Unwelcome visitors: bed bugs, bats and other pests found in federal government buildings

The federal government has solved the housing crisis for a handful of critters, with Public Services and Procurement Canada receiving 256 service calls about the potential presence of pests in buildings across the National Capital Region already this year.

A list from PSPC showed that 26 Crown-owned buildings had some unwelcome visitors between Jan. 1 and March 31.

Pests found in the buildings included mice, bed bugs, bats, ants, a skunk, raccoons and insects like silverfish, drain flies, beetles and sand ants.

“Unfortunately, pests are a nuisance commonly faced in commercial real estate, which can be concerning to building occupants,” PSPC spokesperson Alexandre Baillairgé-charbonneau said. “The number of service calls related to pests can fluctuate depending on levels of occupancy in the building, weather, food sources and other factors.”

The most pest-friendly building in the region has been the C.D. Howe Building on Sparks Street. The presence of mice there has been confirmed 14 times this year, with the presence of insects confirmed once. Treatments included installing mouse traps, with PSPC noting in once instance that calls for mice were mainly attributed to a garage repair project that “disrupted” the mice.

Several other government structures in the capital region have also been entered by mice in recent months, including the Lester B. Pearson Building A, the Exhibition Commission Office, the Sir William Logan Building and the Geomatics Canada Building.

In addition to mice, bats were discovered in offices of the Geomatics Canada Building on Booth Street three times since January; captured by pest control, they were released off site. PSPC said bat houses had been installed on the building’s roof to “provide an alternative” for the creatures.

Baillairgé-charbonneau said integrated pest management programs were incorporated into building operations and all reports of pests were taken “very seriously and promptly investigated.”

The spokesperson also said that, when pests were reported, an investigation was initiated and pest control professionals were hired to advise on treatment options.