The worst cities for bed bugs is out by Orkin, and it ranks Chicago as No. 1 for a third year in a row.
Others after Chicago include: Detroit, Columbus, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Dallas – Fort Worth, Cincinnati, Denver, Richmond – Petersburg, Dayton, Indianapolis, Houston, Seattle – Tacoma, Washington, District of Columbia – Hagerstown, Milwaukee, San Francisco – Oakland-San Jose, Raleighn – Durham – Fayetteville, New York city, Charleston – Huntington, Grand Rapids – Kalamazoo – Battle Creek, Omaha, Louisville, Nashville, Lexington, Atlanta, Buffalo, Sacramento – Stockton – Modesto, Syracuse, Boston – Manchester, Charlotte, Baltimore, Phoenix – Prescott, Miami – Ft. Lauderdale, Knoxville, Cedar Rapids – Waterloo – Dubuque, Minneapolis – St. Paul, Hartford – New Haven, Champaign – Springfield, San Diego, Lincoln – Hastings – Kearney, Kansas City (Mo.), Honolulu, Albany – Schenectady – Troy, Colorado Springs – Pueblo, Myrtle Beach – Florence, St. Louis, Greenville – Spartanburg – Asheville, Bowling Green, Ft. Wayne, Toledo.
As NBC 5 writes in its article about the worst cities for bed bugs, the list comes out just months after Orkin dubbed Chicago the “rattiest city.”
Orkin entomologist and director of technical services, Ron Harrison, describes these creepy crawlers as “hitchhikers” and are “very difficult to control.”
“Bed bugs are a serious issue across the country, and they’re very difficult to control. Bed bugs are not limited to any level of cleanliness or income, which means they can be found in any home or hotel. They’re great hitchhikers, and people often bring them inside on their clothes or in their luggage.”
Orkin has seen an 18 percent increase in business for the treatment of bed bugs within the last year. More was done nationwide in 2014 to reduce the number of bed bugs.
According to a 2013 report generated by the pest control industry, Americans spent $446 million to eliminate bed bugs. That’s a huge jump from the $70 million spent in 2004. The 2013 report is the most current reading on these statistics.
What can be done to prevent bed bugs? Orkin advises that homes be inspected regularly by checking locations where they hide out when it’s daylight. Those places will be bed sheets, mattresses, furniture, behind baseboards, picture frames, and electrical outlets.
Limiting clutter in the house will assist in making bed bug inspections easier. “Inspect and quarantine” any secondhand furniture before it enters the house.
Also, be sure to thoroughly dry infested bed linens, curtains, and stuffed animals on the highest temperature setting allowed for the fabric.
It’ll be interesting to see if the No. 1 spot for the worst cities for bed bugs will go to a different city next time.
[Image via Huffington Post ]