We knew Hollywood was crawling with creepy, crawly, unsavory characters, but we weren't expecting bed bugs!
It turns out, however, that the celebrity-filled city of Los Angeles was actually number three on the list of worst bed bug cities 2012, beaten out only by Detroit and Chicago. This, according to Orkin, one of the nation's leading pest control companies and the publisher of an annual rundown on American cities who report the most incidents of bed bugs. Find the full Orkin list linked below; also, tips on preventing bed bugs and the strange connection between celebrity and infestation.
Worst Bed Bug Cities 2012: Los Angeles Ranks Third on Orkin List
Last year's list (which ranked cities for the year 2011) bestowed the rather dubious distinction of having the most bed bug treatments upon the city of Cincinnati. However, according to this year's worst bed bug cities 2012 list, Cincinnati moved down the list to the number five spot; still a somewhat concerning ranking considering the creepy-crawly nature of this list, but it shows definite improvement.
While Chicago may have the most work to do in this area with its top ranking, Los Angeles really better shape up! The City of Angels actually slipped a couple points up the list this year, which is the exact opposite of the progress Cincinnati made and is actually even a greater "gain" in bed bug reports than Chicago had based on last year's numbers.
We'll be traveling to L.A. next month to cover the Grammy Awards for Examiner.com, and we will be staying in a hotel for at least part of our stay. It concerns us slightly that this hotel will be smack dab in the middle of one of the top three worst bed bug cities in America. We don't feel like sharing our room with anyone who won't chip in for the minibar tab, so you can bet we will be doing a thorough bed bug inspection before kicking off our shoes and unpacking.
You know, maybe it isn't such a surprise that a celebrity filled city has such a problem with the pesky home-invaders. According to an article from Fox News in 2010 (linked below), celebrities are actually more susceptible than the average folk to have a problem with bed bugs, due to traveling more often and sometimes owning multiple properties. (Read more on the weird connection between your favorite stars and your worst infestation nightmare here.)
Do you know how to sweep your hotel rooms for bed bugs? Do you know how to prevent an infestation at home? Check out this list of bed bug facts, as well as treatment and prevention tips here.
Also, see reference photos of bed bugs in our brief slideshow above, and one image of some larger-than-life, stuffed creepy-crawlies just for fun.
Comments