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A competent exterminator starts with an inspection to identify the pest and find out how it is getting in, then combines prevention, sealing, monitoring and targeted treatment. Pesticides are only one tool, and the people who apply them commercially need a provincial licence or certificate. Wildlife is a separate matter, handled under provincial wildlife rules that call for humane treatment.
This page covers the pests most often found in Canadian homes, how integrated pest management differs from routine spraying, what Health Canada recommends for bed bugs, the pesticide and wildlife rules in Ontario and Quebec, how to prepare your home for a treatment and what follow-up visits should include.
Common household pests in Canada: rodents, insects and wildlife
Correct identification comes first, because each pest calls for a different approach. These are the ones exterminators see often in Canadian homes, along with the clues they leave behind.
- Mice and rats: droppings along walls and in cupboards, gnawed packaging and scratching in walls or ceilings at night. Health Canada notes that mice can squeeze through a crack the size of a dime and rats through a hole the size of a quarter.
- Ants: trails leading to food and water in spring and summer; carpenter ants also leave small piles of wood shavings, a sign they are nesting in damp or damaged wood.
- Cockroaches: often found in multi-unit buildings, where they hide near kitchens and bathrooms and travel between units through walls and pipe chases.
- Bed bugs: small, flat, brownish insects that hide in mattress seams, bed frames and furniture near the bed, leaving bites, tiny blood spots and dark stains.
- Wasps: papery nests under eaves, in sheds, inside wall cavities or in the ground, which grow larger and busier as summer goes on.
- Wildlife: raccoons and squirrels in attics, chimneys, soffits and under decks, often given away by noise overhead, torn vent covers or chewed roof edges.
Integrated pest management vs routine spraying
Health Canada describes proper pest management as a coordinated approach: monitoring the number and types of pests in and around your home and using control techniques that don't always rely on a pesticide. Spraying on a fixed schedule whether or not pests are present does the opposite, exposing your household to products it may not need while often missing the reason the pests came in. Integrated pest management rests on four steps.
- Prevention: removing what attracts pests, such as food left out, garbage without a tight lid, clutter, leaks and damp wood.
- Exclusion: sealing gaps around pipes, vents, doors and the foundation, with materials rodents can't chew through, such as metal weatherstripping and fine metal mesh.
- Monitoring: traps placed along walls and checked on each visit to confirm which pest is present, where it is active and whether numbers are falling.
- Targeted treatment: when a product is needed, a registered one applied where the pests live, in bait stations or cracks and crevices, rather than across whole rooms.
Bed bug treatment: what Health Canada recommends
Bed bugs are hard to eliminate on your own. Health Canada strongly recommends hiring a licensed professional pest control operator if you have them, and stresses that any treatment works only when physical control methods and prevention are used along with it. Professionals may use registered insecticides, steam or heat; Health Canada notes that bed bugs die at 50°C.
Your part matters as much as theirs. Health Canada advises washing clothes and bedding in hot water and drying them on the hottest setting, vacuuming often, including mattresses, bed frames and baseboards, and sealing the vacuum bag in plastic before throwing it out. Cleaned items should stay in sealed plastic bags or bins with tight lids until the problem is over. Inspect second-hand furniture carefully before bringing it home, and never buy a product without a Pest Control Product (PCP) registration number: unregistered pesticides are illegal in Canada.
Pesticide licences and wildlife rules for exterminators in Ontario and Quebec
Health Canada registers pest control products and notes that some provinces and territories require training and licensing for people who apply them professionally. In Ontario, the Pesticides Act requires a pesticide exterminator licence to apply pesticides commercially on any property that you or your employer don't own or farm, and structural extermination is one of the licence types.
In Quebec, the rules under the Pesticides Act make a certificate mandatory for people who sell or use pesticides in sectors where a permit is required, and application in pest management is one of the certified activities. Wherever you live, ask for the licence or certificate number of the technician who will treat your home.
Wildlife falls under provincial wildlife law rather than pesticide rules. Under Ontario's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, a landowner can have an agent remove an animal that is damaging their property. A wildlife removal business may capture and release the animal but not kill it, must release it within 1 kilometre of where it was caught and within 24 hours, and must treat it humanely. Other provinces, including Quebec, set their own rules, so ask the company how its methods comply where you live.
How to prepare your home for a pest control treatment
The exterminator should give you written preparation instructions for your pest and treatment, and following them closely makes a real difference to the result. They usually include the following steps.
- Clear access to baseboards, cupboards, the space under sinks and the areas where pests have been seen, moving furniture away from the walls if asked.
- For bed bugs, empty dressers and nightstands, bag belongings and launder clothing and bedding as instructed, without carrying items into other rooms where they could spread the problem.
- Put food, dishes, utensils and pet bowls in sealed containers or away from treated areas.
- Plan for children, pets and anyone pregnant or sensitive to stay out of the home for the time the exterminator specifies, and cover or move aquariums.
- Don't clean or vacuum treated surfaces until the exterminator says it's safe, since that can remove the product before it works.
- Tell the technician about recent pesticide use, allergies or breathing problems in the household before the treatment begins.
Follow-up visits and guarantees after pest control
Many infestations aren't solved in a single visit. Insect eggs can hatch after a treatment, rodents keep arriving until every entry point is sealed, and bed bugs often need more than one round. A sound treatment plan spells out how many follow-up visits are included, what each one checks and how progress is measured, usually with monitoring traps or inspections of the same spots.
Ask what the guarantee covers and for how long, what you must do to keep it valid, such as fixing a leak or storing garbage properly, and whether it covers the pest returning or only the areas treated. With wildlife, the follow-up should confirm the animal has left, with no young left behind, before the entry point is sealed for good.
Pest Control: frequently asked questions
How can I tell if I have mice or rats?
Droppings are the most reliable sign, and rat droppings are noticeably larger than mouse droppings. Gnaw marks, greasy rub marks along walls and scratching at night are other clues. Don't sweep or vacuum dry droppings: Health Canada warns that the dust can cause illness and names the deer mouse as the most common carrier of hantavirus.
Can I get rid of bed bugs myself?
Health Canada strongly recommends a licensed professional. Laundering on high heat, vacuuming, reducing clutter and bagging belongings help a lot, but they work alongside a professional treatment, not instead of it. Avoid any product without a registration number on the label.
Can an exterminator remove raccoons or squirrels from my attic?
Many pest control companies also handle wildlife, which falls under provincial wildlife rules. Expect them to check for young before doing anything, use humane methods, and then repair and seal the entry point so the animals can't come back.
How long do I need to stay out of my home after a treatment?
It depends on the product and the method, so follow the exterminator's written instructions and the product label. Ask before the visit so you can make plans for children and pets, and don't return early to clean or air out treated rooms unless you've been told it's safe.
Sources
- Health Canada: Pest control tips
- Health Canada: Pesticides and pest management, frequently asked questions
- Health Canada: Bedbugs, how do I get rid of them?
- Health Canada: Rats and mice
- Ontario: Pesticide licences and permits
- Québec: Certificates for the sale and use of pesticides
- Ontario: Harass, capture or kill a wild animal damaging private property
Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Reviewed by Zubair Afzal on September 10, 2026. How we write and check our guides