PEST CONTROL

Bed Bug Control in Toronto, Oakville & the GTA

Inspection first, then treatment where bed bugs actually hide

Bed bug treatment in Toronto, Oakville and the GTA starts with an inspection, because treatment only works where it reaches. Bed bugs hide in cracks no wider than a toothpick, and Health Canada calls them very hard to get rid of. We map where they are, treat that harbourage, and come back for the eggs that hatch afterwards. Book a one-time inspection and treatment, or get bed bug coverage in the Platinum Protection plan.

Suspect bed bugs? Call before you spray. Bug bombs do not work on bed bugs and can start fires.

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AT A GLANCE

Bed Bugs at a Glance

Size: Adults about 5 mm, up to 10 mm; eggs 1 mm
Colour: Brown; blood red after feeding
Body: Flat, broad and oval; crawls, cannot fly or jump
How to tell: Colour of an apple seed, size of a lentil
Active: All year in heated homes
Where found: Mattress seams, box springs, bed frames, headboards
Bites or stings: Bites at night; the bite itself is painless

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Early Signs of Bed Bugs

If you’ve noticed any of these, call and a licensed technician will tell you what it points to.

Call (905) 739-7888

Small black or brown spots on sheets, mattress seams and box springs (dried blood and droppings)
Rusty or reddish smears on sheets from bugs crushed after feeding
Pale shed skins and tiny white eggs along seams, tufts and bed frame joints
Live bugs in mattress seams, the box spring or the bed frame
Itchy red welts after sleeping, on the face, neck, arms, legs or shoulders (not everyone reacts)
A musty smell, though only in a heavy infestation

IDENTIFICATION

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

Adult bed bugs are flat, oval and brown, about 5 mm long: the colour of an apple seed and the size of a lentil. After feeding they swell and turn blood red. The young look like small, paler adults, starting at about 1.5 mm, and the eggs are white, about 1 mm long and almost impossible to see. Bed bugs crawl fast but cannot fly or jump. People mistake them for ticks, cockroaches and carpet beetles, and some close relatives that live on bats and birds may bite people, mostly when those animals are gone.

Bed bug or flea bites: flea bites are mostly around the ankles. Bed bugs bite any skin left uncovered while you sleep.
Bites alone do not prove bed bugs. Confirming them means finding the bugs or their signs, which often takes a professional.

TYPES

Bed Bugs and Look-Alikes in Ontario

Common bed bug
Cimex lectularius
Flat, oval, reddish brown and about 5 mm long, the colour of an apple seed. Prefers to feed on people, but bites pets too.
Where found: Beds, sofas and chairs first, then headboards, baseboards, nightstands, outlet covers and picture frames as numbers grow.
Bat bug
Cimex adjunctus
Looks almost the same as a bed bug. An entomologist or pest professional can tell them apart.
Where found: Near bat roosts in attics and walls. It bites people mainly when the bats are no longer there to feed on.
Recorded in Ontario but uncommon. The fix starts at the roost: the bats have to be sealed out first, which is part of our wildlife removal work.

Cockroaches are a separate job. German, American, Oriental and brown-banded cockroaches are covered on our cockroach control page.

OUR APPROACH

How We Treat Bed Bugs

Step 1
Inspect First
Every job starts with an inspection that maps where the bed bugs are: mattress and box spring seams, bed frame joints, headboards, nearby furniture, baseboards, carpet edges, and behind outlet covers and picture frames. Early on they stay close to the bed; as numbers grow they spread out. Any spot the inspection misses goes untreated and can restart the problem.
Step 2
Prepare the Room
Before treatment you get a prep list. It usually means emptying dressers and nightstands so they can be inspected, bagging belongings, washing clothes and bedding in hot water and drying them on the hottest setting, and pulling furniture away from the walls.
Step 3
Treat What Was Mapped
Treatment goes into the seams, folds and crevices where bed bugs were found or are likely to hide, rather than across the whole room. The sleeping surface is usually not sprayed, and bedding and clothing never are: those go through a hot wash. Bed bugs will not take bait, and they are becoming more resistant to insecticides, so treatment has to reach them directly.
Step 4
Return for the Hatch
Eggs take about 6 to 17 days to hatch, so eggs laid before the first treatment keep hatching after it. A follow-up visit treats those nymphs before they grow. Bed bug work usually takes more than one visit.

BITES AND STINGS

What Do Bed Bug Bites Look Like?

