Midwestern cities dominated this year’s list of Top 50 Worst Bed Bug Cities in the U.S. Led by Chicago, repeating at No. 1, cities in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana captured seven of the top 10 spots on Orkin’s annual list of bed bug trouble spots. While neighboring states were represented, not a single New Jersey city made this year’s list of worst bed bug cities.
While Monmouth County and Ocean County residents can breathe a little easier, it doesn’t mean you can stop being vigilant about bed bugs. Periodic bed bug infestations continue to crop up in New Jersey and the risk of bringing them home from a hotel stay in another city is high. Scientists believe that bed bugs originated in the Middle East as bat parasites that adapted to feeding on cave-dwellers. As man traveled across the continents, he took bed bugs with him.
Travel continues to be a major path for the spread of bed bug infestations. Researchers have tracked the initial spread of bed bugs across the U.S. to hotel rooms and travelers’ luggage. Not surprisingly, every major airline hub is represented on this year’s list of worst bed bug cities.
The Top 20 bed bug trouble spots are:
1. Chicago
2. Los Angeles
3. Columbus, OH
4. Detroit
5. Cincinnati, OH
6. Cleveland/Akron/Canton, OH
7. Dayton, OH
8. Washington D.C.
9. Denver
10. Indianapolis
11. Richmond/Petersburg, VA
12. Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville, NC
13. Dallas/Ft. Worth
14. Syracuse, NY
15. Atlanta
16. Houston
17. New York City
18. Seattle/Tacoma
19. San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose
20. Boston
If you bring bed bugs home from your travels, call the expert bed bug exterminators NJ at Allison Pest Control for fast, effective extermination.