Bedbedregistry website....reliable or fear mongering?

[slowtyper]

I'm looking for an apartment somewhere west downtown TO...came across a bunch of older apartment buildings in parkdale. Did a quick search and lots of complaints about all the buildings on bedbugregistry...I am freaked out by the thought of bedbugs and pretty much ran out of the neighborhood! But...its getting hard to find a place. Pretty much every place I look up has people complaining of bedbugs/roach infestations/bad management. Are people just pissed off generally and like to complain about stuff?

[Drew87]

I don't know much about the bedbug registry website for Toronto but I'll tell you this in general terms...

When I was going to New York last March my cousin that lives there told me about how the bed bug issue was HUGE over there ( I already knew that ) and he sent me a link to a website that was RUN by the State of New York that showed which hotels had a bed bug problem and which ones didn't....

I used that site to pick my hotel and I've been there twice now in 18 months and I haven't had a problem....

I commend you for doing your research...

[slowtyper]

Yeah, I was freaked out when going to NYC also. went twice and luckily no problems.

I should actually say there weren't LOTS of complaints...but each building had a few complaints that were very vocal. I mean, there are hundreds of residents in those buildings and only a handful of complaints, but I know not everyone who has complaints will find a website to voice their opinion....


ahhh i hate looking for a place....anyone know someone renting out a basement apt or something in the area???

[flashy_mcflash]

I'm looking for an apartment somewhere west downtown TO...came across a bunch of older apartment buildings in parkdale. Did a quick search and lots of complaints about all the buildings on bedbugregistry...I am freaked out by the thought of bedbugs and pretty much ran out of the neighborhood! But...its getting hard to find a place. Pretty much every place I look up has people complaining of bedbugs/roach infestations/bad management. Are people just pissed off generally and like to complain about stuff?

The registry is legit and you shouldn't discount the claims on it. You couldn't pay me enough to live in a place with bedbugs. Basically if they've infested your place you might as well burn everything that comes in contact with them because they'll spread everywhere. Don't bring that kind of stress/hassle on yourself.

[UrbanPoet]

The bed bug problem lies within the unit itself 99.9999% of the time.
I work in a building that is utterly infested with bed bugs. VERY infested. ITs so bad that we have pest control come in weekly to spray units.
Keep in mind this building houses people who come from the STREETS. So their lifestyle is less then ideal when it comes to cleanliness.

At any given time this building has up to 20% of the units infested with bed bugs.

On the other hand there are also tenants who keep their units SPOTLESS , and they never get bed bugs.

I'm speaking from my own experience... But from what I see in a bed bug infested building... It seems pretty true.

Keep your unit clean, don't hoard, don't have too much stuff... and you're safe.

Contrary to popular belief... You can get rid of bed bugs. It usually requires 3 straight weeks of spraying, and very good prepartion work.

[flashy_mcflash]

The bed bug problem lies within the unit itself 99.9999% of the time.
I work in a building that is utterly infested with bed bugs. VERY infested. ITs so bad that we have pest control come in weekly to spray units.
Keep in mind this building houses people who come from the STREETS. So their lifestyle is less then ideal when it comes to cleanliness.

On the other hand there are also tenants who keep their units SPOTLESS , and they never get bed bugs.

I'm speaking from my own experience... But from what I see in a bed bug infested building... It seems pretty true.

Keep your unit clean, don't hoard, don't have too much stuff... and you're safe.

This isn't true at all. The cleanest person in the world can get bed bugs. They do often come from areas that are dirty but can be contracted by anybody, and no amount of normal cleaning (unless you constantly steam clean everything you own, and not even then) will get rid of them. If you have a clean apartment and someone who is carrying bugs on their clothes comes in there, you've got them too.

[UrbanPoet]

This isn't true at all. The cleanest person in the world can get bed bugs. They do often come from areas that are dirty but can be contracted by anybody, and no amount of normal cleaning (unless you constantly steam clean everything you own, and not even then) will get rid of them. If you have a clean apartment and someone who is carrying bugs on their clothes comes in there, you've got them too.

