Questions to Ask a Bed Bug Exterminator Before You Hire in Canada

TL;DR

• Ask first: are you licensed in my province? Get a licence number you can verify, and make sure the person treating your home is licensed, not only the owner.
• Will you inspect before giving a price? Be wary of anyone who quotes a full treatment over the phone without seeing your home.
• Which methods do you use? A good plan uses more than one, since insecticide applications alone will not control bed bugs (UC IPM).
• Which products will you apply? Ask for each product's name and PCP number, and check that bed bugs are listed on the label (Health Canada).
• Ask when your family can return, whether follow-ups and re-treatment are included, and what you must do to keep the guarantee. Get the answers in writing.
• Need help? Get a quote from a recommended local exterminator through Pest Agent's referral form.

The questions to ask a bed bug exterminator decide whether you pay for a treatment that works or for one that has to be redone. Two quotes for the same apartment can describe very different jobs: one company inspects every room before naming a price, another quotes over the phone and plans a single spray.

Health Canada strongly recommends hiring a licensed professional pest control operator for bed bugs, so the real decision is which company to trust. A good one inspects before quoting, combines more than one method, plans follow-up visits and puts the whole plan in writing.

A licence is the first thing to check, and in Canada pesticide licences are issued by each province under its own rules.

What Questions Should You Ask a Bed Bug Exterminator About Credentials?

Credential questions confirm that a bed bug exterminator is legally allowed to apply pesticides in your home and has treated bed bugs before. Ask them on the first phone call, before anyone books an inspection. Pest Agent's guide to hiring a bed bug exterminator explains when a professional is needed in the first place.

Are You Licensed in My Province?

A licensed exterminator should give you a licence number you can verify with your province. Pesticide licensing is provincial in Canada, so the rules depend on where you live:

• Ontario: unless exempt, anyone applying pesticides commercially needs a pesticide exterminator licence (structural extermination is one class), and the business needs an operator licence. You can search licences on the province's Access Environment site, which lists operator licences issued since September 2018.
• Quebec: the company should hold a C5 or D5 extermination permit and its employees a CD5 certificate. You can check both with the search tool of the Registre public de la Loi sur les pesticides (in French).
• Montreal: the city requires the exterminator to complete a declaration form for each bed bug operation.
• British Columbia: the province certifies structural pesticide applicators for pest control in buildings.

In other provinces, ask which licence the company and its technicians hold and check it with the provincial environment ministry. Make sure the person who will actually treat your home is licensed, not only the business owner.

Are You Insured?

An insured company can cover damage to your home or belongings if something goes wrong during treatment. Oklahoma State University Extension puts "Is this business licensed and insured?" first on its list of questions for bed bug companies. Ask for proof of liability insurance in writing.

Do You Belong to a Professional Association?

A professional association membership shows the company follows industry training and standards. Health Canada suggests finding operators through the Canadian Pest Management Association (CPMA) or your provincial pest management association. Members of provincial and regional associations are also members of the CPMA. Membership is not a licence, so ask for both.

How Much Bed Bug Experience Do You Have?

Bed bug experience matters more than general pest control experience. UC IPM recommends a reputable company with experience managing bed bugs, and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gives the same advice. Ask how many bed bug jobs they handle, what training their technicians have and what their usual approach is, as the Utah Department of Health and Human Services suggests.

Can I Call Your References?

References let you hear from people who have been through a bed bug treatment with this company. Oklahoma State University Extension advises asking for references and calling them, and checking online reviews such as the Better Business Bureau. Recent reviews that mention bed bugs specifically tell you more than general ratings.

What Should You Ask About the Bed Bug Inspection?

The bed bug inspection is where a good exterminator confirms the problem before quoting or treating. How the technician handles it shows how carefully the company works.

Will You Inspect Before Giving a Price?

A reputable exterminator inspects your home before giving a price. According to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, a reputable company inspects before quoting or applying any pesticide and bases its quote on what it finds, not on a flat fee. Public Health Seattle and King County adds that the company should confirm bed bugs are present before recommending any treatment. Be wary of anyone who quotes a full treatment over the phone without seeing your home.

Where Did You Find Bed Bugs?

