“Sleep tight, and don’t let the bed bugs bite”.
That idiom has long been said to help children everywhere fall asleep (or have psychopathic nightmares). The good folks at Orkin help us figure out where not to live by providing the top 15 cities with the worst bed bug infestations. According to the masters of bug-busting, America saw a nearly 33 percent increase in bed bug influx in 2012 compared to 2011.
The bed bug is no “Johnny Come Lately” to the bedroom. Their presence was first noted in ancient Greece around 400 BC. Bed bug infestations have resurged in recent years for reasons unknown, but people who study such things suggest it could be caused by complacency (I mean really, who wants to do laundry) and increased international travel (Here I totally blame the French).
The Top 15 cities in 2012 were…
Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville
San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose
Seattle/Tacoma
Richmond/Petersburg
Dayton
New York
Dallas/Ft. Worth
Cleveland/Akron/Canton
Washington, D.C
Columbus
Cincinnati
Denver
Los Angeles
Detroit
Chicago
Dallas was the only Texas city to make the list at #9 (Houston finished at a disappointing 18th). While Chicago is the #1 city, I’m also thinking that one should avoid the entire state of Ohio. Perhaps we need to install bed bug pesticide booths at IAH and Hobby to spray down passengers and hose off their luggage when coming in from the Buckeye state.