Bedbug Problem, Hamilton Ontario

[Jamie23]

Hi there



My Mother is a Landlord in Hamilton with a tenant in the basement. The tenant claims she occasionally gets bit by bedbugs. So I have a few questions if anyone can please help my Mother out with any ideas.



1) What should my Mother do at this point? What is she legally required to do?



2) How can she determine if there are bedbugs in the basement? Pay for a professional assessment? (At this point there is no hard evidence that there are bedbugs)



3) If there are bedbugs, can you guys suggest any do-it-yourself ways to eliminate them?



4) Can anyone suggest a reasonably priced/reputable pest control company in the Hamilton area, in case it comes to that?



Thank you very much! This forum has always been incredibly helpful

 

[Sherilynn]

You could Google asking for the tell-tale signs of bedbugs. But a professional sniffer dog is another way to go, and isn't that expensive.



I am unfamiliar with Ontario tenancy laws, so I'm not sure what you are required to do there. In Alberta, we would not be required to hire a professional unless there were some indicators of a problem.



As for do-it-yourself ways to eliminate them, I wouldn't try it because the problem would likely get worse before a home treatment had any effect, thereby cancelling your efforts. I would spend the money and get professional heat treatment. Costly, but the most effective and the least hassle.

 

[Neil1]

Get a quote for heat treatment, and for regular spraying:

If Heat is less than or equal to 150% of the spray cost, Heat!

Otherwise, spray please.

The logic is in the return frequency with some factor given to your precious time.

 

[Sherilynn]

Chemical treatments often take 3 treatments before they are effective. Plus they are only effective if the properly is very well prepared, not to mention the hassle of preparing the property for 3 different treatments.



If chemical treatments cost $200 but you need three of them, then the entire process would cost $600 plus the additional hassle.



For only a few dollars more, you could heat treat and get it done right the first time.

 

[Neil1]

[quote user=Sherilynn]Chemical treatments often take 3 treatments before they are effective. Plus they are only effective if the property is very well prepared, not to mention the hassle of preparing the property for 3 different treatments.



If chemical treatments cost $200 but you need three of them, then the entire process would cost $600 plus the additional hassle.



For only a few dollars more, you could heat treat and get it done right the first time.



Thanks,

Neil