bed bugs toronto

Toronto is officially the worst city in Canada for bed bugs

They’re hard to get rid of, they procreate like crazy, and they're hungry for human blood.

They’re the reason your mom would never let you bring home any sweet curbside furniture finds, and the reason why entire apartment buildings get blacklisted on the web.

I am talking, of course, about bedbugs — the nasty, yet common parasitic insects that only come out at night to bite people while they're sleeping, leaving telltale red marks on their skin and little red blood spatters on their sheets.

Canada's largest pest control company, Orkin, deals with infestations of these ravenous monsters a lot — in some parts of the country more than others, apparently.

The company just released its third annual list of Canada's top bed bug cities based on the number of commercial and residential bed bug treatments carried out by Orkin technicians between January 1 and December 31 of 2019.

Unsurprisingly to anyone who lives, rides public transit or goes to school here, Toronto took the number one spot.

You can see the top 10 most bed bug-infested cities below, and a more comprehensive roundup of 25 cities on Orkin's website.

  1. Toronto
  2. Winnipeg
  3. Vancouver
  4. St. John's
  5. Ottawa
  6. Scarborough
  7. Halifax
  8. Oshawa
  9. Sudbury
  10. Hamilton

"Similar to the past three years, larger cities and travel centres claimed the top spots," writes Orkin of this year's list. "This past year saw significant bed bug sightings across the country, from infestations in federal buildings to private homes."

"In less than two decades, Cimex lectularius, better known as bed bugs, have gone from a rarely experienced irritant to a major problem thriving in clean and dirty homes alike," notes the pest control company.

It's only natural that Toronto would see the most bed bug calls, being Canada's largest city, but this isn't a number one ranking anyone will be bragging about.

Lead photo by

Amanda Fotes


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

The former landmark HMV store on Yonge St. is getting a new tenant

Canadian Dental Care Plan expands to cover more services

Ontario drivers are so bad at using one road feature that police keep having to explain it

Abandoned century-old bridge in Toronto is finally being demolished

Several people injured in high-speed TTC crash overnight

Toronto neighbours build ghostly marriage proposal for Halloween

Upcoming job fairs where you can look for work in Toronto

Multiple Canadian companies just ranked among the world's best employers for women