From coast to coast, 50 cities recently landed in at the top of an annual list it doesn’t exactly offer something that its residents probably want anyone to know.
In its annual list of the worst bedbug cities across the country, pest control company Orkin ranked Chicago number one. 1 – score a scary hat-trick for the Windy City over the past three years.
New York and Philadelphia also held the top spots, coming in second and third respectively. Los Angeles had the biggest jump this year, moving up seven spots in the top five, with Cleveland (#4) and Raleigh (#20) each moving up four spots in the list.
Toledo and Miami made the most improvements from last year (Toledo fell seven spots to No. 38 and Miami dropped six spots to No. 45).
The list is based on treatment data from metro areas where Orkin said it performed the most bed bug treatments as of Dec. 1. Nov. 1, 2021 to Nov. 30, 2022.
The ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments.
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The worst bedbug cities in the country, according to Orkin
1.Chicago
2.New York (+1)
3.Philadelphia (-1)
4. Cleveland-Akron, Ohio (+4)
5.Los Angeles (+7)
6. Detroit (-2)
7. Indianapolis (-1)
8. Baltimore (-3)
9. Washington, D.C. (-2)
10. Columbus, Ohio (-1)
11. Champagne, Illinois (+2)
12. Grand Rapids, Mich. (-1)
13. Cincinnati (-3)
14. Charlotte, North Carolina (+1)
15.Denver (+2)
16. Atlanta (-2)
17. Dallas-Ft. Value (-1)
18. Pittsburgh (+2)
19. Charleston, West Virginia (+3)
20. Raleigh-Durham, NC (+4)
21. Flint, Michigan (+2)
22. San Francisco (-3)
23. Norfolk, Virginia (+2)
24. Greenville, SC (-3)
25.St. Louis (-7)
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26. Richmond, Virginia
27. Youngstown, Ohio (10+)
28. South Bend, IN (+5)
29. Buffalo, NY (-1)
30. Knoxville, TN (-1)
31. Cedar Rapids, Iowa (-1)
32. Omaha, Nebraska (-5)
33. Nashville, TN (+1)
34. Dayton, Ohio (-2)
35. ft. Wayne, IN (+1)
36. Harrisburg, PA (+6)
37. Davenport, Iowa (-2)
38. Toledo, Ohio (-7)
39.Seattle (+5)
40. Milwaukee (-2)
41. Tampa (-1)
42. Lansing, Michigan (+6)
43. Greensboro, North Carolina
44. Houston (-3)
45. Miami (-6)
46. Lexington, KY (+1)
47. Orlando, FL (-1)
48. Peoria, Ill. (-3)
49. Louisville, Ky. (-3)
50. Lincoln, Nebraska
What are bed bugs?
Bed bugs are oval-shaped insects that are about 5 millimeters long when fully grown. They come out at night and cannot fly, although they can crawl very quickly. They feed on human blood which causes itchy bites.
According to Orkin, they are known for their rapid population growth. Female bed bugs can lay one to five eggs per day and can lay 200 to 500 eggs in their lifetime. They can survive for several months waiting for their next blood meal, so they are likely to emerge when a food source, such as human or animal, becomes available.
Bedbugs are extremely resilient, which makes them difficult to control. As people begin to fast-track their travel plans this year, it’s important they know how to protect themselves through pest identification and proper control,” said Orkin entomologist Ben Hottel. According to popular belief, bedbugs are visible to the naked eye, but are excellent at hiding.
How do you get bed bugs?
Bed bugs can travel fast and have the ability to cling to furniture and other items.
Critters can be brought into the house from places where people sleep for periods of time, such as bus seats, airplanes or theater cushions, etc.
They can also sneak into your home through purses and luggage. Once they are in the house, they can hide in bedroom furniture such as a mattress, box spring, and bed frame.
How to get rid of it at home?
Here is How to get rid of bed bugs at home, according to WebMD.
- Wash sheets, clothes, linens and curtains in hot water. Then put them in the hot dryer for at least 30 minutes.
- To eliminate bed bugs and their eggs, use a stiff brush on the seams of the mattress.
- Vacuum your bed and the area around it often. Place the vacuum bag in a plastic bag and put it in a trash can outside.
- Wrap your mattress in an anti-bedbug mattress cover. Keep it for at least a year, as bed bugs can survive up to a year without feeding.
- Repair cracks in walls or plaster and tape peeling wallpaper to limit where bed bugs can hide.
- Get rid of the clutter around the bed.
Contributor: Daryl Perry
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
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