Look what the wind blew in.
Chicago topped the dubious list of US cities with the most bedbug infestations per capita — with the Windy City’s dense housing, high resident and traveler turnover and high summer temperatures again creating the perfect breeding ground for mahogany flats.
Los Angeles, Detroit, Cleveland and Indianapolis rounded out the top five in pest control giant Orkin’s “Orkin’s 2026 Bed Bug Cities List.”
“Travel season brings excitement, but it also makes awareness especially important,” said Dr. Shannon Sked, Orkin’s entomologist and national technical director.
“Bed bugs are resilient pests that can be difficult to control once introduced into a home or hotel room, and they are skilled at hiding in cracks, crevices and personal belongings.”
The Midwest was dubbed the most bedbug-ridden region in the country — and Ohio ranked the most represented state on this year’s list with six cities ranking in the top 50, including Cleveland and Columbus in the top 10.
Kansas City, Tampa and Myrtle Beach all ascended into the top 50 worst cities for bedbug outbreaks, newcomers to the list that demonstrate the importance of pest preparedness.
Sked recommended a quick inspection of hotels or short-term rentals while traveling, or belongings before unpacking at home.
Bedbugs measure only 3/16 inches long as adults and are even smaller as nymphs, making them near-impossible to spot.
Most people don’t notice the pests until itchy, red welts appear on their arms and legs.
Bedbugs pierce human skin to feed on blood, and often target humans by easily hitchhiking on luggage.
Sked said that a city becoming worse for bedbugs is “influenced by a variety of factors such as travel trends, treatment resistance strains and educational campaigns to the public.”
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