Pest Control in Surrey, BC: A Practical Homeowner and Renter Guide

Most household pest problems start with food, water and shelter, and most are easier to deal with when you act early. This guide covers common household pests, what the City of Surrey says about who to contact, landlord and tenant responsibilities under BC's tenancy guideline, safe pesticide use, and when to bring in a licensed pro.

This is general information, not legal advice. For a tenancy dispute, contact the Residential Tenancy Branch. If a pest problem is affecting your health, call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 or see your health care provider.

What the City of Surrey says about pests

For rodents on your own property, the City says to contact a wildlife control agency or certified pest management company. Its page suggests getting recommendations from friends, family or coworkers and choosing a company that is humane, environmentally sound and uses modern methods.

Here is who the City directs you to:

• Surrey Animal Control (604-591-4370) only handles domestic (pet) rat and mice issues.
• Surrey Health Protection Office (604-930-5405) is the contact for rodents near restaurants, grocery stores or places with food.
• For rodents on City property, use the City's online Report a Problem tool.
• At its own facilities, the City has eliminated the use of rodenticides and uses mechanical methods such as snap traps and bolt traps.

Common pests

Rats and mice

According to Health Canada, the Norway rat builds tunnels and burrows at ground level and prefers damp areas like crawl spaces or building perimeters, while the roof rat is an agile climber that can infest attics, rafters and upper storeys. Mice can squeeze through cracks as small as a dime, and rats through a quarter-sized hole. The deer mouse may invade buildings near fields and woodlands in the fall and is the most common carrier of the deadly hantavirus. Never sweep or vacuum dry droppings, because the dust that is raised can cause illness.

Signs, according to Health Canada: scampering and scratching sounds in the walls at night, gnawing or chewing, damaged food packages, droppings and urine, and burrows or holes in and around foundation walls. Detailed rodent-specific steps are in our guide on what to do about rats or mice in your home in Surrey.

Ants

Health Canada says adult ants range from about 1 mm to as large as 13 mm. Carpenter ants can cause structural damage to homes because they destroy wood to make room for their nests, and piles of sawdust may mean you have them. Ants bring food back to the nest, so a bait system works slowly enough for the poison to be fed to the whole nest. Health Canada advises keeping baits available for at least two weeks and not using chemical sprays while using a bait system, or the bait will not work.

Wasps and hornets

Health Canada describes "yellow jackets" and "hornets" as measuring 10 to 25 mm. Several thousand people are stung by these insects each year, and unlike bees, wasps can sting more than once. Get medical attention right away if your reaction to a sting includes unusual swelling, itching, dizziness, or shortness of breath.

If the nest does not present a health hazard, Health Canada says it is best to leave it until November or December; once it has been abandoned, you can remove it with little risk. If a nest must be removed while wasps are active, Health Canada says nest removal can be dangerous and professional help is recommended.

Bed bugs

HealthLink BC describes bed bugs as small, wingless insects with flat, oval bodies, one to 10 mm long, that feed on the blood of humans and animals and are most active at night. They are not known to spread disease to humans. Bites typically cause a red bump or flat welt that may be itchy, and some people living in infested homes have reported mental health impacts such as anxiety and insomnia. HealthLink BC lists these signs: bite marks, dark spotting and staining on bedding and other items, and live or dead bed bugs and their molted skin.

Health Canada says bed bugs die at 50 °C. Wash bedding and clothing in hot water and dry on the hottest dryer setting. Items that cannot be washed can be steam cleaned; steam cleaners generally emit steam at 100 °C or higher, and steam only kills the bed bugs it reaches. Freezing small items can work only if 4 days of consistent cold at -19 °C is maintained, and it may not kill all of the bed bugs. Health Canada says bed bugs are very hard to get rid of and strongly recommends hiring a licensed professional pest control operator. It also warns Canadians not to use ozone generators: no ozone-generating devices have been approved for use on bedbugs in Canada.

Cockroaches

Health Canada says the German cockroach is one of the most common household cockroaches in the world. It is about 1.3 cm to 1.6 cm long and tan to light brown, and although it has wings it is unable to fly. People with asthma may react badly to cockroach droppings and body parts. Health Canada says cleaning and pesticides should be used together, because pesticides alone will not be successful. Cleaning steps include storing food in tightly sealed plastic or glass containers, storing garbage in sealed containers, repairing leaky faucets and pipes, and sealing cracks, crevices and pipe openings.

Chafer beetles (a Surrey lawn pest)

The City of Surrey describes the European chafer beetle as an invasive turf pest. The larvae feed heavily on grass roots and create patches of dead and dying turf. Raccoons and crows dig for the larvae, which can leave a mess. The City's page covers lawn care steps and nematode treatment.

Prevention that works

Health Canada says that removing access to food and water is the easiest way to avoid pest problems, and that mice and rats are drawn to easy entry points and cosy nesting sites.

