From coast to coast, 50 cities recently topped the annual list, and it doesn’t come with anything its residents probably don’t want everyone to know.
Pest control company Orkin has named Chicago No. 1 on its annual list of worst bedbug cities in the country, marking a creepy hat trick for the Windy City over the past three years.
New York and Philadelphia also took the second and third places, respectively. Los Angeles saw the biggest jump this year, moving up seven spots to enter the top five, with Cleveland (#4) and Raleigh (#20) each climbing four spots on the list.
Toledo and Miami showed the most improvement from last year (Toledo dropped seven spots to 38th, and Miami dropped six spots to 45th).
The list is based on treatment data from metro areas that Orkin said had the most bed bug treatments from Dec. 1, 2021, to Nov. 30, 2022.
The rating covers both residential and commercial treatments.
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According to Orkin, the worst bed bug cities in the country
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, DC (-2)
10. Columbus, Ohio (-1)
11. Champaign, Illinois (+2)
12. Grand Rapids, Michigan (-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, North Carolina (+4)
21. Flint, Michigan (+2)
22. San Francisco (-3)
23. Norfolk, Virginia (+2)
24. Greenville, South Carolina (-3)
25. St. Louis (-7)
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26. Richmond, Virginia
27. Youngstown, Ohio (+10)
28. South Bend, Indiana (+5)
29. Buffalo, New York (-1)
30. Knoxville, Tennessee (-1)
31. Cedar Rapids, Iowa (-1)
32. Omaha, Nebraska (-5)
33. Nashville, Tennessee (+1)
34. Dayton, Ohio (-2)
35. Ft. Wayne, Indiana (+1)
36. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (+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, Kentucky (+1)
47. Orlando, Florida (-1)
48. Peoria, Illinois (-3)
49. Louisville, Kentucky (-3)
50. Lincoln, Nebraska
what are bedbugs?
Bed bugs are oval-shaped insects that are about 5 millimeters long as adults. They come out at night and although they can crawl very quickly, they cannot fly. They feed on human blood, which causes itchy bites.
According to Orky, 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 live for several months while waiting for their next blood meal, so they will emerge when a food source, such as humans or animals, is available.
“Bugs are extremely persistent, making them difficult to control. As people begin to increase their travel plans this year, it’s important that they know how to protect themselves through pest identification and proper control,” said Orkin entomologist Ben Hottel. “Contrary to popular belief, bed bugs are visible to the naked eye, but they are excellent at hiding.”
How do you get bed bugs?
Bed bugs can travel quickly and have the ability to cling to furniture and other objects.
Organisms enter the home from places where people sleep for a long time, such as bus seats, airplanes or theater cushions, etc.
They can also enter your home through purses and luggage. Once at home, they can hide in bedroom furniture such as mattresses, box springs, and bed frames.
How to get rid of them at home?
Here’s how to get rid of bed bugs at home, according to WebMD.
- Wash bed towels, clothes, sheets and curtains in hot water. Then put them in the dryer on the hot setting for at least 30 minutes.
- Use a stiff brush on mattress seams to remove bedbugs and their eggs.
- Vacuum your bed and the area around it frequently. Place the vacuum cleaner bag in a plastic bag and put it in the trash can outside.
- Cover your mattress with a bed bug mattress pad. Keep this for at least a year, as bed bugs can live up to a year without feeding.
- Repair cracks in walls or plaster and tape up peeling wallpaper to limit places where bed bugs can hide.
- Get rid of clutter around the bed.
Contributed by Daryl Perry
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at nalund@usatoday.com and follow him on Twitter @nataliealund.