It’s a new year, and for many people, that means a “new you!” mindset, but for some cities in the US, 2016 is shaping up to be “More of the Same.” Recently, stats were released indicating the “Top 50” cities with the highest occurrences of bed bugs. For the FOURTH year in a row, the “Windy City” of Chicago earned the top spot… though fellow metropolises Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and New York weren’t far behind… each ranking in the top 5.

Looking at the list (see below), it seems like bed bugs can hit anywhere and everywhere… and to be honest, they can! Bed bugs are hardy creatures, and can easily survive on the open road (often infestations come as a result of travel. Vacationers may pick up bed bugs from even the most posh of resorts (as evidenced in this video)! Bed bugs are tremendous hitch-hikers, and can find their way back to your home by stowing away in clothing or luggage. Once they arrive and set up residence in YOUR residence, it can be a painful process to get rid of your unwelcome guests!

As always, the best defense is prevention over extermination, but how do you go about it? Well, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources, The best thing to do is detect (and avoid) the little pests before it’s too late!

1. Look for bed bugs hiding in the mattress, box spring, and bed frame.
2. Check under the mattress and along the seams (edges) of the mattress.
3. Look for small, reddish spots on the mattress – they could be signs of bed bugs.
4. Search other furniture near the bed, like night stands.

Of course, if you ever ARE infested (despite your best efforts), you can CALL US to schedule an inspection and we’ll take care of your bed bug problem PRONTO!

TOP 50 Bed-Buggiest Cities

1.    Chicago

2.    Los Angeles

3.    Washington, D.C.

4.    New York

5.    Columbus, Ohio

6.    Philadelphia

7.    Detroit

8.    Cincinnati

9.    Richmond-Petersburg, Va.

10.  Baltimore

11.  Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

12.  Cleveland-Akron-Canton, Ohio

13.  Dallas-Ft. Worth

14.  San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose

15.  Indianapolis

16.  Charlotte, N.C.

17.  Houston

18.  Denver

19.  Atlanta

20.  Buffalo, N.Y.

21.  Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.-Asheville, N.C.

22.  Nashville, Tenn.

23.  Phoenix

24.  Knoxville, Tenn.

25.  Boston-Manchester

26.  Milwaukee

27.  Dayton, Ohio

28.  Seattle

29.  Pittsburgh

30.  Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, Va.

31.  Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla.

32.  Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Crk., Mich.

33.  Lexington, Ky.

34.  Hartford-New Haven, Conn.

35.  Charleston-Huntington, W.Va.

36.  Omaha, Neb.

37.  San Diego

38.  Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, Fla.

39.  Louisville, Ky.

40.  St. Louis

41.  Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Dubuque, Iowa

42.  Champaign-Springfield-Decatur, Ill.

43.  Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

44.  Kansas City, Mo.

45.  Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, Calif.

46.  Syracuse, N.Y.

47.  Colorado Springs-Pueblo, Colo.

48.  Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y.

49.  Honolulu

50.  Myrtle Beach-Florence, S.C