Bed Bugs Description
Small, oval, flattened body; six legs, two antennae; adept at hiding in narrow spaces.
Bed Bugs Size
Adults measure about 4 to 5 mm, roughly the size of an apple seed.
Bed Bugs Color
Reddish-brown, darkening after feeding; abdomen shows noticeable color change as blood is digested.
Bed Bugs Habitat
Favors dark, secluded spots close to sleeping areas, like mattress seams and furniture joints.
Bed Bugs Diet
Exclusively blood; prefers humans but will feed on other mammals if necessary; nocturnal feeder.
Bed Bugs Lifecyle
Undergoes incomplete metamorphosis: eggs, several nymph stages, and adults; requires blood meals to grow.
Types of Bed Bugs in Canada
In Canada, the Cimex lectularius is the predominant bed bug species found. These pests thrive in environments with consistent human activity, such as homes, hotels, shelters, and apartment buildings. They are highly adaptable and can spread quickly in urban settings with high population densities and frequent turnover, such as hotels and apartment complexes. Understanding the common types of bed bugs is essential for implementing effective control and prevention strategies.
Problems caused by Bed Bugs
Bed bugs cause itchy, red bites that can lead to allergic reactions and secondary skin infections. Their presence often results in significant psychological distress, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Dealing with them can be costly, because it takes professional extermination and sometimes new furniture and bedding. These pests can also cause reputational damage to businesses like hotels and rental properties.
Appearance and identification
Bed bugs are small, wingless insects, measuring about 4 to 5 mm in length, comparable to the size of an apple seed. They are reddish-brown, turning darker after feeding on blood. Their flat, oval-shaped bodies allow them to hide in narrow crevices, such as mattress seams, bed frames, and furniture joints. Identifying features include their segmented antennae, six legs, and a distinctive, sweet but unpleasant odor in larger infestations.
How worried should I be about Bed Bugs?
While bed bugs do not transmit diseases, their presence can cause significant discomfort, anxiety, and stress. They reproduce rapidly, making infestations challenging to control without professional help. Immediate action is crucial to prevent a small infestation from becoming severe. Professional extermination, combined with preventive measures, is necessary to effectively manage and eliminate bed bug populations, ensuring peace of mind and a healthy living environment.
Why do I have Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are expert hitchhikers, often entering homes via luggage, clothing, or used furniture from infested locations. They are attracted to the warmth and carbon dioxide humans emit. Their flat bodies enable them to hide in small spaces, making detection difficult. High-turnover environments like hotels, hostels, and apartment buildings are particularly vulnerable to infestations due to the frequent movement of people and belongings, allowing bed bugs to spread easily.
How can I prevent Bed Bugs?
To prevent bed bugs, regularly inspect sleeping areas, mattresses, and furniture, especially after traveling or receiving guests. Use protective covers on mattresses and pillows to deter infestations. Keep living spaces decluttered to reduce hiding spots. Be cautious when bringing second-hand furniture into your home. Regularly wash and dry bed linens at high temperatures to kill any potential bed bugs. Promptly seal cracks and crevices in walls and furniture.
How Does Our Bed Bugs Treatment & Removal Work?
Bed bug pest control works best when every hiding spot is found, not just the bed. Our treatment has three parts: an inspection, the treatment itself and a follow-up, and each bed bug infestation treatment is planned around what the inspection finds. We treat bed bugs in homes, rental suites and businesses across Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Coquitlam, North Vancouver and West Vancouver.
Bed Bug Inspection
Pestcheck’s initial service includes a thorough inspection where we diligently search for bed bugs and their eggs in every conceivable space within your home. Our team examines mattresses, furniture, and tiny crevices, meticulously documenting each finding. This comprehensive approach ensures we capture the full scope of any infestation, providing a solid foundation for the precise application of our tailored treatment strategies.
Bed Bug Control
At Pestcheck, we prioritize safe and effective bed bug control using environmentally responsible products. Our treatments penetrate deeply to eliminate bed bugs in all life stages, ensuring thorough eradication. We focus on minimizing pesticide use while maximizing efficacy, providing sustainable solutions that protect your family, pets, and home, and preventing future infestations for lasting peace of mind.
Bed Bug Follow-Up
Our bed bug control strategy is designed to be efficient, often requiring just one visit to effectively handle the problem, saving you both time and money. However, if additional assurance is needed, Pestcheck is prepared to perform subsequent treatments. These follow-up visits are focused on ensuring that your home remains completely free of bed bugs, maintaining the safety and comfort of your living environment long-term.
OUR pest control Commitment To You
We protect your Canadian home like it’s our own.
Our owner, Stephen Scott, has been in the pest control business for over 20 years, and he started Pestcheck with his wife, Julie, in 2018. We’ve been able to assist many satisfied clients who return to us for all of their pest elimination and pest prevention needs.
We are so confident in our ability to keep insects, rodents and wildlife away that we promise to keep working with our clients until they are completely satisfied.
All of our pest control pesticides are Health Canada registered and tested. They are deemed to be relatively safe when applied by our trained professional technicians.
YOU ARE IN GOOD HANDS With Our pest control Team
pest control Associations, Partners & Certifications
Pestcheck Pest Control prides itself on providing innovative and advanced technology for Canadian pest prevention and management.
Get to Know Our Pestcheck Pest Control Staff
Get to Know Our Pestcheck Pest Control Staff
All our professional technicians are fully licensed and exceptionally trained to detect and eliminate pests. We value our clients and the relationships we build over the course of treating your property. Our pledge to you is to always be friendly, polite and honest, and display great respect for your home, family and pets!
Stephen Scott
Owner, Head Technician
Brought up in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, I have lived in many countries with my wife and kids over the years. However, immigrating to Canada with my family in 2009 was the best decision I made.