People who react usually get an itchy red welt within a day or so, on skin left uncovered in bed: the face, neck, arms, legs, shoulders or chest. Reactions vary a lot. Some people only see bites days later, up to 14 days, and about 30 percent of people do not react at all, even when bitten again and again. The bite itself is painless, so few people feel it happen. Bed bugs are not known to spread disease, and their bites generally do not need medical attention. Try not to scratch, and keep the bites clean to avoid infection. A severe allergic reaction is rare: call 911 for trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat. For a reaction that worries you otherwise, see a doctor or pharmacist, or call Health811 at 811 to talk to a registered nurse.

Bed bug bites are often blamed on mosquitoes at first, which is how an infestation grows unnoticed.

RISKS AND DAMAGE

Are Bed Bugs Dangerous?

Toronto Public Health does not consider bed bugs a health hazard in themselves, but they cause real problems. Scratched bites can become infected, some people have allergic reactions, and living with bed bugs brings lost sleep, stress and anxiety. They are also very hard to get rid of. A female lays eggs every day, hundreds over her life. Adults can survive one to four months without a meal in a heated home. And they spread, to other rooms on belongings and to neighbouring units in apartment buildings.

Bed bugs are a job for a professional from the first confirmed sign: Health Canada strongly recommends a licensed pest control operator.

CAUSES

Why You Have Bed Bugs

Bed bugs have nothing to do with how clean a home is. They feed only on blood, so a spotless house is as easy for them as a messy one. They are carried in, on luggage and clothing after a trip, in second-hand beds and furniture, or from a neighbouring unit. Once inside, all they need is a person or pet to feed on at night and cracks near the bed to hide in.

What Draws Them In

People sleeping, and the carbon dioxide they breathe out
Pets, which they also feed on
Clutter around the bed, which gives them more places to hide
Cracks in bed frames, baseboards and walls

How They Get In

Luggage and clothing after hotel stays and travel
Second-hand or refurbished beds, sofas and furniture
Mattresses and sofas picked up from the curb
Neighbouring units in apartment and condo buildings
Visitors' bags and belongings

HABITS

Life Cycle and Habits

Habitat

Bed bugs do not build nests. They gather in hiding spots close to where people sleep or sit, mainly mattress seams, box springs, bed frames and headboards. As numbers grow they move into nightstands, electrical outlets, baseboards, behind picture frames and under loose wallpaper. Their flat bodies fit into cracks no wider than a toothpick.

Diet

Blood only. Bed bugs prefer people but will also feed on pets. They come out at night, drawn by the carbon dioxide we breathe out, feed for 3 to 10 minutes, then crawl back into hiding. They do not stay on the body the way lice or ticks do.

Life Cycle

A female lays one or more eggs a day, hundreds over her life, and the eggs stick where she lays them. They hatch in about 6 to 17 days. The young moult five times and need a blood meal before each moult. In a warm home with a steady host they can reach adulthood in as little as a month, so several generations a year are possible, and adults live about 10 months. They can also go months without feeding, which is why leaving a home empty does not starve them out.

Seasonal Behaviour in Ontario

Bed bugs live indoors with people, so in a heated Ontario home they are active all year, with no winter break. New infestations follow movement: travel, moving house, and second-hand furniture.

PREVENTION

How to Prevent Bed Bugs

Check on, under and beside beds and couches now and then, looking along mattress seams, tufts and buttons for spots, eggs or bugs.
Be very careful with second-hand or refurbished furniture, and never take a mattress or sofa from the curb.
Cut clutter and vacuum often, including under and behind beds.
Seal cracks in wooden bed frames, along baseboards and around door and window frames.
Put zippered encasements on the mattress and box spring.
Set interceptors under the bed legs to catch bed bugs early.
In hotels, lift each mattress corner and check the seams, and keep luggage off the bed, on a tile floor or a luggage stand you have checked.
When you get home, check luggage on a hard surface, wash all the clothes you packed in hot water, and dry non-washables on high heat for 30 minutes.
Vacuum the suitcase and throw the vacuum bag out right away in a sealed garbage bag.

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs: DIY or a Professional?

Bed bugs are one pest where Health Canada strongly recommends hiring a licensed professional. Do not use bug bombs, bleach, rubbing alcohol or a lighter: they do not work on bed bugs and can cause fires. What you can do is help the treatment work. Wash and dry bedding and clothes on the hottest settings, since bed bugs die at 50°C. Vacuum the mattress, bed frame and baseboards, then throw the bag out sealed. Stop moving things from room to room. Freezing items takes four days at a steady -19°C and may still miss some. Any sign, whether bites, spotting or a bug, is worth a professional inspection.

