Top Bed Bug City Uncovered

For the second year in a row, Chicago was named the No. 1 bed bug city in Orkin’s 2022 Top 50 Bed Bug Cities List. Orkin based the list on data from metro areas where it performed the most bed bug treatments from December 1, 2020 through November 30, 2021.

While the Chicago remained stable on the list, the second and third top cities moved up through substantial jumps over the previous year, with Philadelphia moving up 12 spots to the second spot. New York moved up nine spots to become the third city. Orkin suggests that during the second year of the pandemic, restless Americans began to travel again and bed bugs hitched a ride.

The remaining cities in the top 10 spots, listed in order from 4 to 10 include:

• Detroit (stable on the list)
• Baltimore (down three spots)
• Indianapolis (up one spot)
• Washington, D.C. (down four spots)
• Cleveland, Ohio (down two spots)
• Columbus, Ohio (down four spots)
• Cincinnati, Ohio (down two spots)

Two cities were new to the list: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at 42 and Lincoln, Nebraska at 50.

Bed bugs are nocturnal insects, typically 3/16-inch long and red to dark brown in color, that come out of hiding to feed on blood from sleeping humans. They can survive for several months while waiting for their next meals. Females can deposit one to five eggs a day and may lay 200 to 500 eggs in their lifetime.

As bed bugs can travel from place to place by clinging to items such as luggage and purses, Orkin advises travelers to inspect their hotels, especially since many hospitality businesses are facing staffing shortages. Remember the acronym SLEEP:

• Survey the hotel room for signs of an infestation. Look for tiny, ink-colored stains on mattress seams, in soft furniture, and behind headboards.
• Lift and look in bed bug hiding spots such as in the mattress and box spring as well as behind baseboards, pictures, and torn wallpaper.
• Elevate luggage away from the bed and wall. The safest places are in the restroom or on counters.
• Examine your luggage carefully while repacking and once you return home from a trip. Always store luggage away from your bed.
• Place all dryer-safe clothing from your luggage in the dryer for at least 15 minutes at the highest setting after you return home.

Learn more about bed bugs by watching the video below.