My career in pest control started back in the early 2000’s working for myself in Spain and then for Poulin’s Pest Control here in Vancouver. I started Pestcheck Pest Control along side my wife, Julie in 2018. My family gave me the incentive to work hard and make this company successful.
When Julie and I are not working we love to travel, especially to Mexico. I also like to cook delicious food for the family.
Stephen is very knowledgeable and can find a solution for any problem. Highly recommend if you need any pest control services!!
– Eric Alvano 
Julie Scott
Owner, Manager
I work with Stephen and the boys behind the scenes. I am usually the first person you speak to when you call Pestcheck Pest Control. Answering your general questions, scheduling appointments, blogging and managing our social media are among many things I do.
Keeping up to date on the latest technology is key to being the most effective and organized pest control company in Vancouver.
In the family business work never really stops, but on our days off I enjoy catching the latest shows on HGTV and Coronation Street! I love spending time with Stephen, my dad and the boys.
Amazing team. Julie is awesome!
– Neil Olson 
Tayler Scott
Technician
There is nothing better than an honest day’s work with my family. I am proud to be a part of our amazing team at Pestcheck.
In my free time I enjoy spending time with our family and watching soccer. It goes without say that I am a Newcastle United supporter.
Phenomenal service. Reliable and professional. I would definitely recommend this service. Tayler, the technician, did a fantastic job!
– Nicholas Quintillan 
Cruz Scott
Technician
My favorite pest to treat for is mice. From mice to yellow jackets, I’m always ready and able to take care of your pest control needs.
In my free time I enjoy playing video games and hanging out with my friends. Just like my brother, I love watching Newcastle United play!
Five Stars!
– Bonnie C. 
Paul Hubbard
Technician
Paul joins us from Coventry, England, as a technician trained in the latest eco-friendly and effective pest management techniques.
He brings fresh knowledge, strong attention to detail, and a genuine passion for protecting homes from unwanted pests. A dedicated Coventry City FC supporter, Paul fits right in with our football-loving team. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time in the great outdoors.
Other Questions About Bed Bugs
Frequently Asked Questions
We have been helping our Metro Vancouver residents and businesses with their pest control needs for several years. We have gathered the most common questions that we have received, and we answered them for you. The following is a list of questions and answers at your disposal.
Bed bugs are small insects that live off the blood of people and animals. They have flat, oval-shaped bodies that are usually brown, although they take on a reddish colour after they’ve fed.
Bed bugs can enter your home through clothing, luggage, or second hand furniture. They are commonly picked up while travelling, when staying in hotels. They can also spread into nearby rooms or other apartments after they’ve settled into a home.
Bed bugs are mostly active at night and bite people while they are sleeping. They can bite anywhere where there is exposed skin, but recurring bites usually appear in the same general area.
Bed bugs can spread through contaminated clothing, luggage, and furniture. They can also spread from one room or apartment to another. Bed bugs spread by crawling and are known to contaminate many rooms in a home. They can easily hide in books, in the back of pictures hanging on a wall, inside of fabric furniture, bedding and clothing.
If you suspect that you have a bed bug infestation, remove all your bedding and check for signs of the bugs such as shed skins or excrement. Peel back the fabric in your box spring and check the wood frame. You should also check nearby shelves, dressers, and any cracks in the walls. If you aren’t sure what to look for, contact Pestcheck Pest Control.
Signs of bed bugs include bites, small brown spots on bedding and small blood smears on sheets.
The most common place to find bed bug eggs is in the tucks and folds of the mattress and box spring. They also hide behind headboards, along baseboards, sofas and other soft furnishings.
If you find bed bugs, these steps cut their numbers and slow their spread:
- Wash all your bedding and affected clothing in hot water. Then dry them on your dryer’s highest setting. Any stuffed animals or other soft furnishings that cannot be washed should be placed in your dryer at the highest setting for 40 minutes.
- Use a stiff brush to brush away any bugs or their eggs from the seams on your mattress. Vacuum your mattress and the surrounding area. Place your vacuum cleaner bag outside in your garbage can away from your house.
- If you have any cracks in your walls where the bugs might be hiding, repair them with plaster to remove these potential hiding places.
- Since bed bugs can live for up to a year without feeding, place an encasement over your mattress to keep the bugs from getting in or out.
- Keep the area around your bed free of clutter.
If you still find bites or fresh spots a week after these steps, ask a bed bug exterminator to inspect. Bed bugs hide in cracks and seams that cleaning at home misses, so most cases need a professional treatment.
A question asked by landlords and tenants alike. Who is responsible for the treatment of the unit if a bed bug infestation is discovered? The simple answer is that the landlord or property manager is responsible for the treatment of the unit. However, the tenant is responsible for cooperating with the landlord’s efforts to deal with the bed bugs – such as getting the unit ready for treatment, and washing and bagging clothing.
Still have a question about bed bugs?
Ask our team. Call us, or request a free quote online.
Keep Up To Date
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Bed Bug Information
Bed bugs are commonly found in beds because they don’t like to travel far for a meal. But they can be found in other places, too. Anywhere humans spend a lot
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See What Our Clients Say About Our Bed Bug Removal Service
Check out what people say about us
Dealing with a bed bug problem in my Bowen Island home was causing me a lot of stress and anxiety. So my friend recommended Pestcheck as they recently helped them in Vancouver. When they arrived, their experienced pest exterminators were prompt, efficient, and used advanced techniques to eradicate the bed bugs. They even provided tips for prevention. Thanks to their service, my apartment is now bed bug-free. Highly recommended for anyone on Bowen Island dealing with a similar issue.
James W.
