Cincinnati Tops US in Bed Bug Population

Washington, DC--The top 50 bed bug cities for 2011 have been announced with Cincinnati placing first according to Orkin.  Last year, Orkin's parent company, Rollins, which operates seven pest control brands, saw a 33.6 percent increase in bed bug business compared to 2010.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, bed bugs can carry more than 30 different human pathogens, but there is no evidence that bed bugs can transmit diseases. Their bites can; however, leave itchy welts on their victims. Red marks or swelling may also develop. Bedbugs bite the exposed skin of sleeping humans to feed on their blood. Decades ago, bedbugs were eradicated from most developed nations using DDT — a pesticide that's since been banned because it's so toxic.

Spurred perhaps by increases in international travel, bedbugs are becoming a problem once again. The risk of encountering bedbugs increases if you spend time in places with high turnovers of nighttime guests such as hotels, hospitals or homeless shelters.

Bed bugs don’t discriminate as they have shown up in cities throughout the US.  The following cities are ranked in order of the number of bed bug treatments Orkin performed from January to December 2011 along with their shift, if any, in ranking compared to January to December 2010.

1. Cincinnati

2. Chicago

3. Detroit (+1)

4. Denver (+2)

5. Los Angeles (+20)

6. Columbus, Ohio (-3)

7. Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas (+43)

8. Washington, D.C. (-3)

9. New York (-2)

10. Richmond/Petersburg, Va. (+6)

11. Houston (-1)

12. San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, Calif. (+35)

13. Cleveland/Akron/Canton, Ohio (+1)

14. Boston (+4)

15. Dayton, Ohio (-7)

16. Las Vegas (-1)

17. Honolulu (+55)

18. Baltimore (-6)

19. Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville, N.C. (+9)

20. Philadelphia (-9)

21. Atlanta (+24)

22. Lexington, Ky. (-13)

23. Syracuse, N.Y. (+25)

24. Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (+27)

25. Colorado Springs/Pueblo, Colo. (+19)

26. San Diego (+13)

27. Seattle/Tacoma, Wash. (-3)

28. Omaha, Neb. (-11)

29. Buffalo, N.Y. (-16)

30. Pittsburgh (-3)

31. Indianapolis (-12)

32. Milwaukee (+6)

33. Charlotte, N.C. (+13)

34. Phoenix (+19)

35. Louisville, Ky. (-3)

36. Hartford/New Haven, Conn. (-16)

37. Grand Junction/Montrose, Colo. (+30)

38. Knoxville, Tenn. (+4)

39. Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, Mich. (-17)

40. Nashville, Tenn. (+15)

41. Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, Calif. (+24)

42. Des Moines/Ames, Iowa (-13)

43. Salisbury, Md. (+46)

44. Albany/Schenectady/Troy, N.Y. (-23)

45. Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, Iowa (-22)

46. Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn. (-20)

47. Lincoln/Hastings/Kearney, Neb. (-17)

48. Salt Lake City (-8)

49. Charleston/Huntington, W.Va. (-13)

50. West Palm Beach/Ft. Pierce, Fla. (+6)

Orkin advised travelers to remember the acronym S.L.E.E.P. to avoid bringing bed bugs home from a trip:

·        Survey bed surfaces for small, rust-colored spots on bed sheets, mattress tags and seams and bed skirts;

·        Lift and look for all bed bug hiding spots, including underneath the mattress, bed frame, headboard and furniture;

·        Elevate luggage on a luggage rack away from the bed and wall;

·        Examine luggage carefully while re-packing and when you return home, always remembering to keep luggage off the bed and store it in a closet or other area, far away from your bedroom; and

·        Place all clothing from luggage immediately in the dryer for at least 15 minutes at the highest setting upon returning home from a trip.

Bed Bug Test Kits:

Bed Bug Screen Check DIY kits among 20 other DIY IAQ kits are available to purchase from Building Health Check (www.indoorairtest.com), distributors e.g. Grainger, Hunter Fans, Professional Equipment, etc… and on line retailers. For more information on the IAQ Screen Test product line, please visit www.indoorairtest.com or contact Alan Wozniak or Cy Garner at 1-800-422-7873 ext 804. 

About Building Health Check, LLC:

Alan Wozniak founded Building Health Check, LLC as a product manufacturing component for Pure Air Control Services, Inc. Building health Check, LLC the IAQ screen check kit products are manufactured from its offices in Clearwater, FL. Pure Air has serviced more than 600 million square feet of indoor environments in over 10,000 facilities.

Pure Air’s nationally performed services include: Building Sciences Evaluation; Building Health Check; an AIHA accredited Environmental Microbiology Laboratory; Environmental Project Management; and Mold Remediation Services, among other indoor environmental services. The company’s expanding client roster includes the General Services Administration (GSA); Allstate Insurance; Carrier Air Conditioning; Naval Air Warfare Center, Orlando; and Naval Air Station - King's Bay, Georgia, and many other Fortune 500 companies, school boards, and city, state, and county governments, making Pure Air a reliable industry leader.

For more information on Building Health Check, LLC. and/or its distribution please contact Cy Garner, at (800) 422-7873 ext 804, or visit www.indoorairtest.com