Here’s the Closest City to New England That’s Crawling With Bed Bugs

January marks the start of travel season.  It's the time of year when most people book their travel plans, and for goodness sake, there are some cities to stay away from.

According to orkin.com, the top 50 cities in the country ranked for the most bed bug treatments are the big ones, and a few smaller ones you might not think of.

There's good news for New Englanders and anyone making plans to travel to New England.  There were no New England cities in the top 50 places where bed bugs are found most, but the #2 ranked city was just down the I-95 corridor in New York City.

Chicago still ranks #1 as they can't seem to get a handle on the bugs, but New York is up there in rank too.  #3 is Philadelphia, and at #4 the smaller city of Cleveland-Akron. Los Angeles trails behind right after.

Here's what's interesting.

The University of Maine studies bed bugs and here's what the cooperative extension writes:

Some factors that have favored their renewed expansion include a rise in international travel as countries ease or cancel their COVID-19 restrictions, the ongoing popularity of thrift shops and yard sales, and the number of people buying used furniture.

So the rise in bed bugs in the United States is not just travel but other factors as well, which puts these blood-sucking pests back into the news again.

Bed bugs are really good at hiding, "in the seams of mattresses, in box springs, in cracks of floorboards, behind peeled wallpaper, in picture frames, in couches, stuffed chairs, clothing and even the seams of curtains; wherever a dark crack or crevice might be", according to the University of Maine.

Orkin.com adds bed bugs are resilient, which makes them hard to control and eradicate.  So while making those travel plans (or buying that old sofa), keep this in mind.

Now stop itching.