It is true from my experience... and I stand by it strongly because week after week when I do pest control of the people in the building... I see which units are repeat offenders, and which units get infested... and with my rapport and knowledge of them, I know their life style and hiygene level.

Its all dependent on your life style.

Obviously you can carry them in from outside.

But if you have a clean unit, and hangout with clean people... You won't get bed bugs.

I'm in a building that is infested with bed bugs... and the clean units NEVER get them despite being surrounded by bed bugs.

Also... Parkdale has very low rents, and a lot of single occupancy rooms... These usually attract lower income people who may live a life style that attracts bed bugs... e.g. taking things off the street, hanging out with homeless people etc...

Of course you could always get them with bad luck.. e.g. bringing them in from outside.
But a lot of it is dependent on your lifestyle. Even if you live next to units that have infestations... proper caulking and sealing can prevent it.

I only say this because I work in a building that has a bed bug infestation thats on the higher end of the spectrum, and due to my organizations controls and measures, we've kept it down to a minimum... We went from a housing complex that had about a 50% infestation rate (30 out of 60 units sprayed bi-weekly) down to 5 units out of 60 needing to be treated bi-weekly. So yes there are ways to control it for an entire building, and for individuals.

[flashy_mcflash]

It is true.

Its all dependent on your life style.

Obviously you can carry them in from outside.

But if you have a clean unit, and hangout with clean people... You won't get bed bugs.

I'm in a building that is infested with bed bugs... and the clean units NEVER get them despite being surrounded by bed bugs.


The people in the so-called 'clean units' are just lucky - so far. And it's not a matter of hanging out with 'clean' people. You share an elevator with someone that has a buggy apartment, you're at risk, no matter how clean you are. If you're in a building full of buggy apartments it's really just a matter of time before they spread everywhere.

People can walk around with these things on their clothes and not know it. They are small and extremely pervasive. Unless you live in your apartment and never leave, you are exposing yourself over and over again.

[slowtyper]

Yeah I know what you mean about the lower rent areas being worse. I was hoping to find a basement apt instead but, I may have a dog with me, so its difficult to find a place that is accepting of that.

I'm always scared bedbugs will come through vents, through walls, teleportation, etc. Oh god just thinking about it makes my skin crawl.

[flashy_mcflash]

Yeah I know what you mean about the lower rent areas being worse. I was hoping to find a basement apt instead but, I may have a dog with me, so its difficult to find a place that is accepting of that.

I'm always scared bedbugs will come through vents, through walls, teleportation, etc. Oh god just thinking about it makes my skin crawl.

Don't bring a dog into a situation with bedbugs, please. The dog will definitely contract them and spread them around. You are right to be cautious here.

[UrbanPoet]

The people in the so-called 'clean units' are just lucky - so far. And it's not a matter of hanging out with 'clean' people. You share an elevator with someone that has a buggy apartment, you're at risk, no matter how clean you are. If you're in a building full of buggy apartments it's really just a matter of time before they spread everywhere.

People can walk around with these things on their clothes and not know it. They are small and extremely pervasive. Unless you live in your apartment and never leave, you are exposing yourself over and over again.

No they aren't lucky. Its due to their life style choices.

Life style choices lowers the chances greatly.
It isn't a doom and gloom impossible situation to avoid.

[Drew87]

I'd have to agree with flashy - at it takes is one bed bug finding it's way into your apartment either via the elevator - the carpet outside your apartment and you're screwed...


Doesn't matter how clean you are because once the bed bug gets in and lays an egg you have a problem - especially when you can't pin point where it first laid it's eggs and especially because bed bugs get into places that the average person can't get to themselves even with chemicals.....


Unless you're steaming your apartment constantly you're screwed.

[flashy_mcflash]

No they aren't lucky. Its due to their life style choices.

Life style choices lowers the chances greatly.
It isn't a doom and gloom impossible situation to avoid.

