Chicago Again Tops The List Of America's Top 50 Bed Buggiest Cities

CHICAGO — The Chicago area is known for a lot of good attractions that make it a prime vacation spot with plenty of top-shelf restaurants, museums, architecture, and other treasures to lay claim to — not to mention the award-winning pizza that sets the city apart.

One of the things tourism officials probably won’t tout is Chicago’s ranking on the Atlanta-based pest-control company Orkin’s Top 50 Bed Bug Cities List, released Monday. It’s again No. 1 on this year’s list after finishing ahea of Philadelphia in 2022. Philadelphia dropped to the No. 3 spot this year, trading spots with New York City.

The release is tied to Tuesday’s “National Shop for Travel Day,” founded in 2018 by the Travel Technology Association, and the time of year people start planning their vacations. When booking hotel reservations, it’s critical to know how to identify and check for bed bugs to avoid bringing the hitchhikers home, according to Orkin.

Orkin based its list on residential and commercial bed bug treatments performed by its technicians from Dec. 1, 2021-Nov. 30, 2022.

Below are the top 10 cities ranked on Orkin’s list and whether they moved up or down compared to the previous year:

• Chicago, Illinois
• New York, New York (+1)
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (-1)
• Cleveland-Akron, Ohio (+4)
• Los Angeles, California (+7)
• Detroit, Michigan (-2)
• Indianapolis, Indiana (-1)
• Baltimore (-3)
• Washington, D.C. (-2)
• Columbus, Ohio (-1)

See the full list of Orkin’s top bed bug cities.

Bed bugs are usually about 3/16 inches long and red to dark brown. Mostly nocturnal insects whose only food source is blood, come out of hiding to take their meals from sleeping humans. They can travel from place to place with ease, clinging to items such as luggage, purses, and other personal belongings.

They also reproduce quickly. Females can deposit up to five eggs a day, and from 200 to 500 over their lifetime. They can survive for several months waiting for their next blood meal, so they’re most likely to emerge when people are near.

Orkin entomologist Ben Hottel said that while it’s important to be aware of bed bug infestations within hotels, the pests also try to hitch rides in taxis, buses, and airplanes.

While traveling, it’s important to examine clothing and luggage regularly, Hottel said.