London Bed Bug Control

Toodaloo Pest Control treats bed bugs in houses, apartments and rental buildings across London, Ontario. Our technicians inspect your home room by room, treat the bed bugs where they hide, and come back for a follow-up visit to make sure they are gone. Same-day service is available. Call 519-914-0478, answered 24 hours a day, or request a quote.

How do I know if I have bed bugs?

Most people notice the bites first: small, itchy red marks, often in a line or a cluster, that appear overnight. Bites alone do not prove bed bugs, so look for these signs as well:

• Tiny dark spots (droppings) along mattress seams, sheets or the bed frame
• Small blood smears on sheets or pillowcases
• Pale, empty shells that young bed bugs shed as they grow
• Live bugs: flat, reddish-brown and about the size of an apple seed when fully grown

Where to look

Bed bugs hide close to where people sleep or sit for long periods. Use a flashlight to check mattress and box spring seams, the joints of the bed frame and headboard, the edges of baseboards, behind electrical outlet covers, couch and chair seams, and the inside of luggage after a trip. In apartments and other multi-unit buildings, bed bugs can also travel between units through wall gaps and along pipes and wiring.

Where bed bugs show up in London

Bed bugs travel on people and their belongings, so they turn up wherever people and furniture move often. Health Canada notes that bed bugs are easily carried from room to room on infested objects and are among the most common insects to hitch a ride home in luggage and clothing.

• Student rentals. London is home to Western University and Fanshawe College. Many rentals near campus run on 12-month leases that start May 1, with others starting in September, so beds, couches and boxes change homes at the same times every year.
• Apartment buildings. In multi-unit buildings bed bugs can move between units through wall gaps and along pipes and wiring. Health Canada points out that bed bugs found in ceiling lights may be coming from the unit above.
• Older houses and converted units. Cracks in baseboards, walls, floors, window and door frames give bed bugs more places to hide. Health Canada recommends sealing those cracks to reduce hiding spots.
• Used furniture. Health Canada advises checking every second-hand or refurbished item before it comes inside, and never taking a mattress or sofa from the curb.

Moving, travel and bed bugs

Moving and travelling are two common ways bed bugs come home. When you move into a London rental, check the mattress seams, bed frame joints and couch cushions with a flashlight before you unpack. After a trip, keep your suitcase off the bed, check it on a hard floor, and put clothes you do not need to wash in a hot dryer for at least 30 minutes, which is Health Canada’s advice for killing any bed bugs hiding in them.

How does Toodaloo treat bed bugs in London?

1. Inspection. A technician checks every room, not only the one where you were bitten, to find where the bed bugs are hiding.
2. Preparation. Before treatment day you prepare the home using our bed bug prep sheet: bag all bed linens and dresser clothing, run the bagged items through the dryer for at least 30 minutes, empty side tables, vacuum the floors and throw out the vacuum bag, and unplug computers and fish tanks.
3. Treatment day. We treat the bed, furniture and hiding spots in each affected room using heat and residual treatments, with chemical or non-chemical options depending on your home. Everyone, including pets, needs to be out of the home for about 6 hours. Anyone who is pregnant, under 2 years old or has breathing problems should stay out for 24 hours.
4. Second service. We return 10 to 14 days later for a second treatment, which catches any bed bugs that hatched from eggs after the first visit. Keep the clean, bagged clothing out of your dressers until after the second service.

Heat or residual treatment: what is the difference?

Both methods are used by professionals, and they do different jobs.

• Heat. Health Canada says bed bugs die at 50°C. A heat treatment raises the temperature of a room or of infested items high enough, for long enough, to kill bed bugs and their eggs deep inside mattresses and furniture. Once the room cools, heat leaves nothing behind to stop bed bugs that arrive later, and Health Canada says heat treatments should be left to professionals.
• Residual products. These are pesticides that stay active on treated surfaces, such as cracks, bed frames and baseboards, and keep working on bed bugs that crawl over them after the visit. Each product must carry a Pest Control Products (PCP) number and can only be used where its label allows. Health Canada notes, for example, that products registered for bed frames are not meant for mattresses or box springs.

On your first visit we explain which method, or which combination of the two, fits your home, based on how widespread the bed bugs are and what furniture is affected.

What if the second visit still finds bed bugs?

If the technician still finds live bed bugs or fresh signs at the second service, we treat again and book another check until there is no activity. Tell us about any new bites or sightings between visits, and keep your washed clothing bagged until the technician confirms the treatment is complete.

Bed bugs in a London rental: who does what?

If you rent in London, both the province and the City set rules for pests. Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board says a landlord “must also take steps to control pests such as cockroaches and mice”, and that a tenant with a maintenance problem should first ask the landlord, in writing, to fix it. The City of London’s Property Standards By-law (CP-24, section 4.10.1) says all buildings “shall be kept free of rodents, vermin, insects, and other pests at all times”.

• Tenants: tell your landlord in writing as soon as you see signs of bed bugs, keep a copy, and follow the preparation steps so the treatment can work.
• Landlords: arrange treatment, and give tenants written notice at least 24 hours before entering a unit, with the reason and a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
• If the problem is not fixed: a London tenant can submit a property standards Request for Service to the City (519-661-2489 or [email protected]), apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board (1-888-332-3234), or both.

This is general information, not legal advice. The Landlord and Tenant Board and the City of London can explain how the rules apply to your situation.

For landlords and property managers

Bed bugs spread between units through shared walls, ceilings and pipes, so early reports matter. Ask tenants to report signs of bed bugs in writing, arrange an inspection quickly, and give written notice at least 24 hours before entering, with the reason and a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Have the units beside, above and below an infested unit inspected as well.

In London, the Property Standards By-law requires all buildings to be kept free of insects and other pests, and new Residential Rental Unit Licence applications for buildings with four or fewer rental units include a property standards inspection. Our bed bug prep sheet gives tenants clear steps to follow before treatment day.

Can I get rid of bed bugs myself?

You can slow them down, but a do-it-yourself approach rarely clears a whole home. Washing and drying bedding and clothes on high heat kills bed bugs in those items, but the bugs and eggs hidden in the bed frame, furniture and walls stay behind. Store-bought sprays can scatter bed bugs into new rooms, and any pesticide you use must carry a Pest Control Products (PCP) registration number and be labelled for bed bugs. Avoid moving mattresses and furniture through shared hallways before treatment, since that can carry bed bugs to other rooms or units.

Licensed, insured and guaranteed

Toodaloo is a licensed pest control company with $5 million in liability insurance. Every visit comes with our satisfaction guarantee. We serve homeowners, tenants, landlords and property managers throughout London, Ontario.