Public Health (http://www.toronto.ca/health/bedbugs/bedbugs_factsheet.htm). Although cleaning CAN prevent it, it's not a bulletproof solution.


How do I prevent bed bugs from entering my home?
Although even the cleanest homes and hotels can have bed bugs, regular house cleaning, including vacuuming your mattress, can help to prevent an infestation. Clean up clutter to help reduce the number of places bed bugs can hide.

Be careful when buying used furniture or clothes. Make sure to inspect the used item, and feel free to ask the retailer if the items were checked for bed bugs.

Use caution when bringing home used furniture or clothes from the curb side. These items may be infested with bed bugs.

When travelling take the following precautions:
Inspect the room and furniture: inspect all cracks and crevices of the mattress and box spring, and look for blood spots or live insects. Request a different room if you find evidence of beg bugs.
Protect your luggage: keep all belongings in your luggage and wrap your luggage in plastic to help prevent bed bugs from entering your luggage. Keep luggage on the shelf or away from the floor.
Protect the bed: move the bed away from the wall, tuck in all bed sheets and keep blankets from touching the floor.
Upon returning home: keep your luggage in an isolated area of your home, such as the garage. Inspect the luggage. Wash all your clothes in the hottest water possible and put them in a hot dryer for 20 minutes.

[UrbanPoet]

Public Health (http://www.toronto.ca/health/bedbugs/bedbugs_factsheet.htm). Although cleaning CAN prevent it, it's not a bulletproof solution.

I didn't say it was bullet proof.
But I said it could def. be prevented.
If a building FULL of formally homeless people (who still live like they're homeless e.g. not cleaning their apartment in 15 years) can get people to prevent it... I'm sure anyone can.

[flashy_mcflash]

I didn't say it was bullet proof.
But I said it could def. be prevented.
If a building FULL of formally homeless people (who still live like they're homeless e.g. not cleaning their apartment in 15 years) can get people to prevent it... I'm sure anyone can.

Again, the people in your building that haven't gotten them, just haven't gotten them YET.

[UrbanPoet]

Again, the people in your building that haven't gotten them, just haven't gotten them YET.

If they do... Its from an isolated incident, which can be quickly and effectively treated. I have some charts that show bed bug activity in my building, and they look promising!
There is hope in getting rid of bed bugs and it can be done VERY effectively with due diligence! I don't like your doom and gloom attitude. If we all did our part we can prevent the spread and profileration of bed bugs.

They can spread easily.. .but if you take the right steps the chances of getting them are lowered greatly.

But there are people here who never get them even after living here for decades. They just keep really clean units and don't associate with transient people and they're fine. Life style is a big thing... The hotels get them because they get 100's of people everyday in and out.

But you know what? Considering they're in such a bed bug infested building... an EXTREMELY infested one at that... (we have our common areas sprayed bi-weekly), its pretty damn good even if they only get them once every few years.

[flashy_mcflash]

Hey that's great. I'm just taking issue with your statements that only dirty people can get them and that anyone should seriously consider moving into a place that has been flagged for infestation.

[MissMalfoy]

The bed bug registry is pretty reliable - I wouldn't worry too much if the claims are from years ago and there hasn't been anything recent though.

[Junigenmukyoku]

I moved recently and I was always checking up on the BBR. From what I've seen, cheap apartments are usually infested with bedbugs or the surrounding building are heavily infested.

I think if the last complaint was like 2+ years old, the building should be okay.

[silicontraveler]

I found it very useful because i almost rent a place near eglinton and mt pleasant, then lucky i did a search and sure enough many complaints. Another weird thing is he also rents furnished apartments, which i suspect are from people who abandoned their things.

[koalorka]

Bed bug infestations have nothing to do with hygiene levels or general cleanliness, that's absolutely incorrect, through obviously, someone living like a filthy swine will not detect them as easily. They can enter a building by many means, second-hand clothing, furniture, books, on your person etc. and reproduce asexually when required, so all it takes is one individual to infiltrate a dwelling.

