Bed Bugs Infest These 5 Cities More Than NYC, Ranking Shows

NEW YORK — New Yorkers have good reason to fear bed bugs — but residents of some other cities should be more afraid. The Big Apple placed sixth on recent ranking of the top 50 "bed bug cities" in the U.S., indicating the blood-sucking critters are more common in five other places.

The pest control firm Orkin released the list on Monday. It's based on treatment data from the metro areas where the company performed the most residential and commerical bed bug treatments from Dec. 1, 2017 to Nov. 1, 2018.

While New York leapt up two places from No. 8 last year, Baltimore took the top spot for the third straight year, Orkin says. It's followed by Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles and Columbus, Ohio.

Bed bugs usually come out at night to snack on the blood of sleeping or resting humans, Orkin says. Their bites are itchy and annoying but the bugs aren't known to spread disease, according to the city's Department of Health.

They're always moving and easily latch onto belongings such as backpacks, purses, luggage and jackets, according to Orkin.

"They are master hitchhikers, so no one is immune," Orkin entomologist Chelle Hartzer said in a news release. "Sanitation has nothing to do with prevention: from public transit to five-star resorts, bed bugs have been and can be found everywhere humans are."

Getting rid of bed bugs can be tough because they reproduce quickly — an adult female can lay two to five eggs a day, according to Orkin. The Health Department offers a guide to dealing with bed bugs here.

These are the nation's top 10 cities for bed bugs, according to Orkin. See the full top 50 list here.

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

(Lead image: A bed bug is displayed at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington in March 2011. Photo by Carolyn Kaster, File/Associated Press)