"You've got bedbugs," probably tops the list of worst things you can hear about your home.
It's one thing to get stains out of your couch, but an entirely different beast to get bed bugs out of your bed. So more importantly, how do you avoid them altogether?
It might all depend on where you live. Certain cities or metropolitan areas are more prone to bed bugs than others, Orkin Pest Control's 2014 Bed Bug Cities List points out. The company's annual ranking is based on the number of treatments they performed from January to December 2014.
Unfortunately, the Windy City took the number one spot for the third year in a row, while three cities and regions in Ohio take up three of the other top 10 spots. But Chicago and Ohio aren't the only spots battling bedbugs. One expert says it's because they are "great hitchhikers."
"Bed bugs are a serious issue across the country, and they're very difficult to control," said Orkin Entomologist and Technical Services Director Ron Harrison, Ph.D in the press release. "Bed bugs are not limited to any level of cleanliness or income, which means they can be found in any home or hotel. They're great hitchhikers, and people often bring them inside on their clothes or in their luggage."
To get rid of bed bugs, keep in mind that most quick remedies are often the product of deceptive marketing and only professionals should get the bugs out. However, certain preemptive measures can prevent bed bugs from entering your home, like buying bed bug covers for mattresses and box springs, only buying new furniture from reputable sources and checking to make sure certain hotels aren't infested when you travel.
Check out the list below to see where your hometown ranks, and view Orkin's full list here.
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