Too many people adopt the wrong approach however, spraying insecticides, using worthless commercial pest removal services, discarding furniture or moving out altogether. You can easily eradicate even the worse infestation within 24-72 hours with a little knowledge and patience. Silica crystals from radiolarians when ground-up into a fine powder and dispersed across an affected area will adhere to an insect which crawls over the inert powder and mechanically erode the waxy cuticle which coats the bug's exoskeleton, causing it to lose water and die of desiccation within a day or two.

Approach the problem systematically and scientifically and you will never lose another night of sleep to these clever bugs.

[ishfish]

Too many people adopt the wrong approach however, spraying insecticides, using worthless commercial pest removal services, discarding furniture or moving out altogether. You can easily eradicate even the worse infestation within 24-72 hours with a little knowledge and patience. Silica crystals from radiolarians when ground-up into a fine powder and dispersed across an affected area will adhere to an insect which crawls over the inert powder and mechanically erode the waxy cuticle which coats the bug's exoskeleton, causing it to lose water and die of desiccation within a day or two.

Approach the problem systematically and scientifically and you will never lose another night of sleep to these clever bugs.

Welcome back.

What would happen to a person who inhales silica powder? I thought it was quite dangerous. So you might not loose another night of sleep because you just won't be needing one.

[koalorka]

Welcome back.

What would happen to a person who inhales silica powder? I thought it was quite dangerous. So you might not loose another night of sleep because you just won't be needing one.

It is crystalline silica, so it should not be inhaled, but even if you did snort it, it takes years of exposure to develop symptoms which fall under the condition known as silicosis. If you purchase the food-grade variant, often marketed as "diatomaceous earth", it is safe for in-door use and with pets and can also be consumed orally to stimulate intestinal function. Yeah, you can eat it basically. Apply liberally and it will desiccate almost all crawling insects. Even the nice ones unfortunately. :(

The problem of bed bugs is really exaggerated. These are insects which have accompanied humans for tens of thousands of years and they are not known to carry any pathogens. They're ground-borne mosquitoes, minus the Dengue fever or malaria.

[hagbard]

The most effective way to treat for bedbugs is heat. Apply heat to everything that might contain bedbugs that enter your house (throw 'new' clothes in the dryer at high for 45 minutes, or place used books in the oven at 130f for the same time). If the house is infested, heat treating the entire house is apparently the best method (done by "professionals" with insurance, of course). If its a small infestation that's just been noticed, koalorka's method might work. There's a guy on youtube who provides great info:

http://www.youtube.com/user/bedbugcentraltv?feature=results_main

Never had them, and get razzed by my family for trying to prevent it.

[Setz]

The bed bug problem lies within the unit itself 99.9999% of the time.
I work in a building that is utterly infested with bed bugs. VERY infested. ITs so bad that we have pest control come in weekly to spray units.
Keep in mind this building houses people who come from the STREETS. So their lifestyle is less then ideal when it comes to cleanliness.

At any given time this building has up to 20% of the units infested with bed bugs.

On the other hand there are also tenants who keep their units SPOTLESS , and they never get bed bugs.

I'm speaking from my own experience... But from what I see in a bed bug infested building... It seems pretty true.

Keep your unit clean, don't hoard, don't have too much stuff... and you're safe.

Contrary to popular belief... You can get rid of bed bugs. It usually requires 3 straight weeks of spraying, and very good prepartion work.

A common misconception is that bedbugs are at all related to cleanliness. I'm probably the biggest clean freak you'll ever meet, cleaning my living area at least twice a day, and vacuuming daily; despite this, I was hit with bedbugs in 2009. Bedbugs are harder to deal with in a messy living area, but you can be Steve Jobs level of minimalism and cleanliness and still get them.


The most effective way to treat for bedbugs is heat. Apply heat to everything that might contain bedbugs that enter your house (throw 'new' clothes in the dryer at high for 45 minutes, or place used books in the oven at 130f for the same time). If the house is infested, heat treating the entire house is apparently the best method (done by "professionals" with insurance, of course). If its a small infestation that's just been noticed, koalorka's method might work. There's a guy on youtube who provides great info:

http://www.youtube.com/user/bedbugcentraltv?feature=results_main

Never had them, and get razzed by my family for trying to prevent it.