What Affects the Cost of Bed Bug Treatment

There is no flat price, because the cost depends on what the inspection finds. These are the main factors:

How far they have spread: one bed, one room or several rooms
The size of the home, and how much furniture and clutter has to be treated or cleared
Whether neighbouring units in an apartment or condo also need inspection
How many visits it takes, including the follow-up for the hatch

Bed Bugs in Apartments, Condos and Rentals

If you rent, Health Canada says to tell your landlord right away, and tenants can speak with a public health officer for help. In Toronto, the City's RentSafeTO rules for rental buildings with three or more storeys and 10 or more units require the landlord to take timely action to remove pests, bed bugs included, using a licensed pest management operator, and bar renting a unit to a new tenant while the landlord knows it has pests. Toronto Public Health is clear that homeowners, tenants and landlords each have a part in the treatment, so do the prep on your list.

WHY CHOOSE US

Why Ontario Homeowners Choose Sting Out

No Binding Contracts

Cancel anytime, with no lock-in and no pressure. If you keep us on, it should be because the work is getting results.

Integrated Pest Management

Inspection first, then targeted treatment with registered products used as the label directs. Your technician will advise on any precautions.

Ontario-Licensed Exterminators

Treatments are applied by technicians licensed under Ontario pesticide rules.

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Reviews

What GTA customers say

★★★★★Google review

Sting Out Pest Control helped me get rid of a pretty bad crawling insect problem in my office. They were friendly, easy to deal with, and explained everything clearly from the start. Instead of just spraying and leaving, they came up with a treatment plan that used different methods to get the problem under control. Over time, the infestation was completely gone. I now have them come by once a month for maintenance, and if anything small comes up, they take care of it right away before it becomes a bigger issue. It's been a great experience, and I have peace of mind knowing my office is protected. I would definitely recommend Sting Out Pest Control to anyone needing a reliable pest control company.

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COMMON QUESTIONS

Bed Bug Control: Questions We Get

Do I need a plan to get bed bug treatment?

No. You can book a one-time bed bug inspection and treatment with no plan and no contract. Bed bugs are also covered in the Platinum Protection plan if you want ongoing protection.

Do you treat neighbouring units as well?

We recommend having them inspected in any attached or multi-unit building, and treated if bed bugs are found. Bed bugs spread to nearby units, especially when an infestation is left alone or a unit sits empty, so treating one unit while a neighbour stays infested can re-seed the problem. In a rental or condo, ask the property manager or condo board to have the units around yours inspected at the same time. We can coordinate with the property manager or condo board so the affected units are dealt with together.

How long does bed bug treatment take?

Expect more than one visit. Eggs hatch in about 6 to 17 days, so a follow-up visit is part of every job, and the US Environmental Protection Agency notes that treating bed bugs can take weeks to months depending on how far the infestation has spread.

How do I know if it is bed bugs and not something else biting me?

Look for the bugs or their signs. Bites alone cannot confirm bed bugs, because many things cause itchy welts. Check mattress seams, tufts, the box spring and the bed frame for black or brown spots, tiny white eggs, pale shed skins or live bugs. If you find nothing but keep waking up with new bites, book an inspection.

Will bed bugs die if I leave my home empty?

Not in any practical time. In a heated home bed bugs typically survive one to four months without feeding, and longer in the cold. In apartments, they tend to move into nearby units when a unit sits empty.

Do bed bugs die in the cold?

Yes, but only in hard cold that holds for days. Health Canada says freezing takes 4 days at a steady -19°C, and even that may not kill every bed bug. Toronto rarely stays that cold for that long: at Toronto Pearson airport the average January low is about -9°C and the average high about -2°C. A 2013 University of Minnesota and Rutgers study estimated that bed bugs can live through a full week of cold that stays warmer than -12°C, and bugs that survived the cold still fed afterwards. So a night or two on the balcony or in the garage will not clear a mattress or couch, and turning down the heat will not clear a home. To freeze small items, seal them in a bag and check the freezer with a thermometer, because many home freezers are not cold enough.

Can bed bugs come back after treatment?

They can, if new ones are carried in or a neighbouring unit is still infested. Health Canada suggests checking regularly for new signs. Zippered encasements on the mattress and box spring, and interceptors under the bed legs, make any new bugs easier to spot early.

Sources

Last updated October 20, 2026

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Bed Bug Control Across Toronto, Oakville & the GTA

We treat bed bugs in homes and businesses throughout Toronto and Southern Ontario.

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