Submitted by "bug hater" on 09/10/2008

In which units? I live in this building and am very worried!

Submitted by "One-of-Many" on 07/26/2008

I am just coming out of the other end of bed bug hell in this building (and have obviously left). It started May 1st and my place was sprayed twice over two weeks, I bagged and gutted my place, washing everything and rebagging. Vacuumed 4.5 hours a day for six weeks and then paid to have my furniture steamed (was advised that the couch was not a problem, etc) and that I don't have a big problem. Wrong! Ended up paying for removal of furniture and living elsewehere on friends couches (whoever would be brave enough to have me!) for almost two months while continuing to pay rent. Went back in at six weeks to seal baseboards with glue and then silicone them (to seal the room) and three live bugs bounced out of the wall while we were hammering finishing nails. They came in and bombed the place and advised me at that time that the neighbour's place was infested. Bottom line, they are between the walls and good luck dealing with that! Ended up discarding most stuff and packed VERY carefully with only new plastic tubs and powder to move. It is taking quite some time to settle into the new place and unpack as I am checking every item and treating with heat or steam on the way in. This venture has cost me $6000 cash plus loss of new furniture I bought when I moved in last year and I haven't worked during this period of time. Ironically, the place looked clean and fantastic when I left and I know it will just be rented out to the next victim. Not one word is being said about this situation. It's very hush, hush. I disagree. I I told everyone I knew (including the neighbour that found out since that he's infested too). Come on people, let's speak up and tell EVERYONE. This is not a refection on us, it's a reflection on the fact that the managers and owners of these places are not dealing with the issue or communicating with tenants to be proactive about it! The assistant manager was not even aware that I was moving or had a problem with bed bugs for 2 months when I handed in my keys (and she lives in the bldg too)?????
PS... I still haven't slept through a night yet

Submitted by "diligent cleaner" on 07/25/2008

ASD. The aresol can you want is called "Konk 407." Thre is also a block product that gives off an odor in the air and is good for six months. I didn't buy this because I have a small unit and am not sure if it is allowed in Vancouver. The wholesaler told me that it is widely used in barns to kill flies. Unfortunately you would have to drive to Abbotsford or Mission to an Agriculture supplier such as Buckerfields.

Submitted by "diligent cleaner" on 07/25/2008

Re: ASD request.
Don't have the bills anymore but if you take the Lougheed highway heading east it branches off to Winston Street by Dairyland. Continue on Winston until you are just before Costco and the Firehall.
Wholesaler is in the brown cedar siding multi tenant commercial complex on the south side of Winston Street. They are very helpful.

Just a suggestion but keep a bit spare, especially the green non toxic powder. That way the little buggers will find out the hard way that they aren't welcome in your unit.

Make sure you vacuum regularily including long after you get rid of the bugs. On vacuuming the sales lady said that you don't have to keep throwing out vacuum bags because as you vacuum you also suck up some of the non toxic powder that will kill any bugs in the vacuum bag before they start searching for humans again. Still bug free here.
Good luck. It will work.

Submitted by "asd" on 07/24/2008

diligent cleaner..... Can you specify which wholesaler you were able to pick up the pesticides from???

Submitted by "Anonymous" on 07/24/2008

Hard nose. You are terrific. Wish everybody worked as hard at containing and getting rid of these creatures. You suffered a lot and had the patience to keep at it.

Submitted by "diligent cleaner" on 07/23/2008

I currently live at this location and discovered bedbugs in February 08.
Like previous comments on this address and others the general agreement seems to be to report the problem and get as much info as possible.
I did both of the above and realized that it is not a blame the landlord problem, the bugs got into my unit somehow (not important) but I wanted it cleaned up asap. Like others I disposed of as much firniture as was infested or near infested areas of unit and bagged/washed all clothing (I appologize to fellow tenants who were unable to gain access to the laundry room during my extended cleaning!)
I went to the posticide wholesaler in Burnaby and bought commercial bedbug spray and non toxic commercial powder. Cost was about $160.00. The posticide wholesaler was terrific. She gave me lots of literature and spend the time to instruct me on usage even though it was a small order. The wholesaler will sell to you as long as you sign a form for personal residential use only. Do not go outside your unit and spray in hallway.
The wholesaler told me to vacuum 3 times per day with a good vacuum, pointed nozzle and make sure I get every corner, receptacle, light switch, clothing shelf etc. Bedbugs are brought into the building, can live in cracks for a long time and come out seeking blood. Their easiest target is human beings asleep, hence you generally throw out bed, mattress, sofa, computer chair etc.
The resident manager was kept informed, he lives in the building also so it is in his interest to keep the building bug free. I wanted to give the clean up a try on my own so that it was being done by somebody (myself) representing my concerns.
With dedicated work I was able to get rid of the problem and am pleased to say that I do a much better job of regularly vacuuming my unit, including every evening.

Annonymous read this> This is a city problem, it won't go away by sleeping in and making money nor will your idea of lawyers resolve the problem (unless you think you can make money off a bedbug infestation while your neighbours suffer because you have to sleep in). Buy a good vacuum with a pointed nozzle, leave the lawyers out and start vacuuming and washing your clothes on a diligent basis.
It will at least change you to a better person that takes responsibility for the problem and you can feel better than you did something to cooperate.

