US Cities With the Worst Bed Bugs Outbreaks

Matt Unrein • June 10, 2024

Bed Bugs Outbreaks in American Cities



While Paris has become recently famous for the massive outbreak of bed bugs, American cities have seen their fair share of bed bug outbreaks. "These cities are popular travel destinations so, by nature, they are going to be more vulnerable to bedbug introductions than those cities that are less popular," said Eric Braun an entomologist and technical service manager for Terminix. Here is a list of some American cities that were hit the hardest by the new wave of bed bugs.


According to Terminix, Philadelphia has been hit the hardest by the outbreak of bed bugs with Chicago and New York City following up of the list. However, Orkin had the same cities listed for bed bugs but the order of the cities was reversed with Chicago being number one and Philadelphia being number three.


When mapping the data of bed bug outbreaks, the cities in the Midwest have seen some of the worst outbreaks with cities in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan taking the lead, but East Coast cities also seeing an increase in the pests.


States across the US have passed laws and regulations to combat the rise of bed bugs. Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and many others have statutes that focused-on hotels and landlords. "Be sure to check with your state and local authorities for any changes in these requirements or to find out if your state or city has enacted a requirement more recently", according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.


If you think that you might have bed bugs you give us a call to schedule a free inspections.


The original articles can be found here:

EPA

US News

Visit our bed bug FAQ page to learn more or give us a call for urgent questions

Bed bug history picture of medieval women presented by SOS Pest Control

Bed Bugs’ Historical Hankering for Humans

By Carley Norton • October 3, 2025
Humans have fought— and lost—many battles against pesky insects and rodents throughout history. From plague-ridden rats in 14th-century Europe to the modern comorbid mosquito, millions of people have fallen to opponents a fraction of their size. But the earliest war has lasted over 245,000 years and is still fought today: Humans versus bed bugs. A team of researchers at Virginia Tech studied the lineage of bed bugs and found that patterns in their activity coincided with the rise and fall of the human population over time. Though these findings admit the defeat of bed bug reign by humans, they can be used to predict future invasions as urban living develops, and to investigate the phenomenon of insecticide resistance in the determined bed bug species. Though bed bugs first preferred cave-dwelling bat blood, a group of them jumped over to the Neanderthals in those same caves, and their palates have remained un-cleansed ever since. In fact, humans became the bed bug’s exclusive source of sustenance, a preference shared by only one other insect species—head lice. Just like you won’t find a family of lice at the local park, you won’t find bed bugs in your garden—only in your bed and other suitable dark spots in your home. Bed bugs have hitchhiked and set up camp amongst humans for centuries, just waiting for the perfect time to indulge in their human midnight snacks. But there is good news. Bed bugs will not be the cause of any new plagues, as they cannot make humans sick. Though their bites, as well as their resilience, can be irritating, their harm is liminal, and there are easy methods for getting those lazy bones (or exoskeletons?) out of your bed. However, bed bugs are resistant to many residential chemicals, and consulting professionals is your best bet. First, call SOS Pest Control for a FREE inspection. If they do bombard on a bed bug sleepover, their safe and effective heat treatment heats your home’s walls to rid of bed bugs from the inside out. This safe, effective, and damage-free process takes little time, and SOS’ unmarked vehicles ensure your neighborhood won’t be all up in your business (as for businesses, we will make sure the neighborhood is back up in you soon). Call (816) 471-5733 today or visit online at soskc.com Original article: https://news.vt.edu/articles/2025/05/bed-bug-whole-genome-human-lineage-warren-bo

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By Carley Norton • August 18, 2025
According to a TIME article, bed bugs have been a persistent problem for years, but lately, they’ve become even more difficult to eliminate. That’s because these pests are developing resistance to many common pesticides, making traditional treatments less effective.
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