Top 5 worst places for bed bugs in Canada all located in one province

The top five Canadian cities with the worst bed bugs are located in Ontario, according to Orkin Canada.

The pest and wildlife control services organization released its annual list of “bed buggiest” cities in the country on Tuesday.

Ranked number one for the seventh year in a row: Toronto.

The following four cities were all in Ontario. In second place, Sudbury moved up from third, followed by Oshawa, Hamilton and Ottawa.

Vancouver, B.C. fell from its second place spot last year to sixth in the latest ranking.

“As we’ve seen travel return to pre-pandemic levels, Canadians should be on guard for bed bugs, as these pests are extremely resilient and can hitchhike from place to place unnoticed and with ease,” Dr. Alice Sinia, an entomologist with Orkin Canada, said.

Sinia explains bed bugs are “excellent” at hiding from the naked eye, clinging to clothing, stowing themselves in baseboards, electronics, bedding, wallpaper, wall hangings and sofas.

“Taxis, buses, trains, and airplanes are also common bed bug hiding places, allowing these pests an opportunity to hitch a ride with unsuspecting travelers,” Sinia said.

She suggests examining clothing and luggage regularly while traveling to prevent future infestations.

These are Canada’s 25 “bed buggiest” cities:

Canada’s top 25 bed bug cities, according to Orkin Canada’s 2024 list.

Three of the “cities” on the list are suburbs of Toronto, including Scarborough, North York and Etobicoke. 

Orkin Canada told CTV News Toronto that it uses the “service address and postal code to define which city/area the customer is located in and that is why those areas are separated instead of being grouped together within Toronto.”

CTV News has asked Orkin Canada why these suburbs made the list and is waiting on a response.

1. Toronto
2. Sudbury
3. Oshawa
4. Hamilton
5. Ottawa
6. Vancouver
7. Winnipeg
8. St. John’s
9. Sault Ste. Marie
10. Scarborough
11. Calgary
12. Edmonton
13. London
14. Montreal
15. Timmins
16. Windsor
17. North York
18. Moncton
19. Halifax
20. Etobicoke
21. Mississauga
22. Niagara Falls
23. Prince George, B.C.
24. Peterborough
25. Saskatoon

The Orkin Canada bed bug list is compiled based on the number of commercial and residential bed bug treatments performed by the company in 2023.