Finding your hometown on a list of the worst cities for bed bugs can make every itch at night feel like proof. In Canada, that list comes from a single pest control company, Orkin Canada, and its latest edition puts Toronto first for the seventh year in a row, with the whole top 5 in Ontario.
A high rank does not mean your building has bed bugs. It means one company treated bed bugs often in that city, and the full ranking shows where those treatments clustered from coast to coast.
What Are the Worst Cities for Bed Bugs in Canada?
The worst cities for bed bugs in Canada, according to Orkin Canada's latest Top 25 Bed Bug Cities list, are Toronto, Sudbury, Oshawa, Hamilton and Ottawa. Orkin Canada, a pest control company owned by Rollins, Inc., released the list in 2024. It ranks cities by bed bug treatments carried out in 2023, and no newer Canadian edition had been published as of October 2026.
The Top 10 Bed Bug Cities
The top 10 bed bug cities on Orkin Canada's list are:
- Toronto, Ont.
- Sudbury, Ont.
- Oshawa, Ont.
- Hamilton, Ont.
- Ottawa, Ont.
- Vancouver, B.C.
- Winnipeg, Man.
- St. John's, N.L.
- Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
- Scarborough, Ont.
Cities Ranked 11 to 25
Cities ranked 11 to 25 stretch the list from British Columbia to Nova Scotia:
- 11. Calgary, Alta.
- 12. Edmonton, Alta.
- 13. London, Ont.
- 14. Montreal, Que.
- 15. Timmins, Ont.
- 16. Windsor, Ont.
- 17. North York, Ont.
- 18. Moncton, N.B.
- 19. Halifax, N.S.
- 20. Etobicoke, Ont.
- 21. Mississauga, Ont.
- 22. Niagara Falls, Ont.
- 23. Prince George, B.C.
- 24. Peterborough, Ont.
- 25. Saskatoon, Sask.
How the Ranking Is Calculated
The ranking counts bed bug treatments, not bed bugs. Orkin Canada says it ranked each city by "the number of bed bug treatments the company performed from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023", and that number includes both residential and commercial treatments. The release appears to give ranks only. With no treatment numbers published, you cannot tell how far apart first and 25th place really are.
Which Canadian City Has the Most Bed Bugs?
Toronto is first on Orkin Canada's list, reportedly for the seventh year in a row. Three parts of the City of Toronto also appear on their own: Scarborough in 10th place, North York in 17th and Etobicoke in 20th.
Toronto's Seventh Year at the Top
Toronto's seventh straight year at the top comes with no published treatment count, only the rank. The Toronto census metropolitan area is also the largest in Canada, according to Statistics Canada's 2021 Census, so more homes and businesses can book a treatment there than anywhere else. Reasons often repeated online, such as apartment turnover or international travel, have no source that ties them to Toronto's rank in particular.
Ontario's Share of the List
Ontario holds 15 of the 25 places, including the whole top 5 and 7 of the top 10. Every other province on the list has one or two cities:
- Alberta: Calgary and Edmonton
- British Columbia: Vancouver and Prince George
- Manitoba: Winnipeg
- Saskatchewan: Saskatoon
- Quebec: Montreal
- New Brunswick: Moncton
- Nova Scotia: Halifax
- Newfoundland and Labrador: St. John's
Prince Edward Island and the three territories appear to have no city on the list.
How Has the Bed Bug Cities Ranking Changed?
The bed bug cities ranking shifted between the 2022 and 2023 lists, most visibly at the top, where Vancouver reportedly fell from second to sixth. Sudbury rose to second and Oshawa to third, according to Orkin Canada's release.
The Pest Agent map in this section plots the earlier ranking, based on 2022 treatments, so Vancouver still appears second on it.
Cities That Moved Up
Cities that moved up between the two lists include:
- Calgary: 19th to 11th, possibly the biggest jump on the list
- Hamilton: 10th to 4th
- Halifax: 25th to 19th
- Winnipeg: 11th to 7th
- Edmonton: 14th to 12th
- St. John's: 9th to 8th
Cities That Moved Down
Cities that reportedly moved down include Vancouver (2nd to 6th), Scarborough (6th to 10th) and London (8th to 13th). Smaller drops hit Sault Ste. Marie (7th to 9th), Montreal (12th to 14th), Windsor (13th to 16th) and Moncton (16th to 18th). A lower rank only means Orkin Canada treated bed bugs less often there compared with other cities, not that the city got rid of them.