Submitted by "Hard Nose" on 07/23/2008

I don't live at this location but I have lived at another (close) building that is currently listed and heavily infested. In fact, I no longer live in downtown Vancouver although I still work in the downtown core. My bedbug infestation cost me close to $10,000.00 perhaps more after we destroyed otherwise perfectly good furniture, rugs, books and other property. It cost me a futher $10,000.00 to replace it after a two year moratorium of living on airbags in order to insure that we did not (a) become reinfested (b) infest others through our comings and goings. We were successful. We lived "plastic bag hell" - all our clothing, and I mean ALL, was in plastic bags for two years. We changed in the tub and put our clothes immediately into other plastic bags for the laundry. We wore the same things day in and day out, all purchased especially for this crisis (and it was a crisis, there is nothing minor about bedbug infestations). We went through two fumigations before we finally figured it out that pretty well everything we owned had to go. What could not be properly washed or put in the freezer (for no less than two weeks I might add) was destroyed or, at best, packed into containers, sealed and left alone for over two years (that is how long this insidious creatures and/or eggs can and do live without food). It was a nightmare. No one at work "knew" even to this day because there is so much stigma attached to this problem and that stigma is really noted in this particular thread. All of your insults, arguing, etc., is not going to do a lick of good. Spend time and educate yourselves on the topic and there is a lot to learn about it and the removal of these pests. There is a spectrum of emotions that go along with this pestilence from revulsion, to anger, to depression, to hopelessness. Follow the rules, get a lot of plastic bags and containers. Save what you can, destroy everything else. Take axes or whatever and dismantle your beds so they cannot be used by others. Call a Waste Disposal company and unload your problems on them; get them to destroy your furniture. Pay pay pay. There are no choices. This thing does not just go away. It takes hard work and if you want to read more sorry stories search Bedbug Refugee in New York. She knows.

One guy I know of in the West End simply sealed his 2nd bedroom shut with duck tape as his "final solution" and did nothing more. I am sure his neighbors have no idea where their problems are coming from.

Try to keep a level head. Don't point fingers. Eliminate your property, the problems, get proper treatment(s)/fumigations and as a last resort abandon ship.

Submitted by "second that" on 07/22/2008

good comment from glad.
For inconsiderate tneant note that lawyers don\'t get rid of bedbugs. Lawyers make paperwork and get paid first. Annonymour should buy a good mattress cover and a good vacuum (that you are prepared to plug in and use twice per day)and forget the lawyers. You should also report to police anybody that sets up garage sales. You can bet the chances of an infestation, even if it is denied, are very high at garage sales. Bedbugs come in on used everything, including radio, knapsack, clothing, furniture etc. The police are pretty good at ticketing and shutting down these flea market sales.
IF annonymopus has any consideration for neighbours they will accomodate the fumigation, get rid of infested furniture and start vacuuming on a scheduled basis three times per day for an extended period of time.
Sorry to hear you are so busy making money that you have time to think about hiring a lawyer rather than getting \"down into the corners\" with a vacuum. You might try it. Your neighbours will appreciate it if you cooperate.
Bit of a rant but also some advice we received at our building from Orkin.

Submitted by "gladidontlivenearu" on 07/22/2008

annonymous you should get off your butt, stop whining and do some physical work to cooperate with everybody, including fellow tenants to contain, get rid of the problem. Start cleaning thoroughly, stop buying used furniture and the problem will disappear.
As for legal action note that the problem is dragged into the building and into your suite by people that have a key or access to your unit. Can't blame the landlord that you sat on a chair at starbucks that was infested.
I hope you reconsider and have some consideration for other people in the building/area that are truly doing their best to double and triple clean the unit to get rid of bugs. Unfortunately with somebody deciding to sit back, complain and look for legal action the rest of the building has to suffer.
Luckily I don't have lazy blaming others for neighbours.
Have a good day.

Submitted by "Anonymous" on 07/15/2008

July, 2008. My apartment on the fifth floor has been infested with bed bugs for about a month now. The landlord said that they had been in the apartment next door and had apparently migrated to my place and other apartments.

After being eaten alive for weeks now (despite spraying domestic insecticide on everything, and washing all my bedding repeatedly) the professional exterminators arrived today to spray the place. Now I see that the extent of the infestation is much worse than I had suspected.

The pest control guy suggested I buy covers for the mattresses, as well as do double duty on all normal cleaning activities.

This is seriously disrupting my sleep habits and my ability to work as I work from home.

There is a mantra building in my head..."legal action...legal action".

Has anyone got any experience with pursuing legal action against apartment owners in Vancouver regarding bed bugs that they would like to share?

Submitted by "anon" on 02/01/2008

Submitted by "Anonymous" on 11/02/2007

1202 Harwood Street, West End (many suites in the building). Have had many outbreaks in many suites over the past couple of years. Repeated spraying doesn't seem to eliminate them... they seem to be moving between the suites possibly thru the heaters.. the heaters run from suite to suite with holes in the walls where bedbugs could travel between suites easily. When they spray one suite, the lucky bugs that might be in the carpet or cracks near this hole can get out and travel to the next suite to avoid the poison, thereby infecting that next suite. (incorrectly placed at another street location at this site)