on my neck ..and start panicing that they are back. Please reply with some info i am about to lose my mind over this horrific experience.. and i am a vacuum queen nonetheless.... I am beside myself with worry.

Hello All:

I am really peeved at the polititians on all levels of government. During the first election (we have 2 more coming up), they all just ignored me about the bed bug problem in Vancouver.

I have experienced having them at home, at work and NOW, this weekend....I never take public transit. I took it twice this weekend and guess what? I have bites all over my back, my ankles, and my arms.

I am sure if I say anything to Translink about this they will ignore me too. What does it take for some of the people to listen. Howard Moscoe in Toronto wants to declare it a public health issue. I agree. At least ONE polititian in Toronto wants to do something about this problem.

OMG--they must be everywhere. I found them at a Radisson Hotel in Nashville, TN, USA and now am afraid we have them in our home. I stayed the night in a different room two floors up and not knowing how persistent they can be, probably took them home in luggage, clothes, etc. Now my spouse is getting bites! I am stunned at the breadth of this problem since no one I know has ever seen a bedbug before, including me.

The ONLY way to get rid of them - and believe me we suffered through an entire move is to absolutely get rid of your bed and any other furniture where they might live - sofa etc...not until you do this will you know that they are gone - very traumatic to have them

Obsessively cleaning your apartment only fights cockroaches NOT bedbugs. The only thing that kill bedbugs are KLEENZ-IT an enzyme spray that's safe for pets/humans, and wrapping up everything you own in plastic. Laundry is pointless, as only prolonged heat in the dryer will kill them. Do a search for Toronto/New York university studies on bedbugs and how to get rid of them it's a global problem.

Anon:

Obsessively cleaning your apartment only fights cockroaches NOT bedbugs. The only thing that kill bedbugs are KLEENZ-IT an enzyme spray that's safe for pets/humans, and wrapping up everything you own in plastic. Laundry is pointless, as only prolonged heat in the dryer will kill them. Do a search for Toronto/New York university studies on bedbugs and how to get rid of them it's a global problem.

Have never heard of Kleenz-it and I wonder if you are confused with Kleen-Free which is mentioned in the original post as one of the tactics that was used by the OP to control bedbugs. Or if there is such a product, it is likely just a knock off of Kleen-Free which has been around for quite a few years. (Kind of like Kleen-Green is a knock off of the original as well.)

Not sure if it is mentioned anywhere else on this but Kleen-Free is finally available in Canada from a company called Ecoginesis (http://www.ecoginesis.com) and the price seems to be a lot cheaper than paying duty and shipping from the US.

Hope that helps someone.

Johnny

Oops I meant Kleen-Free not Kleenz-it

Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth also works well if sprinkles lightly, but the first time you clean your apartment it's all gone

Fred:

GET DDT ON THE BLACK MARKET! SPRAY IT AND VACATE YOUR PLACE FOR 24 HOUR... SWEAR TO GOD IT WORKS!

DDT is not harmful to humans. The problem was back in the 1950s they sprayed the entire OUTDOORS wholesale with this stuff, resulting in it leaking into the water and affecting fish/sea critters. By banning this substance, we doom all of Africa to malaria deaths. But I guess it's best we not use it so much since mosquitos, bedbugs and other crawlies rapidly found ways to resist DDT and morph into super bedbugs

Vacuuming, steaming regularly in the crevices and cracks of base boards & mattress & furniture...pesticides are a good option by a trained professional...

why is DDT banned?

Becuase retard granolas lobby thats why. Now those same granols are getting eaten alive by the bedbugs.

HEres some news for you Vancouver. Your city is filthy. In the human sense. You DO have a DTES problem. YOu give them change and think you are a great person. And thats why the countires slime come to you. Then you braid your hair and march about things like DDT. Just like pesticide protects you from bugs in your food that are full or viri - DDT kills bedbugs. Nothing else will.

Grow up and stop crunching the granola. The world is imperfect and you just have to balance.

Vancouver like to do itself in. Like lobbying against Dumarier sposoring the Jazz festival. You want a free festival and get fuzzy about who pays for it. THen it dies and you bitch.

Vancouver ... hippy central until it bites them personally then they whine.

After washing & drying clothes/linens I would freeze them.

Moth balls work and a plastic mattress cover work to kill bed bugs, eh Tim DDT was wiping out fauna namely bald eagles and other raptors, don't get all excited Google it and come back with the fox news link. Saying DDT is great is like promoting agent orange.

bwahaha teh boogs ravaged you son, no need to get all teary eyed though.

We had them,was horrible,I lost confidence,I don't want to put my clean clothes back in our new place,I feel damage.
Where can we buy the Enzyme? Help please.

I'd just move. get the fuck out of there.

make sure you don't take the bed bugs and their eggs with you when you move...

Who is responsible for all the clothes washing and drycleaning, when you get bed bugs while living in an apt...

...tennants are responsible for preparing their units for bed bug treatment including bagging all clothing and linens and ultimately wash and hot dryer cleaning...

