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10 Things How To Travel

Worst Bed Bug Cities in America

Bed Bugs are making the news all over the place this year, especially with the warm weather that has been seen all across the country this past winter. 

So we shouldn’t be surprised that ORKIN, one of the largest pest control companies in the country, is considered an expert on how to control bed bugs.

And now that it’s Spring Break, unsuspecting college kids and high school seniors are going to be traveling all over the country, and may end up bringing home a special friend or two (or three thousand) with them if they’re not careful.

And that’s one reason why Orkin decided to release their list of the TOP 50 BED BUG CITIES in AMERICA for 2011. 

Bed Bug ClimbUp® Interceptors passive traps for bed legs
Bed Bug ClimbUp® Interceptors passive traps for bed legs

And the scary part is that there really isn’t that much of a difference between this updated list and the one they published for Jan-April 2011.  Sure, Cincinnati and Chicago are still #1 and #2, respectively, but at least Columbus OH dropped a spot or two. 

Those bed bug treatments that Orkin does must really do the trick there…

The Top 25 Bed Bug Cities for 2011 are:

  1. Cincinnatti
  2. Chicago
  3. Detroit
  4. Denver
  5. Los Angeles
  6. Columbus, Ohio
  7. Dallas / Fort Worth
  8. Washington DC
  9. New York
  10. Richmond VA
  11. Houston
  12. San Francisco / Oakland / San Jose
  13. Cleveland / Akron / Canton
  14. Boston
  15. Dayton
  16. Las Vegas
  17. Honolulu
  18. Baltimore
  19. Raleigh / Durham / Fayetteville
  20. Philadelphia
  21. Atlanta
  22. Lexington KY
  23. Syracuse NY
  24. Miami / Fort Lauderdale
  25. Colorado Springs, CO

So HOW DO YOU GET RID OF BED BUGS?

Orkin has been kind enough to supply a handy tip sheet for us:

Use the easy-to-remember acronym S.L.E.E.P. to help you ensure that where you lay your head at night after a hard-day’s partying is bed bug free:

  • S – Survey surfaces for signs of infestation
  • L – lift underneath the mattress, bed frame, headboard, or other furniture
  • E – elevate your luggage, away from the bed and walls.  Hey, you knew that luggage rack was in the room for a reason, right?
  • E – Examine your luggage carefully before you leave the hotel room to head home
  • P – Place all your clothing in the dryer on HIGH immediately when you come home, to kill any hitchhiking bed bugs that may have come along for the ride