For many years, bed bugs were just about extinct in America. Then a city here and a city there began to detect the tiny biting critters, and soon, the bed bugs were once again something to beware of in the night. It is hypothesized that the increase in intercontinental travel brought the bed bugs back and the pest control industry's evolvement from baseboard spraying to integrated pest management enabled the bugs to live.


Today, bed bugs are a common occurrence across the U.S., with reports regularly published on the "Top Bed Bug-Infested Cities."

Two of the most recent such reports were compiled by pest control companies, from an evaluation of their service calls and confirmed cases.

Published in June 2012, Terminix lists the Top 15 Bed Bug-Infested Cities as:

1. Philadelphia
2. Cincinnati
3. New York City
4. Chicago
5. Detroit
6. Washington, D.C.
7. Columbus, Ohio
8. San Francisco
9. Denver
10. New Haven, Conn.
11. Dallas
12. Houston
13. Indianapolis
14. Miami
15. Cleveland

The ranking shows that bed bugs are an issue across the country, with the hotbed of activity in the northeastern states from New York City to Cincinnati, Ohio. It also shows a focus on larger, more populated cities, which is not a surprise considering that bed bugs generally move from place to place on people and their belongings.
Since the resurgence of bed bugs, Ohio has been a key area for bed bug infestations, and this report shows that it continues to be so, with three cities in the top 15.
A recent report from Orkin provided a Top 50 list of bed bug-infest cities, based on a ranking of the number of bed bug treatments it performed from January to December 2012.

In parentheses is the shift of the city (if applicable) in ranking as compared with January to December 2011 results.

Orkin's Top 50 Bed Bug-Infested Cities are Listed as:

1. Chicago (+1)
2. Detroit (+1)
3. Los Angeles (+2)
4. Denver
5. Cincinnati (-4)
6. Columbus, Ohio
7. Washington, D.C. (+1)
8. Cleveland/Akron/Canton (+5)
9. Dallas/Ft. Worth (-2)
10. New York (-1)
11. Dayton, Ohio (+4)
12. Richmond/Petersburg, Va. (-2)
13. Seattle/Tacoma (+14)
14. San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose (-2)
15. Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville, N.C. (+4)
16. Indianapolis (+15)
17. Omaha, Neb. (+11)
18. Houston (-7)
19. Milwaukee (+13)
20. Baltimore (-2)
21. Syracuse, N.Y. (+2)
22. Boston (-8)
23. Colorado Springs/Pueblo, Colo. (+2)
24. Lexington, Ky. (-2)
25. Miami/Ft. Lauderdale (-1)
26. Hartford/New Haven, Conn. (+10)
27. Knoxville, Tenn. (+11)
28. Buffalo, N.Y. (+1)
29. Atlanta (-8)
30. Louisville, Ky. (+5)
31. Charleston/Huntington, W. Va. (+18)
32. San Diego, Calif. (-6)
33. Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, Iowa (+12)
34. Minneapolis/St. Paul (+12)
35. Phoenix (-1)
36. Pittsburgh (-6)
37. Honolulu (-19)
38. Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo, Mich. (+1)
39. Grand Junction/Montrose, Colo. (-1)
40. Nashville, Tenn.
41. Lincoln/Hastings/Kearney, Neb. (+7)
42. Albany/Schenectady/Troy, N.Y. (+2)
43. Charlotte (-10)
44. Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla.
45. Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, Calif. (-4)
46. Las Vegas (-30)
47. Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville, S.C.
48. Champaign/Springfield, Ill.
49. Portland, Or.
50. Sioux City, Iowa

Orkin's list shows a more cross-U.S. listing, but, like the Terminix list, its top 10 shows a preponderance of large cities. However, with bed bugs being found in smaller cities and towns as well, it seems that no place is safe from the tiny critters.

While the exact ranking of the cities varies between the two companies, both Orkin and Terminix noted that bed bug populations are continuing to move and grow across the U.S. and provide preventive tips for homeowners and travelers alike.

Prevention is important because, once bed bugs get into your home, they can quickly multiply and bed bugs can be very difficult to eliminate. In fact, in most cases, as professional will need to be brought in for bed bug control, and the services of a bed bug-sniffing dog to root the bugs outs of hiding can be particularly beneficial.

Unfortunately such services usually involve more than one visit and can be expensive, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) both advise that a pest control company with a great deal of experience treating bed bug infestations be hired to treat your home for a bed bug problem.

PAGE 2. Prevention Tips