A good technician shows you exactly where bed bugs were found. Oklahoma State University Extension suggests asking the technician to walk through your home with you and point out each spot. The Utah health department also expects a written inspection report. Keep it: it helps you compare companies and check later whether every area was treated.

How Bad Is My Infestation?

The size of the infestation decides how many visits you will need and how much the job will cost. Oklahoma State University Extension notes that any level of bed bug infestation can take more than one visit, and a high level almost always does. Ask the technician to rate your infestation and explain which rooms are involved.

Do You Use Detection Dogs?

Detection dogs can find bed bugs a person may miss, but an alert is not proof on its own. UC IPM advises checking that a canine team has third-party certification and ongoing training, and that any alert is confirmed with a detailed inspection by a trained professional. Ask what happens after the dog alerts and whether that confirmation is included in the price.

How Long Does the Inspection Take?

A thorough bed bug inspection takes time. Public Health Seattle and King County says it can take 1 to 4 hours or more depending on how far the infestation has spread. An inspection of a few minutes, limited to the mattress, is a sign the company is not looking in the other places bed bugs hide.

What Questions Should You Ask About the Treatment Plan?

The treatment plan should combine methods, name the products and set the number of visits. Ask for it in writing after the inspection. To know what the technician does at each visit, read what exterminators do for bed bugs.

Which Treatment Methods Do You Use?

A good bed bug treatment plan uses more than one method. Oklahoma State University Extension notes that heat treatments work well, chemical methods can also be effective, and the two are often used together. UC IPM warns that insecticide applications alone will not control bed bugs, and Public Health Seattle and King County advises avoiding companies that only use chemicals. Ask whether the plan includes heat, steam, vacuuming, encasements or monitoring alongside any insecticide.

Our comparison of heat vs chemical bed bug treatment explains the trade-offs.

Which Products Will You Apply?

Every product applied in your home should be registered in Canada and labelled for bed bugs. Health Canada says not to buy or use any pesticide whose label lacks a PCP registration number. Ask for the name of each product and its PCP number, and check that bed bugs are listed on the label. To learn which active ingredients professionals use, see what chemicals exterminators use for bed bugs.

How Do You Decide Where to Spray?

A careful exterminator sprays only where bed bugs hide. Public Health Seattle and King County says pesticides should not be applied randomly throughout your home, and that companies should be able to explain how they decide where to treat. Spraying every surface, or spraying where no bed bugs were found, is a warning sign.

How Many Visits Will It Take?

Most bed bug treatments take several visits. The EPA says very few infestations are controlled with only one treatment, and the Utah health department tells residents to expect at least two treatment visits and a third follow-up visit. Health Canada notes that bed bug eggs usually hatch in 6 to 17 days, so insecticide visits are spaced out to catch the bugs that hatch after the first one.

Heat treatment is usually a single full-day visit, according to Canadian companies such as Pesticon (commercial), but it is still followed by a check. Our guide on how long bed bug treatment takes covers typical timelines.

Will You Monitor After Treatment?

Monitoring is how you and the company know the treatment worked. Oklahoma State University Extension says many companies set out traps and come back three to four weeks after the first treatment for a follow-up inspection. The EPA expects any company you hire to use integrated pest management, which includes monitoring for bed bugs missed during treatment. UC IPM found that bed leg interceptors caught six times more bed bugs than visual searches alone, so ask whether interceptors are part of the plan.

How Do I Prepare My Home?

Your preparation can decide whether the treatment succeeds. Ask for the company's preparation checklist before treatment day and follow it exactly. Oklahoma State University Extension warns against moving belongings into other rooms or throwing things away before treatment: it can spread bed bugs. Our step-by-step guide on how to prepare for bed bug treatment walks you through it.

What Safety Questions Should You Ask a Bed Bug Exterminator?

Safety questions tell you when your family can return and what was applied in your home. Public Health Seattle and King County says professionals must tell residents about the hazards of the chemicals they use and when treated areas are safe to enter.

When Can We Return Home?

The return time depends on the product and on who lives in your home. Quebec's government gives a useful benchmark: wait at least 6 hours before returning, 12 hours for children and people with respiratory problems or allergies, and 24 hours for babies 0 to 12 months, young children not yet walking and pregnant women. Ask the exterminator for the exact times for your treatment and household, in writing.

