Vancouver, Burnaby rank among Canada's top cities for bed bugs

A bed bug is displayed at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, Wednesday, March 30, 2011. (AP / Carolyn Kaster)

Two cities in B.C.'s Lower Mainland rank among the top in Canada when it comes to bed bugs, according to a pest control company.

Vancouver came in third in the 2021 list, which ranks major cities based on the number of related calls made to Orkin Canada.

Nearby Burnaby claimed the 25th spot.

Orkin said the worst spot in the country for the bugs the company calls "extremely effective hitchhikers" because of their tendency to travel across rooms and along with luggage.

Toronto took the top spot, followed by Sudbury, Ont.

Also in the top 10 were: St. John's; the Ontario cities of Oshawa and Scarborough; the New Brunswick cities of Moncton and Saint John; Winnipeg; and Edmonton.

The calls made in those cities were for both residential and commercial bed bug treatments.

Orkin offered its advice to reduce the spread of bed bugs, which often enter residential spaces through travel.

"Bed bugs thrive in dark, cool places with long-term access to humans," the company wrote in a news release. "They can also be found on airplane and train seats, in buses or in rental cars."

Orkin said it's rare to pick them up in those locations, but it is possible.

Where people are more likely to encounter the bugs is in hotels and motels. For those types of locations, Orkin suggested ensuring clothing and luggage are never put directly on the bed.

The company said travellers should use metal luggage racks, as the bugs can't easily climb up metal surfaces the way they can on walls and wooden furniture.

Orkin also recommends packing clothes, shoes and other items into plastic bags, which can keep bed bugs that have crawled into a suitcase from getting into the house on clothing.

Anyone checking for bed bugs should also look at books, cloth toiletry kits and other personal items where they may be hiding.