That tired old phrase "don't let the bed bugs bite" means something as it has become a serious problem of late. This has nothing to do with being clean, either.
Just hearing it can make people wince and itch. So, when traveling, beware, and when in The Windy City, forget those heartaches when filling those parking meters or paying those parking fees, that city now blows when it comes to those bugs. Orkin, the company that knows something about, noted that did great business in Chicago in 2012. That is good for them and bad for the public. Chicago was second in 2011 so the jump to No. 1 is not that high. But, nevertheless, it is not a title one wants.
According to Orkin, here are a fast fact about this pest. The bugs love cracks and crevices including mattress seams, sheets, furniture, behind baseboards, electrical outlet plates and picture frames. They are often found in hotels, where they can travel from room to room and in visitors’ luggage. In addition to love, "Over roughly the past decade, bed bugs have made a dramatic comeback in the U.S.― they’re appearing increasingly in homes, apartments, hotels, health care facilities, dormitories, shelters, schools and public transportation. Other places where bed bugs sometimes occur include movie theaters, laundries, rental furniture, and office buildings," noted Michael F. Potter, Extension Entomologist at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. His story is here.
Plus, females can deposit one to five eggs a day, and may lay 200 to 500 eggs in a lifetime. Under normal room temperatures and with an adequate food supply, they can live over 300 days.
The list
1. Chicago
2. Detroit
3. Los Angeles
4. Denver
5. Cincinnati
6. Columbus, Ohio
7. Washington, D.C.
8. Cleveland/Akron/Canton
9. Dallas/Ft. Worth
10. New York City
So, happy trails indeed, but one may want to pack a pest control device along with the floss and hair gel. Perhaps this may make one rest a bit easier.
This too, from Orkin: A bed bug infestation has nothing to do with cleanliness – you can pick them up in even the finest hotels, and they can hitchhike into the cleanest homes at any time. But, you can help reduce your chances of a costly bed bug infestation by catching them early.
Comments