Updated: Wed Mar. 19 2008 17:25:44

ctvbc.ca

Bill McLeod's body is covered with bites. It's bedbugs -- and they're crawling all over his apartment building.

His home -- in a B.C. Housing complex in Surrey -- has been sprayed nine times to deal with a stubborn bedbug infestation. But the pests aren't going anywhere.

"I can't sleep like this," McLeod told CTV News. "I'm up until three in the morning. I have to leave all my lights on.

"It's eating people alive," he said.

The crawling, tiny parasitic insects hide in crevices during the day and then at night feed on human blood.

They're a growing problem in Vancouver, as CTV News has previously reported -- and for some people they're not going away, no matter how hard they try.

• Related: Tips on dealing with bedbugs
• Related: Look for your own building on the Bedbug Registry
• Related: The Bedbug Resource

Most of the tenants in McLeod's building, Kuehn Tower, are older and on a disability pension.

McLeod has had cancer twice, a heart attack once, and the stress means he's worried something else bad could happen.

He's lived there 11 years, and doesn't want to leave.

B.C. Housing says it's spent tens of thousands of dollars on pest control companies, and has a rigorous and comprehensive plan to eradicate the pests.

And it's a major problem for people in low-income housing who may have other barriers such as mental illness that make it harder for them to deal with the problems.

Last year, an inspection of over 3,000 flophouses in Vancouver found 80 per cent of them had bedbugs.

The study's authors said that many of the measures that have to be taken to fight bedbugs -- including washing clothing, standing mattresses on end, and removing electrical covers -- are beyond the ability of some tenants.

For McLeod, he's hoping something can be done for him.

"I'm just trying to stand up for a lot of these people, plus my stuff," he said. "Nine times is a lot of times to be sprayed and kicked out, don't you think?"

Please Add Comments(2)

henry lorteau
This is what happens when people who own building don't listen to tenants concerns about health a safety,when it come to cleaning the common areas with the proper cleaning supplies that would help prevent the spread as my common area is discusting also and i am lucky that we have not caught it yet.

Jake
To respond to the first comment:

Bed bugs are not a disease, you don't catch them. They also have absolutely nothing to do with a person's cleanliness.

I would be willing to bet the tenants' rooms were full of clutter. How is a pest control person suppose to eradicate a problem when people do not follow their recommendations?