Bed Bugs can be found in many Toronto homes and commercial sleeping facilities. These creatures can and will bite and the very thought of these blood sucking creatures crawling into your bed at night may make you want to throw out the bed sheets or just move out, but professional extermination is a sufficient solution.

Bed bugs can travel distances and survive in vehicles, suitcases, clothing, aircrafts, and many other modes of transportation. They can also live longer than 1 year without feeding which makes for a very persistent insect. 

The Bed Bug bite is painless, although it causes the skin to become irritated and inflamed. Infestation can also be recognized by blood stains from crushed insects on your sheets or mattresses.

Carpenter ants can cause structural damage to wooden building components and can also spread disease-causing germs. Black or black-with-red in color, these insects measure between 3 and 12 mm (1/8" to 1/2") in length, and reproductive members of their colonies are winged. Swarms of reproductive ants can often be seen in May and June as they migrate to establish new colonies.

Eliminating moisture-collecting areas, as well as isolating wood from direct contact with the soil, will help reduce the risk of carpenter ant infestation.

Centipedes have a pair of poisoning claws behind their head and use the poison to paralyze their prey; usually small insects. However, the jaws of centipedes are weak and can rarely penetrate human skin. The rare individuals who are bitten may experience localized swelling and pain no worse than a bee sting.

When found in homes, they are often discovered in moist basements, damp closets and in bathrooms. Centipedes require moist habitats. If they are abundantly present, there may be an underlying moisture problem that should be corrected, before or after extermination.

The adult cluster fly is slightly larger than the common house fly. Its body is dark gray, nonmetallic, and covered with short golden hairs. The abdomen exhibits light and dark patches of color. When resting, the wings overlap, as opposed to the house fly.

Adult cluster flies are most often found around flowering plants and trees. Also in wall voids and dark corners, under shelving, beneath curtains, and in other concealed areas.

It is important to control cluster flies before they enter buildings in large numbers. Sealing exterior cracks and holes requires a thorough inspection of a structure to pinpoint the entry points. This work should be done in mid-summer.

Once the flies have settled in wall voids and other secluded areas, control becomes difficult to achieve. Furthermore, the risk of additional infestations become present as pests such as beetles and rodents, which feed on dead flies, may cause a secondary infestation. 

While primarily a garden pest, damaging flowers and vegetables, earwigs can become a household nuisance when dry weather drives them indoors in search of moisture. The most common species is the reddish to dark brown-colored European earwig, easily identifiable by forceps-like appendages at the base of the abdomen.

Removal of earwig-inviting debris such as grass cuttings and wood piles will reduce the presence of earwigs on your property.

Fleas are a common household pest, often carried into the home by pets. Feeding off blood, these small, black to brownish-black (1 to 4 mm, or less than 1/6") insects can bite their hosts repeatedly, causing an allergic reaction. Scratching these extremely itchy bites can lead to secondary infections, especially in children.

Treating your dog or cat with a flea shampoo during the summer flea season will help prevent household infestations. However, once fleas are established indoors, more aggressive measures are usually required.

Fleas are known to infest dogs and cats, naturally, but can also jump on and bite other animals and people.

Insecticides are used in area sprays, dips, shampoos, oral and topical preparations, and flea collars. Household extermination is highly recommended for a completely clean slate. 

In contrast to the storybook mouse, mice can damage and spread diseases in real life. They chew through wood and even electrical insulation in pursuit of food bits, so they can be a safety hazard as well.

Evidence of the presence of mice can include holes chewed in food boxes and bags, along with nearby trails of droppings. Sealing the gaps and cracks that they use for access, and keeping food in tightly sealed containers, will help prevent infestations.

Mice are most common when the weather gets cooler as they require warmer areas to nest. They prefer to nest in double walled spaces above ceilings and floors and closed-in areas around counters.

Mice can be hazardous to humans as they contaminate food with their droppings and urine. They also spread such diseases as salmonella. Furthermore, they can carry parasites such as fleas, round worms and mites.

The common name for one of the many winged insects which belongs to the same order as butterflies but are generally duller in color and night-flying.

The caterpillars of these small moths feed on organic fabrics, such as silk and wool; the small adult moths are rarely seen, they do not fly often, and do not come to lights at night.

A common control technique is to simply dry-clean all clothing infested or that can be infested. Spraying pyrethrums in closets may also be effective. Cedar provides no protection or control.  

Indoor infestation of Pharaoh Ants includes many small nests scattered in various rooms. Ants forage year-round; feed on protein food, such as meats, fats, cheese, but also sugar and are common in hospitals and health-care facilities.

The Pharaoh Ant is light brown in color, with dark brown abdomens and two nodes before the abdomen.

Control requires baits, as opposed to bug sprays which will only fragment the small colonies and make infestation worse; baiting may require several months to give control. For fastest results, contact a professional exterminator. 

Rats are known to be very destructive and have been quoted as the most destructive pests known to man. Not only do they carry disease and contaminate food, but they can also inflict serious bites to humans. In the same family of rodents as mice, rats are similarly most active under the cover of darkness.

Holes chewed in food boxes and bags, along with nearby trails of droppings, are evidence of the presence of rats. Sealing the gaps and cracks that they use for access, and keeping food and refuse in tightly sealed containers, will help prevent infestations. 

Cockroaches are active year-round, even in the cleanest conditions. They are among the most adaptable and hardiest insects to rid. They can be found wherever moisture, food, and shelter are available. Because they tend to travel through a variety of habitats including sewers and refuse, cockroaches are capable of spreading numerous diseases.

These critters can be found typically around sinks, behind stoves and refrigerators, in drains and cracks. They are nocturnal and are attracted to food and shelter and will eat pretty much anything, particularly they are attracted to starch.

By keeping food storage areas clean and dry, and foodstuffs tightly sealed, you can reduce the likelihood of cockroach infestation. However, once present, there is not much you can do to aside from calling a professional exterminator.

Because Spiders feed off harmful and damaging insects, they are considered to be beneficial. However, their webs are a nuisance, and spider bites can be painful to humans.

Controlling spiders begins with reducing their food supply: proper sanitation and control of other insect species will eliminate most spider problems. Vacuuming and sweeping on a regular basis of infrequently used spaces such as storage areas, and attics will also help.

Along with all other pests, calling a professional for a complete home extermination will solve the infestation problem outright and give a completely clean slate to your household or industrial facility.