Baltimore Tops Bed Bugs Cities List
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- An honor Baltimore could do without.
Orkin, a pest control company, released its Top 50 Bed Bugs Cities list and Baltimore is right at the top, followed by DC, Chicago, Los Angeles and Columbus, Ohio.
New York was 6th on the list.
The list is based on treatment data from the metro areas where Orkin performed the most bed bug treatments from Dec. 1, 2017 through Nov. 30, 2018.
"Bed bugs are the number one urban pest in many cities today," said Chelle Hartzer, an Orkin entomologist. "They are master hitchhikers, so no one is immune. Sanitation has nothing to do with prevention: from public transit to five-star resorts, bed bugs have been and can be found everywhere humans are."
Here are proactive tips Orkin recommends for homeowners and travelers:
At Home:
- Inspect your home for signs of bed bugs regularly. Check the places where bed bugs hide during the day, including mattress tags and seams, and behind baseboards, headboards, electrical outlets and picture frames.
- Decrease clutter around your home to make it easier to spot bed bugs on your own or during professional inspections.
- Inspect all secondhand furniture before bringing it inside your home. This is a common way for bed bugs to be introduced into homes.
- Dry potentially infested bed linens, curtains and stuffed animals on the hottest temperature allowed for the fabric.
During travel, remember the acronym S.L.E.E.P. to inspect for bed bugs:
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- Survey the hotel room for signs of an infestation. Be on the lookout for tiny, ink-colored stains on mattress seams, in soft furniture and behind headboards.
- Lift and look in bed bug hiding spots: the mattress, box spring and other furniture, as well as behind baseboards, pictures and even torn wallpaper.
- Elevate luggage away from the bed and wall. The safest places are in the bathroom or on counters.
- Examine your luggage carefully while repacking and once you return home from a trip. Always store luggage away from the bed.
- Place all dryer-safe clothing from your luggage in the dryer for at least 15 minutes at the highest setting after you return home.
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