Hi all,
I am dealing with these horrible creatures. I can't believe that with the major probs of bed bugs in this city, that there are any laws set up yet! I am hoping that someone can help me to remove of my infested couch. Does anyone know of a company that will dispose of an infested couch properly? I contacted 1-800-GOT-JUNK, but they stated that they don't dispose of any thing that is infested with bed bugs. I obviously don't want the couch to go a charity and cause anyone else the grief I'm dealing with. Is there a removal company that will remove infested furniture and take it to the city dump? I am not able to move the couch of my apartment myself. I'd appreciate any help or suggestions with this. Thanks!

theres a registry for this now
look at the west end!!!
http://bedbugregistry.com/location/BC/V6E/Vancouver/1255-Pendrell-St

Hi I am a Manager at a motel here in Duncan and never had bed bugs till last night when a son and daughter came in last night and then came in this morning and told me there was bed bugs in one of the rooms. Never have I seen or been told of these bugs need to know how to get rid of them so I can use these rooms. I have sprayed the mattress and around the bottom of the bed frame went into the room and found a couple on the sheets.
thanks

Just one more reason to move the hell out of Vancouver. I know a woman who spent $8000.00 to rid them from her home. I agree that it's the influx of ESL students who carry them with them, like they do Tuberculosis. (My doctor asked me while I was enduring a particularly horrible bronchial infection, I'm not a smoker, if I'd been to Asia recently.) Maybe they're immune to or used to them, who knows? All I know is I did not grow up in squalor and have no intention of throwing out expensive furniture, bedding, books, (oh yes, they get into your books too.) The building managers get angry when you report them, as if I (a woman) frequent skanky East Side hookers. They just don't want to be bothered with the cost of getting rid of them. They also think it's enough to spray just your unit, when in reality, they need to spray the entire floor at the very LEAST. The entire building is even better.
Good luck, I'm moving the hell outta here before the Olympics. Those photos are enough to make anyone think twice about where they choose to live. How very awful for you, but thanks for being brave enough to post them.

ANDY:

HELLO IHAVE BED BUGS FOR THE PAST YEAR NOW.ON MY 5TH TREATMENT THEY HAVE SPREAD TO MY POOR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS APT.SHE HAD HEAR APPT TREATED AND THEY SPREAD BACK INTO MY APPT SO I HAVE A TREATMENT DONE.WHAT AM I TO DO IF SHE HAS HER APPT RETREATED AGAIN THEY FILTER BACK INTO MY UNIT?SHOULD I MAKE A COORDINATED EFFORT WITH HER TO BOTH APPTS SPRAYED THE SAME TIME?WHERE CAN YOU GET DDT ON THE BLACK MARKET?

After having 3 professional treatments from Orkin
I "ordered" (did not take now for an answer) the landlord to have all the crevices and baseboards caulked. Also have them caulk around any pipes or heating systems that are shared with other tenants.

Looking for somebody who had bedbug problems at 3836 Carrigan Court, Burnaby.

In other words, I real- ized the strange behavior of human beings, who are aggressive for almost no rea- son, especially when they only focus on their local and isolated context, instead of considering the world outside their own. ,

Bed Bugs at Mark Manor-154 East 18 St, North Vancouver. My wife and I were eaten alive for 9 months before we even realized that it was bed bugs.Landlord agreed to spraying but said no to everything else. I paid for all the other steps that needed to be done and wow was it costly. It doesn't compare to what others have spent but it was about 700 bucks out of pocket plus we are going to throw out our new bed and boxspring when we move out, there's another 800.00. We spent a wack of dough washing everything over and over and over, 4 loads per week for 4 months straight at a buck and a half per load and per dry.The problem is controlled now it seems.Just a matter of time before they take hold again. And whats up with the landlords ? They seem to think that just spraying a few times is enough.From what i read the chemicals that are used do not always penetrate the larvae sack so it just kills off the adult ones.It's actually long 20 step process in killing the adults and all the stages of the bug. Landlords don't want to address the problem, they just want tenants to shutup and deal with it. Time for a revolt.

To Alex96 who just posted... Just because people are voicing their concerns doesn't mean they don't consider the worlds issues. That's a dumbass conclusion to make from discussing bedbug issues don't you think ?

You can take your head out of your rectum Alex

We visited Vancouver Oct 7th - 12th from Calgary, Alberta and stayed at the Ramada Inn on Granville. I found bed bugs after the first night and they moved us to a bigger room for the duration of our stay. They were reluctant to pay for the laundering of our clothing and blanket (which we stupidly brought with us because I don't like using hotel blankets, idk idk) but they washed everything anyway (or so they told us). Now we are dealing with this mess at home and we are very frustrated.

Kendra Hoeft:

I am from Las Vegas. I just got back from a trip from Vancouver on June 24th. My friend who went with me is covered in bed bug bites. She lost count at 50. Ramada Inn on Granville is the place she got them. She called hotel when we returned. They are letting people stay in the same room without alerting them to situation. They said that it is against the law to tell the room's occupants that there is a problem. They are waiting until they check out to bring in fumigators. The doctor here in Las Vegas said that he has never seen a case so bad...

Second case of bed bugs in 3 years. Last time I was living in Toronto and brought them back from a trip to Vancouver. Now I live in Vancouver and believe I picked them up in Banff. Fucking want to kill myself. Of all the pests I've encountered in my life, Bed Bugs are the absolute worst. Give me cockroaches, give me fleas, just don't give me bed bugs. To travellers: always, always check the beds in hotels for signs of bed bugs before you settle in. Keep your luggage far from the beds, and launder the items you took on your trip the moment you get home. Freeze the luggage you took with you too (if possible). It's a pain in the ass, but the alternative is much worse.