Tori Sutton
Staff Reporter

They’re tiny, creepy, crawly, and are likely to give just about anyone the heebie-jeebies.

Bedbugs may be only the size of an apple seed, but are making a big impact in communities around the world as numbers of reported infestations continue to rise.

While Toronto residents are battling the bug – and the city is busy planning a summit on the insects, set to take place this fall – Stratford seems to have been relatively spared ... so far.

Actual numbers are hard to gauge since many are ashamed to admit to finding bedbugs in their homes, thanks to a stigma that associates the insects with poverty or uncleanliness.

But that isn’t the case – bedbugs have been found in posh hotels,  million dollar mansions, high-end clothing stores and movie theatres.

The Perth District Health Unit has received few inquiries about bedbugs, leading its staff to conclude it isn’t a major issue in this area.

In 2009, the agency had six bedbug related inquiries, and so far this year there have been three calls to its health line, which is manned by public health nurses.

“Based on those low numbers, we don’t have much of a concern in this area,” said Chera Longston, PDHU communications manager.

Those calls weren’t confirmed reports of bedbugs, but questions from those seeking more information.

“Often people call just to ask about what they should be looking for, or maybe they saw something they were suspicious about,” Longston added.

To date, there has only been one confirmed infestation in public housing in the city. It was reported to the social services department about six months ago.

The family living in the townhome had recently moved to the city from the GTA, and officials hope the bedbugs “hitchhiked” here with them.

“We did a full treatment of the unit,” explained social services director Bill Tigert. “The family had to get rid of all of their possessions.”

Tigert said it cost “a fair amount of money” for a pest control company to treat the infestation.

Bedbugs are difficult to eradicate, but Tigert is hopeful they were killed off before they got a foothold and started to spread to other units.

“It’s been over two months since we solved the problem and there haven’t been any further complaints so we’re hoping that it’s been looked after,” he said.

Tigert has been following the news and has his fingers crossed that bedbug infestation doesn’t become prevalent in the area because of the cost to deal with them.

And it also impacts those forced to live with them, though they aren’t known to transmit disease to humans. However, some people are allergic to the bites and suffer severe reactions.

“It’s a very stressful time for the family involved too,” he said.

It can be stressful for business owners as well, and the presidents of two local hospitality associations are pleased to report they’ve had no reported problems.

“Nobody has talked about it and it hasn’t even been on the table as a concern,” Conroy Schelhaas, president of the Stratford and Area Hotel Motel Association, told the Gazette.

“There has not been one complaint or mention of it from anyone travelling here. It’s good news.”

He often checks rooms for the bugs at the Forest Motel, which he owns, but has never spotted anything suspicious.

If the pests did spring up at any of the local hotels or motels, it would be the individual establishment’s responsibility to control the problem.

“They would have to take care of it,” Schelhaas said.

It’s a similar story for the Stratford and Area Bed and Breakfast Association.

President Ray Hopkins said it would be “premature” to discuss the issue with members.

“It’s one of those things that I don’t think we can do a lot beforehand,” Hopkins said. “I haven’t heard of anyone having a problem at this point, that’s why we as an association really haven’t taken any steps.

“We haven’t done anything because there’s nothing to do at the moment.”