First the good news.
No place in Alabama made it onto a recent list of the 50 cities with the biggest bed bug problems.
Now the bad news.
Many of the country’s most popular tourist destinations — including places like New York, Atlanta, and Orlando — are performing.
Pest control company Orkin released its bed bug list based on data from the metro areas where the company performed the most bed bug treatments from December 1, 2021 to November 30, 2022. The ranking includes both private and commercial treatments.
The Windy City has established itself as the #1 city on the list of Orkin’s 50 Best Bed Bug Cities for the third year running. Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia hold the top three spots, taking first, second, and third place, respectively. Los Angeles made the biggest jump that year, moving up seven spots into the top five, with Cleveland (#4) and Raleigh (#20) each moving up four spots on the list.
Here are your top 50 cities for bed bugs. The numbers next to the city names reflect the change from last year’s list:
1.Chicago
2. New York (+1)
3. Philly (-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, OH (-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, WV (+3)
20. Raleigh-Durham (+4)
21. Flintstone, MI (+2)
22. San Francisco (-3)
23. Norfolk, Va. (+2)
24. Greenville, SC (-3)
25. St.Louis (-7)
26. Richmond, Va
27. Youngstown (+10)
28. South Bend, IN (+5)
29. Buffalo, New York (-1)
30. Knoxville (-1)
31. Cedar Rapids, IA (-1)
32. Omaha, New Zealand (-5)
33. Nashville (+1)
34. Dayton, Ohio (-2)
35. ft. Wayne, IN (+1)
36. Harrisburg (+6)
37. Davenport (-2)
38. Toledo (-7)
39.Seattle (+5)
40. Milwaukee (-2)
41.Tampa (-1)
42. Lansing, MI (+6)
43. Greensboro, NC
44. Houston (-3)
45. Miami (-6)
46. Lexington, Ky. (+1)
47. Orlando (-1)
48. Peoria (-3)
49.Louisville, Kentucky (-3)
50.Lincoln, Ne
What you should know about bed bugs
Typically bed bugs are 3/16 inch long, red to dark brown in color and are mostly nocturnal insects that come out of hiding to take blood meals from sleeping humans. You can easily travel from place to place and hold on to items like luggage, purses, and other personal belongings.
Bed bugs are known for their rapid population growth and females can lay one to five eggs per day and can lay 200 to 500 eggs in their lifetime. They can survive for several months while awaiting their next blood meal, so they’re likely to emerge when a food source, such as a food source, becomes available. B. humans or animals, becomes available.
How to prevent bed bugs
Home:
- Check your home regularly for signs of bed bugs. Check spots where bed bugs hide during the day, including mattress labels and seams, and behind baseboards, headboards, electrical outlets, and picture frames. Check when moving in, after a trip, when a service employee visits or after guests have stayed overnight.
- Reduce the clutter in your home, making it easier for you to spot bed bugs yourself or during professional inspections.
- Examine all used furniture before bringing it into your home.
While traveling, remember the acronym SLEEP to check for bed bugs:
- Check the hotel room for signs of an infestation. Look for tiny, inky stains on mattress seams, in upholstery, and behind headboards.
- Lift up and look inside bed bug hideouts: mattresses, box springs and other furniture, as well as behind baseboards, pictures and even torn wallpaper.
- Lift the luggage away from the bed and the wall. The safest places are in the bathroom or on countertops.
- Examine your luggage carefully when repacking and when returning home from a trip. Always keep luggage away from the bed.
- After you return home, place any dryer-safe items in your luggage in the dryer on the highest setting for at least 30-45 minutes.