• Seal entry points. Health Canada says the first line of defence against rodents is to get rid of easy entry points: metal weather stripping under doors, patched cracks in foundations, steel wool stuffed around pipes before caulking, and fine mesh metal screening over dryer vents, attic vents and soffits. The City of Surrey says to seal any opening a rat or mouse can get into and to try to block any opening bigger than 1 cm.
• Manage moisture. Health Canada's rodent advice includes eliminating water sources such as leaky taps, sweating pipes and open drains. Cockroaches are attracted to warm, damp conditions.
• Store food in sealed containers. Health Canada says to use sealed glass or plastic, because cockroaches can chew through paper and cardboard.
• Secure garbage. Use containers with tight-fitting lids, and rinse containers before putting them in recycling.
• Reduce clutter. Health Canada says to remove cosy nesting sites in unused clutter and to raise woodpiles about 30 centimetres (1 foot) off the ground, away from your house.
• Check second-hand items. HealthLink BC says to check furniture and bedding you buy from second-hand stores, garage sales or roadside pickup, and not to rely on the word of the seller.

See our guides on basement leaks after heavy rain and stopping condensation and mould if moisture is part of your pest problem.

Landlord vs tenant: who pays?

The BC Residential Tenancy Branch's Policy Guideline 1 (Landlord & Tenant — Responsibility for Residential Premises) says the landlord is responsible for ensuring that rental units and property meet "health, safety and housing standards" established by law and are reasonably suitable for occupation given the nature and location of the property. It says the tenant must maintain "reasonable health, cleanliness and sanitary standards" throughout the rental unit, and is generally required to pay for repairs where damage is caused, deliberately or through neglect, by the tenant or their guest.

On pests specifically, the guideline's property maintenance section says the landlord is generally responsible for major projects, such as tree cutting, pruning and insect control. That line sits in the yard and garden section, and the guideline does not spell out who pays for indoor infestations such as bed bugs or rodents. If you are unsure, ask the Residential Tenancy Branch.

Health Canada's advice for bed bugs is that tenants should tell their landlord right away and speak with a public health officer for help. The Residential Tenancy Branch can be reached at 1-800-665-8779. If you are dealing with retaliation after reporting a pest issue, see our guide on BC eviction notices and how to dispute them.

Safe pesticide use at home

Health Canada says to read the label carefully before buying or using a pesticide and to use it only as directed on the label. Check the label for a Pest Control Products (PCP) registration number. If the product label does not have one, Health Canada says not to buy or use it, because unregistered pesticides are illegal in Canada and their safety and effectiveness have not been reviewed.

The City of Surrey's Pesticide Bylaw says you must not use certain pesticides on City lands or on residential lots in Surrey. It applies to residential properties and affects renters, homeowners and provincially certified pesticide applicators. According to the City:

• You may apply pesticides on residential lands to control pests that have caused an infestation as defined under the bylaw. The bylaw defines infestation as the presence of a pest in numbers or under conditions that involves an immediate risk of damage to property or significant financial loss in respect of the use of property, and a provincially certified pesticide applicator must determine if the pest problem is an infestation.
• You must avoid products containing active ingredients such as 2,4D, mecoprop, dicamba, glyphosate, carbaryl and diazinon. The City notes this is only a partial list.
• Pesticides must be applied by a provincially certified pesticide applicator.
• Most weed and feed products are not permitted because they contain pesticides or herbicides not permitted under the bylaw.
• The bylaw does not apply to agricultural lands, wood lots or golf courses.

For questions about correct pesticide use in Surrey, the City lists 604-501-5050.

When you need a licensed pest control operator

The Province of BC says only a trained and certified person may sell or use most pesticides. A Pesticide Applicator Certificate is required for purchasing or using restricted class pesticides and for using a pesticide whose label says it may only be used by a certificate holder. A Residential Applicator Certificate is required for residents who want to apply domestic-class pesticides on their own private landscapes, including lawns, flower beds, ornamental trees and plants; the ministry provides a free online course and exam that should take approximately two hours. Certification is not required for selling or using a pesticide listed on Schedule 2 of the Integrated Pest Management Regulation, or for residents using a Schedule 5 pesticide on their own private landscapes. Pesticide Applicator and Dispenser exams cost $90 and can be arranged through Service BC at 1-866-205-2102.

Sources recommend a professional in these situations:

• Bed bugs. Health Canada strongly recommends a licensed professional pest control operator, and HealthLink BC advises seeking a qualified pest management professional.
• An active wasp nest that has to be removed. Health Canada says professional help is recommended.
• Rodents on your property. The City of Surrey says to contact a wildlife control agency or certified pest management company.
• Pesticide treatment on a Surrey residential lot. The City says pesticides must be applied by a provincially certified pesticide applicator.

Health Canada says contact information for pest control operators can be found through the Canadian Pest Management Association or your provincial pest management association.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources

• City of Surrey — Rats & Mice
• City of Surrey — Pest Control
• City of Surrey — Pesticides
• City of Surrey — Chafer Beetle
• Province of BC — Pesticides and Pest Management
• Province of BC — Pesticide Certification and Training
• BC Residential Tenancy Branch — Policy Guideline 1 (Responsibility for Residential Premises)
• Province of BC — Residential Tenancies
• Health Canada — Pest Control Tips
• Health Canada — Rats and Mice
• Health Canada — Ants
• Health Canada — Wasps
• Health Canada — Cockroaches
• Health Canada — Bedbugs: How Do I Get Rid of Them?
• HealthLink BC — Bed Bugs

General information only, not professional advice. Rules and prices change, so check the official sources above before you act. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.