Washington DC Is Most Bed Bug-Infested City In US: Orkin

WASHINGTON, DC — They are the two words no homeowner wants to hear: bed bugs. Orkin, the pest control and protection service, recently released its annual rankings of the 50 most bed bug-treated cities in the nation, and Washington, D.C., had the dubious honor of finishing in first place. Two Virginia cities also made the creepy crawly list.

It’s bad news for DC, which rose from its No. 2 ranking on last year’s list to the top of the bug-plagued heap.

The rankings were based on metro areas where Orkin performed the most bed bug treatments from Dec. 1, 2018, to Nov. 30, 2019. Both residential and commercial treatments were included.

For the last three years, Baltimore was the No. 1 city in the nation for bed bugs; but its nearby neighbor, Washington, D.C., took the top spot in 2020.

Richmond ranked No. 21 on the list this year, down five slots from a year ago; Norfolk ranked No. 15 this year, up two slots from the previous year.

Here are the top 10 cities overall:

1. Washington, D.C.
2. Baltimore
3. Chicago
4. Los Angeles
5. Columbus, Ohio
6. New York
7. Detroit
8. Cincinnati
9. Indianapolis
10. Atlanta

“While bed bugs have not been found to transmit any diseases to humans, they can be an elusive threat to households,” said Chelle Hartzer, an Orkin entomologist who was referenced in a press release for the rankings. “They are excellent hitchhikers, and they reproduce quickly, which make it nearly impossible to prevent bed bugs.”

A description for the blood-sucking bugs on the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website sounds like something from a Stephen King novel: “parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of people and animals while they sleep.”

The reddish-brown bugs are typically 4 to 5 millimeters in length, or the size of Abraham Lincoln’s head on a penny. The creatures are also known for multiplying incredibly quickly, as females can deposit one to five eggs a day in the right conditions.

Orkin provides a range of tips to prevent bed bugs from inhabiting your home.

• Inspect your home for signs of bed bugs regularly. Check the places where bed bugs hide during the day, including mattress tags and seams, and behind baseboards, headboards, electrical outlets and picture frames.
• Decrease clutter around your home to make it easier to spot bed bugs on your own or during professional inspections.
• Inspect your residence regularly — when you move in, after a trip, when a service worker visits or after guests stay overnight.
• Examine all secondhand furniture before bringing it inside your home. This is a common way for bed bugs to be introduced into homes.
• Wash and dry your bed linens often, using the hottest temperature allowed for the fabric.

The complete ranking of the most bed bug-treated cities is available on Orkin’s website.