Pest control company Orkin says this city has worst bed bug problem in America
The pests can spread easily from place to place
Chicago has the worst bed bug problem among American cities, according to Orkin.
That has been the case for the Windy City for four straight years now, the Rollins Inc.-owned pest control company said this week as it unveiled this year’s iteration of its list identifying the 50 most bed bug-plagued U.S. metros.
Orkin said it reviewed residential and commercial bed bug treatment data over roughly 12 months ending Nov. 30, 2023 to determine the order of the cities.
Chicago made the top of the list. (iStock / iStock)
Behind Chicago, the pest control company said it considered New York to be the second-worst for the bloodthirsty insects and Philadelphia to be the third.
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The top-six remained unchanged from last year, according to Orkin.
Orkin said the 10 worst bed bug cities included:
- Chicago, Illinois
- New York, New York
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Cleveland-Akron, Ohio
- Los Angeles, California
- Detroit, Michigan
- Washington, D.C.
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Champaign, Illinois
Bed bugs, while not a known transmitter of disease, can bite people and animals, sometimes causing allergic reactions, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health. Orkin said they easily spread from place to place.
A bed bug was put in a glass tube so that bed bug sniffing dogs could train finding the pests. (Sina Schuldt/picture alliance via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"Bed bugs are extremely resilient, making them difficult to control. As travel plans ramp up, it’s important that Americans know how to protect themselves through pest identification and proper control," Orkin entomologist Ben Hottel said in a statement.
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While there are many strategies to prevent bed bugs, one thing people can do whether they’re at home or traveling is look closely at furniture and other items for signs of the bugs and the insects themselves, according to Orkin.
Bed bugs are easily spread. (Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Chiago receiving its No. 1 ranking for bed bugs comes just a few months after Orkin dubbed it the most-rodent infested U.S. city for 2023.
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Norway rats, whose origins actually trace back to Asia, pose the biggest rodent problem in Chicago, according to a webpage from the city government.
The Windy City has been Orkin’s "rattiest" city for nearly a decade.