Cities That Joined or Left the List
Three cities reportedly joined the 2023 list: Niagara Falls (22nd), Peterborough (24th) and Saskatoon (25th). Whitby, Regina and Brampton, reportedly ranked 21st, 23rd and 24th on the 2022 list, dropped out. With Regina gone, Saskatoon is now Saskatchewan's only city in the top 25.
Is There a Newer List?
A newer Canadian list had not been published as of October 2026, and Orkin Canada's site has no 2024 or 2025 edition. Orkin's American rankings, which reportedly put Chicago first in 2025, cover US metro areas only and say nothing about Canadian cities.
Why Do Some Canadian Cities Have More Bed Bug Infestations?
Bed bug infestations in Canada concentrate where many people, belongings and shared walls meet. Health Canada notes that bed bugs "are easily moved from room to room on infested objects", and the University of Kentucky puts it simply: "wherever there are people there can be bed bugs." Cities often pack homes, hotels, shelters, student residences and transit into a small area.
Apartment Buildings
Apartment buildings let one bed bug infestation turn into several. Once inside, bed bugs "can crawl from room to room, or floor to floor via cracks and openings in walls, floors and ceilings", according to the University of Kentucky. UF/IFAS Extension adds that established bed bugs spread to adjacent units in multi-family housing, which is why bed bugs travelling between apartments are a common city problem.
Tenant Turnover
Tenant turnover keeps bringing new furniture, boxes and bags into the same rooms. The University of Kentucky calls this "a particular problem for hotels and apartments, where turnover of occupants is constant." In multi-occupancy buildings, the same source adds, neglected infestations are also more likely to spread to other units.
Travel
Travel moves bed bugs from one city to the next. The bugs are "efficient hitchhikers" carried on luggage, clothing, furniture and belongings (University of Kentucky), and HealthLink BC lists backpacks and books among their possible rides. When the list came out, Orkin Canada entomologist Dr. Alice Sinia warned that, with travel back to pre-pandemic levels, Canadians "should be on guard for bed bugs." A suitcase is the classic example of how bed bugs spread between buildings.
Second-Hand Furniture
Second-hand furniture is an easy way for bed bugs to move into a new home. Health Canada advises: "Be very cautious with second-hand or refurbished items." Mattresses and sofas left at the curb are a particular risk, and the University of Kentucky advises against bringing discarded ones indoors.
Does Cleanliness Matter?
Cleanliness does not decide whether a home gets bed bugs. Bed bugs feed only on blood, so a clean home can be infested (University of Kentucky). A city's rank says nothing about how tidy its residents are, a myth covered in our article on whether you can get bed bugs if your house is clean.
How Reliable Are Bed Bug City Rankings?
Bed bug city rankings are a useful signal but not a census: the Orkin list counts one company's treatments, not infestations. No government agency appears to publish a national figure to check it against.
One Company's Treatment Count
One company's treatment count reflects where that company works and how often its customers call it. A city where other pest control companies handle most cases can rank lower than its real bed bug problem, and a city where Orkin Canada has many customers can rank higher. Residential and commercial jobs are also mixed in the same total.
Suburbs Counted Separately
Suburbs and districts are counted separately because Orkin Canada sorts treatments by address. The company told CTV News Toronto that it uses the "service address and postal code to define which city/area the customer is located in", which is likely why Scarborough, North York and Etobicoke appear apart from Toronto. Grouped together, those areas would only add to Toronto's total.
Population Is Not the Explanation
Population does not explain the order of the list. Greater Sudbury ranks second, while Montreal, Canada's second largest metropolitan area, ranks 14th (Statistics Canada, 2021 Census). The ranking follows Orkin Canada's workload in each city, which is not the same thing as a city's size or its true infestation rate.
