Indianapolis ranks in prime 10 of worst cities for mattress bugs

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis has landed in the top ten in an annual list that doesn’t exactly come with bragging rights.

The Circle City came in at No. 7 in Orkin’s Top 50 Bed Bug Cities List, an improvement on its No. 6 rank last year.

Chicago, New York and Philadelphia are the top 3 cities, with Chicago claiming the top spot for the third year in a row.

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South Bend (#28) and Fort Wayne (#35) are the other Indiana cities to make the list.

Orkin ranks cities based on metropolitan areas that have the most residential and commercial bed bug treatments from December 1, 2021 to November 30, 2022.

The company described bed bugs as “primarily nocturnal insects that come out of hiding to take blood meals from sleeping people.” Typically they are red to dark brown and 3/16 inch long. Bed bugs can easily move from one place to another by attaching themselves to clothing, luggage, and other personal items.

“Cabs, buses, and airplanes are also common hideouts for bed bugs, giving these pests a chance to ride along with unsuspecting travelers,” said Orkin entomologist Ben Hottel.

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If you’re traveling in 2023, Orkin recommends you remember the acronym SLEEP to identify bed bugs and prevent them from returning to your home:

• SSearch the hotel room for signs of an infestation. Look for tiny, inky stains on mattress seams, in soft furniture, and behind headboards.
• LCheck inside bed bug hideouts: mattresses, box springs, and other furniture, as well as behind baseboards, pictures, and even torn wallpaper.
• ELift the luggage away from the bed and the wall. The safest places are in the bathroom or on countertops.
• EExamine your luggage carefully when repacking and upon returning from a trip. Always keep luggage away from the bed.
• POn your return, thread all tumble dryables from your luggage into the tumble dryer on high for at least 30-45 minutes.

Another thing that can make bed bugs difficult to combat on your own is how quickly they can reproduce. Orkin states that a female bed bug can lay one to five eggs a day and can lay 200 to 500 eggs in her lifetime.

We have included the top 20 cities on the list. The full list is here: https://www.orkin.com/press-room/2023-top-bed-bug-cities-list.

1. Chicago
2. New York (+1)
3. Philly (-1)
4. Cleveland-Akron, OH (+4)
5. Los Angeles (+7)
6. Detroit (-2)
7. Indianapolis (-1)
8. Baltimore (-3)
9. Washington, D.C. (-2)
10. Columbus, Ohio (-1)
11. Champaign, IL (+2)
12. Grand Rapids, Michigan (-1)
13. Cincinnati (-3)
14. Charlotte (+1)
15. Denver (+2)
16. Atlanta (-2)
17. Dallas-Ft. value (-1)
18. Pittsburgh (+2)
19. Charleston, West Virginia (+3)
20. Raleigh Durham (+4)

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