Not only does Chicago hold the murder capital title for 2012, but they have achieved an even higher honor – bed bug capital of the U.S. They edged out Jimski’s Cincinnati by a bug’s leg. Maybe next year. Rahm must be so proud. Maybe they should ban beds. Philly fell off the list because the beds in West Philly are so disgusting, even the bed bugs won’t go near them.
America’s Top Bedbug Cities Named
by Brian Rademaekers | January 16, 2013 at 2:04 PM
Chicago has beat out Cincinnati for a dubious, itchy distinction – top U.S. city for bedbugs.
That’s according to a new list released by the pest control company Orkin, which looked at bedbug service calls made across the country in 2012 to rank the top 50 cities.
And while the Windy City jumped from the number two spot in 2011 to number one in 2012, Orkin says the bedbug-killing business is up nearly 33 percent nationally for their parent company, Rollins. In all, Rollins runs eight U.S. pest control companies, including Orkin.
Also hard hit was the Seattle-Tacoma metro area, which jumped 14 spots to land at number 13 overall among the country’s top bedbug hotspots.
Orkin says Indianapolis, Omaha, Milwaukee, Hartford-New Haven, Knoxville, Charleston-Huntington, Cedar Rapids-Waterloo and Minneapolis also saw notable spikes over the last year.
The list wasn’t all bad news: Atlanta, Honolulu, Charlotte and Las Vegas all dropped significantly, Orkin’s numbers show.
Some cities – including Philadelphia and Salt Lake City – were on the 2011 list, but improved enough in 2012 to be dropped from the top 50.
“This list shows that bedbugs continue to be a problem throughout the U.S.,” Orkin says in a statement accompanying the list.
Orkin says adult bedbugs resemble apple seeds in size and color; newly-hatched babies are as small as a pinhead and pale in color.
Here’s a look at the complete top 50 list:
The following cities are ranked in order of the number of bedbug treatments Orkin performed from January to December 2012 along with their shift, if any, in ranking compared to January to December 2011.
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
Source: Orkin
It would be interesting to see these rated by incidences per capita, and not just by number of incidences. But hey, they’re pest controllers, not statisticians.
These results might flatten out considerably, and not be nearly as media worthy. Raleigh/Durham ranks 15 (+4), but bedbugs aren’t seen as epidemic, except in hotspots, usually carried here by immigrants, which I’m sure Chicago has it’s share.
“Bedbugs aren’t seen as epidemic, except in hotspots, usually carried here by immigrants, which I’m sure Chicago has it’s share.”
—-Nonanon
If immigrants were the problem, then Arizona’s two big cities, Phoenix and Tucson, would be at the top of the list. Phoenix is #35 (down one spot), and Tucson isn’t even listed. Maybe it’s the dry heat. Heh.
If only they could figure out a way to get bed bugs to spread the plague (instead of rats).
DC is only #7? All the nation’s bed bugs reside in the Capitol…
Bed bugs are no joke. if you travel you should learn to look for their spore. If your luggage gets infested you are fucked. You’ll take them home, and they are not easy to eradicate. Chicago may be up there, but it’s a nationwide problem. I would not automatically consider any hotel, including a 5 star establishment, to be completely safe and secure from this pestilence.
My shirts in the TBP store of doom now can have two meanings.
Eddie
Travel to small town America. It’s absolutely delightful. We still have a great country outside the big Shitties. And no bedbugs.
llpoh
Avalon hates when her picture gets posted.
Good thing there is a no nips rule Avalon would REALLY be pissed.
Maybe God has released a pestilence on the U.S. for our non-belief, our sins, and our oppressive government.
Bed bugs. And no better place than Chicago
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My God, you people can bitch up a storm about anything. Bedbugs are not one of life’s great challanges.
Turpentine is the answer. A little dab of it before bedtime on the anus and other crucial openings will ensure you a restfull night.
If you are calling Orkin you are not doing it right.
“Turpentine is the answer. A little dab of it before bedtime on the anus and other crucial openings will ensure you a restfull night.”
—-crazyivan
You little shit. That comment caught my attention, and I ended up googling “turpentine and bed bugs” and spending about 15-20 minutes reading about the subject. While it appears to be a natural remedy for bed bugs, I’m not about to be spreading turpentine on my asshole before bedtime. That shit stings like hell no matter where it is applied.
SSS,
I said turpentine was the answer. I specifically did not suggest that it was easy.
The turpentine-on-anus cure. What would I do without TBP’s crack team of medical advisors?
“I said turpentine was the answer (for bedbugs). I specifically did not suggest that it was easy.”
—-crazyivan
You lying asshole.
I’m an intensely curious individual, and I researched your comment, one of which said that turpentine oil combined with henna will ward off bedbugs. So off I go googling henna, which I knew was used for temporary tatoos. One thing leads to another, and I end up with reading a recipe for stuffed peppers (mmm, tasty).
You’re periously close to a lawsuit for mental cruelty, Bucko. Watch your step.
Don’t they recommend buying a new mattress every 2-3 years for this very reason?
P.S. You guys are gross 🙂
I always thought bedbugs were a problem in the third world countries. In fact even in India bedbugs are seen mostly in slum areas. But if you carry one home either from railway stations, trains or hotels, then you are done. Probably burning down the house will cure the problem. 🙂
When I was a bachelor, I bought a used bed frame from a friend who was reloacating. Never knew he was sleeping with these creatures. My whole house becam infested with these chocolate colored bugs. I did all that I could to drive these little intruders out but without success.
Then I got married and all my friends moved out, but the bedbugs refused to. We survived their attacks every night. One day I emptied 2 bottles of pesticides and a few gallons of boiling water. My goodness their resilience is to be appreciated.
I came back from a weekend vacation and in the night we felt some movements over our bodies. When we switched on the lights the sight almost shocked my wife… Bedbugs are the most shameless guests you could bring home. You get them home and they are not leaving for a long time.
SSS,
You twit,
Somehow I suspect that you got a hole-in-one on the putting green today. You seem awfully sure of yourself tonight, with all the lawsuit talk and such..
It is a known fact that people that are afraid of bedbugs, do not do well in court, mostly due to coming off silly.
It would be interesting to compare the list to list of cities with the most gun control laws. At a glance there may be a connection…
A vacuum is one of the best tools available fighting bed bugs. Also extreme heat, like a dryer or extreme cold can kill bed bug eggs. 5 years ago I moved into an 8 story apartment buidling with bed bugs. Best as i was able to figure they travelled up and down the floors via pipes. With the blessing of management I threw some infested furniture over the balcony. Pest control came in after the vacuumimg heat and cold. I opened the slider for 3 days in the middle of winter in MA it was about zero degrees at night and we stayed with relatives. Pest control went through the apartment with a fine tooth comb and found zero live bugs. It really sucked getting them and I blame management because instead of treating the whole building they only treated individual units on a as needed basis. Pestilence for sure…I must have done something bad and the karma came around and knocked me around hard. I wouldnt wish bed bugs on anything….