Is It Safe for Pets?

Pets must be out of the home during extermination, according to Quebec's guidance, which says everyone and every pet must leave. Ask where pets should go, how long they must stay away, and whether fish tanks, birds or reptiles need special steps.

Can I Get the Product Safety Sheets?

Product safety sheets list the hazards and first-aid steps for each pesticide. Public Health Seattle and King County advises asking for a safety data sheet for each product before treatment, and a professional should be able to confirm the products are registered for bed bugs. A company that refuses to share this information in advance is a red flag.

What Should You Ask About Price and the Guarantee?

Price and guarantee questions make sure the quote covers the whole job, not just the first visit. Prices vary with your home's size, the method and how far bed bugs have spread, so compare what each quote includes, not only the total.

What Is Included in the Price?

A complete quote lists every visit, the methods, the products and any monitoring devices. Oklahoma State University Extension advises asking up front whether the company expects more than one visit and whether all visits are in the first price. Some Canadian companies price per unit treated and others per room.

As one example, a Toronto company lists $250 to $600 per room for conventional treatment and packages from $900 for a whole unit, and states that its prices are examples and can vary (commercial). Our guide to bed bug exterminator cost explains what drives the price.

Are Follow-Up Visits Extra?

Follow-up visits should be part of the plan, not a surprise on the invoice. Some Canadian companies include a follow-up treatment about two weeks after the first one at no extra charge (commercial). Ask whether follow-ups, re-inspections and any re-treatment are included, and how many.

What Does the Guarantee Cover?

A guarantee tells you what happens if bed bugs come back after treatment. Canadian companies advertise terms such as a 90-day warranty on heat treatment or a 100-day pest-free guarantee with free re-treatment (commercial). Ask how long it lasts, whether it covers re-treatment, a refund or both, and which rooms are covered.

What Do You Need From Me to Keep the Guarantee?

Most guarantees come with conditions. Orkin Canada, for example, states that its guarantee requires customers to follow the sanitation and structural recommendations and to allow the follow-up visits (commercial). Ask for the conditions in writing so you do not lose your coverage by skipping a preparation step.

How Do You Choose a Bed Bug Exterminator?

Choosing a bed bug exterminator comes down to comparing several inspected quotes on the same points, not on price alone. Public Health Seattle and King County notes that cost is not always the best reason to hire a company.

Where to Find Companies

Start with companies you can verify. Health Canada suggests the Canadian Pest Management Association or your provincial pest management association, and the Utah health department adds referrals from people you trust. You can also get a quote from a recommended local exterminator through Pest Agent's referral form, then ask about licences, inspection, treatment, safety and guarantees.

Compare Several Quotes

Comparing quotes only works if each company has inspected your home. Both Oklahoma State University Extension and the Utah health department advise interviewing several companies before choosing. Line up the quotes side by side and compare the licence, the methods, the number of visits, the follow-ups and the guarantee.

Red Flags

Red flags suggest a company may waste your money or put your family at risk:

• No licence number, or a licence you cannot verify
• A price over the phone without an inspection
• A flat fee that does not depend on what the inspection found
• A plan that relies on insecticide sprays alone
• Spraying everywhere, including places where no bed bugs were found
• A promise to eliminate bed bugs in a single treatment, which the EPA says is rare
• No product names, PCP numbers or safety information before treatment

Get It in Writing

A written agreement protects you if the treatment does not work. Oklahoma State University Extension advises making a formal agreement and signing a contract once you choose a company. Make sure it lists the inspection findings, the methods and products, the number of visits, your preparation tasks, the return times and the guarantee terms.

If You Rent

If you rent, tell your landlord as soon as you suspect bed bugs. Health Canada advises tenants to inform the landlord right away and says they can speak with a public health officer if needed. In Montreal, the landlord must immediately call a certified exterminator, and you can still ask that company these questions. Our guide on who pays for bed bug extermination explains landlord and tenant duties.

Tenants and homeowners facing a first infestation will find the basics on the bed bug hub, from identification to prevention.