10 Worst Cities in America for Bedbugs

by Amanda Pressner
LG Executive Editor

So all, I apologize in advance for a truly creepy crawly topic, but this is an issue that definitely affects those of you out there who are couch-surfing or hosteling it up for the summer. Bedbugs–those tiny bloodsucking creatures that are all but impossible to eradicate–have been chewing their way through several American cities. They’ve become so prevalent, in fact, that Insight Pharmaceuticals, the makers of a company called Pronto Plus (a bug spray) released a list of the country’s 10 most infested cities.

It may be tough to avoid the nasty little biters completely, but it pays to ask the hostel (or the host that you’re staying with) if they’ve ever experienced issues in the past–based on their answer, you might want to make other arrangements.

Without further ado, here’s the list of US destinations where you’ll want to watch your back (and other body parts):

1. Columbus, Ohio. Columbus has been fighting a major bedbug infestation for years, and enacted a bedbug oversight committee to marshal forces to fight this incipit outbreak. Recently, the State of Ohio asked the EPA to allow the use of Propoxur to help fight the problem. Its request was denied.
2. New York. The Big Apple’s war on bedbugs has been well documented. A group of concerned citizens started a NYC bedbug advisory board whose efforts recently ended in failure as government officials viewed the bedbug problem as having no fiscal impact.
3. Toronto, Canada. Toronto’s ongoing bedbug fight required the city to use bedbug sniffing dogs in advance of the recent G20 meeting. Toronto’s Etobicoke General Hospital was also recently found to be harboring the blood sucking pests.
4. Bloomington, Ind. So severe is Bloomington’s fight against bedbugs that the town recently invested $50,000 in bedbug eradication equipment that will fry the invaders with heat and help put a stop to the town’s “epidemic.”
5. Manchester, N.H. The city of Manchester formed a Bed Bug Action Committee to combat increasing incidences of bedbugs.
6. San Francisco. There have been 17 reports of bedbugs reported in San Francisco in the month of June. Note that not all bedbug cases are reported.
7. Durham, N.C. North Carolina has had such dramatic problems with bedbugs that four of the state’s congressional members introduced a bill in Congress to establish a grant program to assist states in inspecting hotel rooms for bedbugs, and protect apartment renters.
8. Vancouver, Canada. A quick review of BedbugRegistry.com shows that new infestations are appearing in this city every day.
9. Chicago. Concerned individuals in Chicago formed a bedbug policy advocacy group, which cites evidence indicating that Chicago bedbug infestations are on the rise.
10. Denver. The bedbug problem in Denver has become such a problem that the local library had to destroy rare books that were hundreds of years old after a recent infestation.

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