Background: A Mysterious Wall Sighting Raises Alarm
It started like many bed bug stories do, one small, seemingly isolated sighting. The homeowner of a well kept and clean row house in the GTA noticed a single bed bug crawling along the wall of their home. It wasn’t a major infestation by any means, but they trusted their instincts and called our team for an inspection.
During the call, we asked about the structure of the home. That’s when they mentioned it was a row house, sharing walls with multiple units on both sides. What caught our attention immediately was that the bed bug had been spotted on the shared wall between them and the neighbouring unit. A critical detail that shifted the way we approached the inspection.
Inspection: Something Wasn’t Right
When our entomologist arrived, he conducted a full inspection of the client’s home. From top to bottom, including mattresses, bed frames, couches, baseboards, electrical outlets, and furniture. But, he found no signs of infestation. There were no exoskeletons, fecal spotting, live bed bugs, or clusters of eggs.
But for professionals like us, this lack of evidence didn’t eliminate suspicion. In fact, it raised a bigger red flag. Bed bugs are rarely loners, and when you see one, there’s almost always more nearby. Given that the sighting occurred on a common wall, we strongly suspected the source was next door.
The Real Problem: A Severe Hoarder Infestation
We informed the homeowner that it was highly likely the neighbouring unit had an active bed bug infestation. Until that was addressed, she would probably continue spotting bed bugs, and there was a risk they could spread into her own home. After understanding the situation, she spoke with her neighbour, who agreed to have their home inspected by our team.
What we found next was shocking, even for a team with over 15 years of experience. The neighbouring home was disastrous. Almost every square inch was covered in clutter and trash, hallways were blocked by piles of belongings, furniture was buried under heaps of clothes, and garbage appeared to have gone months without being removed.
The hoarding had created an ideal breeding ground for bed bugs. Dark and undisturbed areas full of material for them to nest in. What we found was nothing short of a massive, full scale bed bug infestation. The insects were literally everywhere. They had burrowed into:
- The baseboards and behind drywall
- Kitchen appliances like the refrigerator, oven, and microwave
- Bathroom fixtures including under sinks and even inside the toilet tank
- Electrical outlets and pot lights in the ceiling
- Inside personal belongings, clothing piles, books, and furniture
The infestation was so bad that we witnessed live bed bugs crawling along walls, under rugs, on chairs, and behind photo frames on the wall. The bed bugs had even created their own path through a wall, making their way into the furnace room, as they were drawn by the consistent heat emitted by the furnace. This provided the perfect warm environment for them to nest and multiply. It was one of the most advanced structural infestations we had ever seen in a residential unit. This infestation did not only affect one house but threatened everyone connected to it.
Immediate Action Required: Cleanup Before Control
Before we could even begin treatment, we made it clear to the hoarding resident: no treatment would be effective without a full cleanup. The level of clutter in the home was preventing us from accessing key hotspots and harborages. We needed to eliminate the bugs’ hiding places.
We provided the homeowner with a detailed guide for preparing the home, which included:
- Bagging and discarding all soft materials beyond salvage
- Removing excess garbage and clutter
- Emptying out kitchen appliances and removing spoiled food
- Washing and drying all washable items on high heat
Only once these steps were completed, could our team return and begin the extensive treatment.
The Treatment Strategy: 3 Days of Intensive Elimination
We scheduled an aggressive, three day treatment strategy that targeted every part of the home using a multi pronged approach. Due to the scale of the infestation, we used:
- High dry steam treatments to penetrate deep into cracks, voids, and furnishings
- Natural dust formulations injected into electrical points and behind wall fixtures
- Mechanical treatment applications around appliances, furniture, and flooring
- Spot monitoring tools like bed bug interceptors
Monitoring and Long Term Prevention
Once treatment was complete, we installed bed bug interceptor traps under furniture legs in both homes and conducted follow ups over several weeks. These devices helped us confirm that no surviving insects remained and also acted as early warning systems in case of reinfestation.
Thankfully, both homes showed zero signs of live activity after three weeks, and our clients reported restful, undisturbed sleep. The cleanup, treatment, and coordinated response had worked.
Lessons Learned: Shared Structures Mean Shared Risk
This case is a powerful example of how multi unit structures like row houses and townhomes can silently share pest problems. You may keep your own unit spotless, but if your neighbour’s home is suffering from an advanced infestation, the pests will eventually make their way into your space.
Bed bugs, especially, are incredibly adept at moving through wall voids, floorboards, light fixtures, electrical conduits, and heating ducts. And in hoarding environments, the infestation becomes even harder to treat and easier to overlook.
Protecting Your Home in Row Houses and Attached Homes
If you live in a row house, duplex, condo, or townhouse, don’t ignore a single bed bug sighting, especially on or near a shared wall. That one bug may be the only visible sign of a much larger problem lurking next door.
At Pest Solution Services, we specialize in treating complex, multi unit bed bug infestations across the Greater Toronto Area, including Brampton, Mississauga, and surrounding cities.
If you have a similar situation contact us today. The longer you wait, the worse it gets.
Last Updated: December 20, 2025.