Heat treating is costly, takes a long time, and potentially damages the house. I find fumigation and sprays to be best, esp. when done by a professional. Those diatomaceous earth powders you can buy, or other bed bug 'remedies' do squat nothing.

[Setz]

It is crystalline silica, so it should not be inhaled, but even if you did snort it, it takes years of exposure to develop symptoms which fall under the condition known as silicosis. If you purchase the food-grade variant, often marketed as "diatomaceous earth", it is safe for in-door use and with pets and can also be consumed orally to stimulate intestinal function. Yeah, you can eat it basically. Apply liberally and it will desiccate almost all crawling insects. Even the nice ones unfortunately. :(

The problem of bed bugs is really exaggerated. These are insects which have accompanied humans for tens of thousands of years and they are not known to carry any pathogens. They're ground-borne mosquitoes, minus the Dengue fever or malaria.

I disagree; bed bugs are not overblown, they are a real problem. Maybe not to your health (allergies notwithstanding), but they are an incredible nuisance.

[hagbard]

Heat treating is costly, takes a long time, and potentially damages the house. I find fumigation and sprays to be best, esp. when done by a professional. Those diatomaceous earth powders you can buy, or other bed bug 'remedies' do squat nothing.

The worst damage I've heard of is a house that burnt down. Other than that, it also kills other pests and kills off mould. I understand its about $10k to do a 2000sf house, so yes, expensive.

[koalorka]

Those diatomaceous earth powders you can buy, or other bed bug 'remedies' do squat nothing.

There is absolutely no weight behind your words. Chemical treatments don't have anywhere near the penetration required to destroy all insects. Crystalline silica kills them in 48 hours, I've witnessed it, no recurrence. Prior to this the landlord had several units fumigated with only moderate effectiveness.

[Setz]

There is absolutely no weight behind your words. Chemical treatments don't have anywhere near the penetration required to destroy all insects. Crystalline silica kills them in 48 hours, I've witnessed it, no recurrence. Prior to this the landlord had several units fumigated with only moderate effectiveness.

I speak from experience. Diatomaceous earth only does so much; sure it kills bugs on contact, but bugs can hide beneath floorboards, in walls and furniture, and in other objects like books, etc. The best way I find is residual sprays as done by a professional. This gets rid of them. Permanently. D. earth only remedies the situation briefly.

[silicontraveler]

I think the old low rise house apartment building such as the one near eglinton and mt pleasant have lots of spaces in the walls and all over the place, how could you put he silica stuff in there? Seems to be the problem is too many places to hide in old buildings.

[wilsonlam97]

Pesticides is the way to go!

Some id1ot brought bed bugs infested cardboard from a farm in Aurora to my home and my house was infested for half a year. I had to call exterminators and they fixed the problem easily. I was so grateful for their service and now my home is all good.

But that was 4 years ago.

[hagbard]

Pesticides is the way to go!

Some id1ot brought bed bugs infested cardboard from a farm in Aurora to my home and my house was infested for half a year. I had to call exterminators and they fixed the problem easily. I was so grateful for their service and now my home is all good.

But that was 4 years ago.

They just brought you cardboard to infest your house? Love to hear more.

[wilsonlam97]

They just brought you cardboard to infest your house? Love to hear more.

It was actually my mom's relatives. The bak Choi box had hidden contents....

[ishfish]

It was actually my mom's relatives. The bak Choi box had hidden contents....

Broccoli?

[Setz]

It was actually my mom's relatives. The bak Choi box had hidden contents....

What? One of these?

http://foodie.ca/wp-content/uploads/chinese-takeout-box.jpg

That is beyond messed.

[hagbard]

It was actually my mom's relatives. The bak Choi box had hidden contents....

Sneaky bugs or they liked the food.