by Brianna Crandall — February 6, 2015—Chicago tops the 2014 Bed Bug Cities List for the third year in a row, according to pest control provider Orkin. The list ranks the cities by the number of bed bug treatments Orkin performed from January to December 2014. Bed bugs were in the news throughout 2014 in the Windy City, with reports of the blood-sucking insects on public transit and inside several downtown office buildings, as well as in police headquarters and a fire station, school, library and movie theater, notes the company.
“Bed bugs are a serious issue across the country, and they’re very difficult to control,” said Orkin entomologist and technical services director Ron Harrison, Ph.D. “Bed bugs are not limited to any level of cleanliness or income, which means they can be found in any home or hotel. They’re great hitchhikers, and people often bring them inside on their clothes or in their luggage.”
Seven cities made double-digit jumps on Orkin’s Bed Bug Cities List compared to 2013: Omaha, NE (+16); Lexington, KY (+16); Sacramento, CA (+14); Grand Rapids, MI (+13); Buffalo, NY (+12); Charleston, WV (+11); and Louisville, KY (+10). Several cities also dropped significantly in the past year: Syracuse, NY; San Diego, CA; Miami, FL; Greenville, SC; and Atlanta, GA. Four cities made the list for the first time: Myrtle Beach, SC; St. Louis, MO; Bowling Green, KY; and Ft. Wayne, IN.
Orkin’s 2014 Bed Bug Cities List:
- Chicago, IL
- Detroit, MI (+2)
- Columbus, OH
- Los Angeles, CA (-2)
- Cleveland—Akron—Canton, OH (+1)
- Dallas—Ft. Worth, TX (+7)
- Cincinnati, OH (-2)
- Denver, CO (+1)
- Richmond—Petersburg, VA (+2)
- Dayton, OH (-3)
- Indianapolis, IN (-1)
- Houston, TX (+4)
- Seattle—Tacoma, WA (+5)
- Washington, DC—Hagerstown, MD (-6)
- Milwaukee, WI (+6)
- San Francisco—Oakland—San Jose, CA (+3)
- Raleigh—Durham—Fayetteville, NC (-5)
- New York, NY (-1)
- Charleston—Huntington, WV (+11)
- Grand Rapids -Kalamazoo—Battle Creek, MI (+13)
- Omaha, NE (+16)
- Louisville, KY (+10)
- Nashville, TN
- Lexington, KY (+16)
- Atlanta, GA (-10)
- Buffalo, NY (+12)
- Sacramento—Stockton—Modesto, CA (+14)
- Syracuse, NY (-14)
- Boston—Manchester, MA (-9)
- Charlotte, NC (-5)
- Baltimore, MD (-4)
- Phoenix—Prescott, AZ (-4)
- Miami—Ft. Lauderdale, FL (-11)
- Knoxville, TN (-3)
- Cedar Rapids—Waterloo—Dubuque, IA (-6)
- Minneapolis—St. Paul, MN (+8)
- Hartford—New Haven, CT (+3)
- Champaign—Springfield—Decatur, IL (-3)
- San Diego, CA (-13)
- Lincoln—Hastings—Kearney, NE (-1)
- Kansas City, MO (+9)
- Honolulu, HI (+3)
- Albany—Schenectady—Troy, NY
- Colorado Springs—Pueblo, CO (-2)
- Myrtle Beach—Florence, SC
- St. Louis, MO
- Greenville—Spartanburg, SC—Asheville, NC (-11)
- Bowling Green, KY
- Ft. Wayne, IN
- Toledo, OH (-4)
According to Orkin, bed bugs are in every region of the country, and the company says it has treated for bed bugs in all 50 states. Rollins (Orkin’s parent company) saw an 18 percent increase in bed bug revenue in 2014. The problem is growing nationwide as well. According to an annual report on the pest control industry, Americans spent $446 million to get rid of bed bugs in 2013, the latest data available, compared to $70 million in 2004.
Founded in 1901, Orkin offers residential and commercial bed bug services as well as services to combat a variety of other pests, from its 400 locations around the world.