Montreal's Public Bed Bug Data
Montreal's public bed bug data is a rare city-run count. Under by-law 03-096, exterminators must declare each bed bug extermination in Montreal, and the City has published these declarations as open data. The file held more than 52,000 declarations by July 2026, with a peak in 2013 and fewer in 2023.
The City warns that the data has a low degree of reliability, since pest managers enter it and the City does not validate it. Lower recent counts should not be read as a trend.
No National Count
A national count of bed bug infestations was not found from Health Canada or Statistics Canada. Any claim that bed bugs are rising or falling across the country rests on company data such as Orkin Canada's list.
What Should You Do If You Live in a Top Bed Bug City?
Living in a top bed bug city calls for early checks rather than worry, since a rank describes a whole city and not your building. The same habits work in Toronto, Sudbury or Saskatoon.
Check Your Bed Regularly
Checking your bed regularly means looking along the mattress seams, the box spring, the headboard and the bed frame. Health Canada also names commercially available bed leg interceptors as one way to detect bed bugs. If you find a bug and are not sure what it is, the bed bug guides on Pest Agent help you identify it.
Beyond the bed, our guide to where bed bugs hide lists the other spots to check.
Signs of a Large Infestation
A large infestation rarely stays in the bed: bed bugs can crawl from room to room through cracks and openings, and neglected infestations may spread to other units. Our guide to a bed bug infestation shows the signs to look for.
Spread inside a home is covered separately in our article on bed bugs spreading to other rooms.
Travel Precautions
Some travel precautions from Health Canada start before you unpack:
- Inspect the hotel room before you bring your luggage in.
- Keep luggage off the bed: use the luggage rack or a hard surface.
- Check the mattress seams, box spring, headboard and bed frame.
- Back home, wash all clothing and fabric items in hot water, worn or not.
- Dry items that cannot be washed on the highest dryer heat for 30 minutes.
- Vacuum your luggage and seal the vacuum bag in a garbage bag.
Second-Hand Items
Second-hand items need a close look before they come inside, whatever the seller says. HealthLink BC advises checking furniture and bedding from stores, garage sales and roadside pickup instead of relying on the seller's word.
Tell Your Landlord
Telling your landlord right away is the first step for renters, and the rules depend on where you live:
- Quebec: tenants must inform the owner immediately, and the owner must promptly contact an extermination company.
- Manitoba: landlords are generally responsible for the costs of pest control treatment, and tenants should cooperate with the landlord's plan.
- British Columbia: landlords are generally responsible for arranging and paying for treatment, according to the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre, a tenant group.
- Montreal: the City asks tenants not to try to solve the problem on their own and to contact 311 if the landlord does not act.
Other cases are covered in our guide on whether the landlord is responsible for bed bugs.
Call a Licensed Professional
A licensed professional is the route Health Canada recommends: "it is strongly recommended that you hire a licensed professional pest control operator." Any pesticide should be registered by Health Canada and used only as directed on the label. Quebec also warns that insecticides can be unsafe if misused and may increase bed bug resistance. Before hiring, go through these questions to ask a bed bug exterminator.
If you want help, you can get a quote from a recommended local exterminator through Pest Agent's referral form.
Frequently asked questions
Are bed bugs common in Canada?
Bed bugs are found across Canada, in homes, hotels, student residences and shelters. No national count appears to exist, so nobody can say exactly how common they are. The only national picture comes from company treatment data such as Orkin Canada's city list.
Are bed bugs dangerous to your health?
Health Canada and the US CDC say bed bugs are not known to spread disease, though the CDC notes their bites can rarely cause allergic reactions. The bites can still itch, so it is worth acting as soon as you suspect them.
Can you get bed bugs on buses, trains or taxis?
It is possible but uncommon. Orkin Canada lists taxis, buses, trains and airplanes as places bed bugs can hide, while also noting that finding them on seats is rare. Checking your bags and clothes after a long trip covers this risk too.
Should you avoid travelling to a city on the list?
No. The ranking reflects where one company performed the most treatments, not the risk in any given hotel or home. The same travel precautions apply in every city, ranked or not.
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