Montreal launches campaign to fight bedbugs

The city of Montreal has launched a new campaign against bedbugs, coinciding with moving season when the bugs tend to spread more easily.

Thousands of people across Quebec move on July 1 because it is the official end date for rental leases.

This year, the city is urging people to take precautions to ensure they are not spreading pests when discarding old furniture or bedding.

City councillor Alain Tassé said infestations spread easily and that moving day can make things worse.

"Bedbugs could travel on people, bedbugs could travel in a moving truck. So it is recommended to be as careful as possible," he said.

The city suggests using a knife to slash old mattresses when throwing them out, so others don't take them from the curb. After that, the mattresses should be placed in large plastic bags provided by the city.

Pest control worker Pierre St. Louis said moving vans can cause pest problems too.

"A good prevention could be to pass the vacuum in the empty truck before you store your storage," he said. "It's going to really prevent... bed bugs."

On top of that, the city suggests placing bedding, furniture and clothing in plastic bags before putting them in a moving truck.

The Quebec Landlord Association said preventing the spread of bedbugs is something all tenants need to take responsibility for. Spokesperson Hans Brouillette said the insects can easily spread between apartments.

"You can clean the apartment and do all you can to exterminate all the bedbugs but the problem will come over again if tenants do not collaborate," he said.

If you suspect you have bedbugs in your apartment, the city says to contact your landlord immediately to arrange for a certified exterminator to come in.