ATLANTA—Washington, D.C. is ringing in the new decade as the number one city on Orkin’s Top 50 Bed Bug Cities list. Meanwhile, Baltimore fell to the second spot after three years as the frontrunner, and Indianapolis joined the top of the list. The list was not broken down by cities with the most problematic hotels.
Flint saw the biggest jump moving 16 spots to number 31 after only joining the list in 2018. Pittsburgh and Champaign both broke into the top 20, and Myrtle Beach and Toledo joined the top 50 list for the first time.
The list is based on treatment data from the metro areas where Orkin performed the most bed bug treatments from December 1, 2018 to November 30, 2019. The ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments.
- Washington, D.C. (+1)
- Baltimore (-1)
- Chicago
- Los Angeles
- Columbus, OH
- New York
- Detroit (+1)
- Cincinnati (-1)
- Indianapolis (+5)
- Atlanta (-1)
- Cleveland, OH
- Philadelphia (-2)
- San Francisco (-1)
- Raleigh, NC (-1)
- Norfolk (+2)
- Champaign, IL (+7)
- Dallas (-2)
- Grand Rapids (+2)
- Pittsburgh (+6)
- Charlotte (-1)
- Richmond, VA (-5)
- Greenville, SC (-4)
- Knoxville, TN (-1)
- Buffalo, NY (-3)
- Greensboro, NC (-4)
- Charleston, WV (+5)
- Denver
- St. Louis (+2)
- Nashville (-5)
- Lansing (+2)
- Flint (+16)
- Miami (-3)
- Milwaukee (-3)
- Tampa (+1)
- Omaha (+2)
- Orlando (+5)
- Davenport, IA (+5)
- Houston (-12)
- Syracuse (-6)
- Boston (-2)
- Cedar Rapids, IA (+3)
- Myrtle Beach (new to list)
- Seattle (-4)
- San Diego (+5)
- Phoenix (-11)
- Fort Wayne, IN (+2)
- Las Vegas (-7)
- Hartford, CT (-5)
- Dayton, OH (-3)
- Toledo, OH (new to list)
“While bed bugs have not been found to transmit any diseases to humans, they can be an elusive threat to households,” said Chelle Hartzer, an Orkin entomologist. “They are excellent hitchhikers, and they reproduce quickly which make it nearly impossible to prevent bed bugs. Sanitation has nothing to do with where you’ll find them.”
Bed bugs, which are typically 4 to 5 mm in length and red to dark brown in color, can travel from place to place with ease, including luggage, purses and other belongings. Normally nocturnal, bed bugs will come out of hiding to take blood meals from sleeping or quietly resting humans.
Bed Bugs Found Often in Hotels/Motels
According to the 2018 “Bugs without Borders Survey” by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), the top three places where pest professionals report finding bed bugs are single-family homes (91 percent), apartments/condominiums (89 percent) and hotels/motels (68 percent). With that, hotels spend an average of $6,383 per bed bug incident.
Bed bugs are known for rapid population growth. Females can deposit one to five eggs a day and may lay 200 to 500 eggs in their lifetime. Under normal room temperatures and with an adequate food supply, they can live for more than 300 days, often making treatment challenging.
“The key to preventing a bed bug infestation is early detection,” Hartzer said. “When one or more bed bugs enter a space, we call it an introduction. During an introduction, bed bugs probably haven’t started reproducing yet, but they could soon. Vigilance is key to stopping bed bugs before infestation levels.”
Tell-tale signs of a bed bug introduction could include small black spots indicating bed bug feces or nymph bed bugs in places such as mattress seams, bed frames and furniture. Their small size and ability to hide make them difficult to see during the day, so it’s important to look for the black, ink-like stains they can leave behind.
For more information about bed bug prevention, visit Orkin.com. You can also find 100 facts about bed bugs in Orkin’s bed bug e-book: “100 Reasons Why Bed Bugs Are Freaky – and Fascinating” and additional detection tips in Orkin’s video on “How to Check for Bed Bugs in Hotel Rooms.”
