Cockroaches a growing pest in Saskatoon

David Wilson, owner of Kreepy Kritterz Pest Control, holds a sample of the kind of cockroach found in Saskatoon apartments.

A Saskatoon mother-to-be is scared to sleep in her own home thanks to an infestation of cockroaches.

“I’ve been sleeping at my moms,” Shannon, who didn’t want to share her last name out of fear of damaging her rental reputation, said standing in her apartment in Caswell Mannor.

The expectant mom signed the lease to the apartment with her boyfriend, hoping for a place their new family could call home, but bugs in the cupboards have forced her out. "We're just keeping all our food and our clean dishes over here,” she said, pointing away from the kitchen.

Shannon said she contacted the property owner, Calgary-based Avenue Living, repeatedly about the cockroaches, but eventually, they stopped answering her calls.

Other residents in the building said exterminators have been seen over the last few days laying traps and powder, but the bugs are still in the building. “No one ever gave me notice about that. If the exterminator came here, they must’ve had their own key,” Shannon said.

According to one exterminator, Saskatoon has seen an increase in cockroach calls in recent years.

“In 2011 I did approximately five treatments, give or take,” said David Wilson, owner of Kreepy Kritterz Pest Control. This year, Wilson said they’re pushing the 500 mark.

Wilson said the problem isn’t isolated to one area, and that it could happen in any building. “All apartments do have some form of pests, and with cockroaches, it’s growing in the city,” he said.

In a statement sent to CTV, Avenue Living said:

“Any identified concerns such as pest control that require multiple treatments are dealt with in the most expeditious way possible. The subject property was treated in its entirety demonstrating our intent to be proactive and reduce any possible inconvenience to our unaffected tenants.”

As for Shannon, she said she’ll continue to stay with her mother while she looks for a new, roach-free, apartment.