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!