Pest control for healthcare and long-term care

Residents of care homes, patients in clinics and the staff who look after them cannot simply move out while a pest problem is dealt with. This page is for administrators, facilities managers and infection-prevention leads at clinics, retirement homes and long-term care homes in Ontario. Our commercial pest control for these sites follows four steps: inspect, identify, treat and follow up, with extra care for people who are vulnerable.

Which pests matter in healthcare settings?

Bed bugs

Bed bugs usually arrive on belongings: a new resident’s luggage, a visitor’s coat, donated furniture or a returning resident’s bag. They are a nuisance and cause bites and sleep loss, and removing them from a shared building takes careful work. See bed bug treatment and our bed bug page.

Mice

Mice look for warmth and food in autumn and winter. They get in through small gaps at doors, utility lines and kitchen storage. Droppings in a care setting are a hygiene concern, so we deal with entry points as well as the mice. See rodent control.

Ants

Sweet foods, spills and crumbs in kitchens, dining rooms and resident rooms draw ants. Treatments can be baits placed out of reach, which suits places where people are frail. See ant control.

Cockroaches

Kitchens, laundry rooms and shared washrooms can support cockroaches, and they move between rooms through pipes and walls. See cockroach control.

What does Ontario require of long-term care homes?

Under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021 and O. Reg. 246/22, section 94, a long-term care home licensee must make sure an organized preventive pest control program is in place. It must use a licensed pest controller, include records of visit dates and the actions taken, and the home must take immediate action to deal with pests. You can read the text at ontario.ca/laws.

This rule applies to long-term care homes. Retirement homes and clinics have their own rules and standards, so check what applies to you.

Why do we favour lower-risk methods?

Frail residents, people with breathing problems and those who spend most of the day in one room are more exposed to anything applied indoors. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) puts prevention and monitoring first. In practice:

• Find and fix the cause first. Sealing gaps, fixing leaks and tightening food storage can remove the reason pests are there.
• Choose targeted treatments. Baits in tamper-resistant stations and spot treatments usually go further than broad spraying.
• Explain the choice. Your team hears what product is planned, where it goes and what residents or patients should avoid, and we follow the label.
• Monitor. Traps and checks show whether a treatment worked.

See the IPM approach for the full method.

How do we work with your team?

Pest control is one part of a bigger infection prevention and control routine, so we plan with you:

1. Inspect. We walk the areas you choose, such as resident rooms, kitchens, laundry and storage, and talk to your staff about what they have noticed.
2. Identify. We confirm the pest, because bites and marks have many causes.
3. Treat. We share the plan with your infection-prevention lead and facilities staff first. Rooms, timing and resident needs are agreed before work begins.
4. Follow up. We return to check results and adjust.

We schedule visits within our working hours. We are not a 24-hour service, so tell us about mealtimes, medication rounds and quiet hours when you request a quote.

What can staff do between visits?

• Check new residents’ bags, clothing and furniture on arrival, and put them somewhere sealed until checked.
• Report bites, specks, droppings or live insects early, with the room number.
• Keep food in sealed containers and clean spills straight away.
• Carry laundry in sealed bags.
• Keep a short log of sightings. Ask us what records help your team.

What to expect when you request a quote

Tell us the type of site, the number of rooms or units, and what you have seen. You get price details or a call-back within 30 minutes of your request. That is the quote time, not the visit time. We then arrange an inspection with you.

For other businesses we serve, see commercial pest control.

Get a free quote

Send the free quote form or call us, and tell us about any sensitive areas, so we can plan a careful first visit.