By Stephanie Froese

Stronger bugs, possible reason for more sightings

Feb 8, 2011 | 12:06 PM

It seems like a never-ending saga of bedbug cases in the province.

One of the latest discoveries was at the YWCA Our House in Prince Albert where a small case of the pests have been found.

An employee with Our House said the effected rooms had to be cleaned, but Our House is expected to be back to normal today.

Donna Brooks, Executive Director for the Prince Albert YWCA said its nothing to panic about, but they do see bedbugs about four times a year.

If they can isolate them to one room then they spray it down. If the bugs are not isolated to the one room then Brooks said they have to evacuate for several hours while they fumigate the building which costs them about $100 each time.

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Prince Albert has seen a number of bedbug cases since the fall but what many people are calling a bedbug problem, may be something a little different.

An actual bedbug is traditionally moved around by humans, but Robert Rendall, an entomologist and retired University of Saskatchewan professor, said there are actually different versions of the insect.

Bat and bird bugs heavily infest places where bats and birds make homes every year like nooks in people’s homes. When the animals leave those nests, like they do in Saskatchewan winters, these versions of the bed bugs then need to find something to feed off of.

“The different kinds of the bedbugs have all been isolated in the past so they have survived with different adaptations,” Rendall said.

Rendall said one theory is that the different kinds of bugs have started crossing, making them more vigorous.

Rendall said that could be why there is a little more difficulty controlling the bugs lately.

With any insect problem like this Rendall said the problem needs to be fixed in an ecological way.

“Get rid of their source of food. You have to get rid of the source of moisture and get rid of their place to live.”

He said people should make sure there is no way for birds and bats to get into a building because that would help prevent those streams of bedbugs from thriving there.

He added people can’t rely on persistent poisons to get rid of the bugs because of the effect they have on humans.

sfroese@panow.com