Worst Bedbug Cities and How to Avoid This Plague While Traveling
Okay – surprise, surprise – New York is in fact the worst city for bedbugs (followed by Philadelphia and Detroit), according to at least one survey.
Worst Bedbug Cities and Worst State
Ah, but what is the most infested state? Well, a glance at the list of the Top 15 Most Infested U.S. Citiestells you there is only one state with multiple cities on this list, and that is the Buckeye State – Ohio.
The entire top 15 list from the pest control folks at Terminex contains four Ohio cities, including Cincinnati (#4), Columbus (#7), Dayton (#8) and Cleveland (#4).
To be fair, this list was released about a month ago and who knows? Maybe all these cities have cleaned up their bedbug situation. However, these pests are notoriously difficult to get rid of.
Travel Alert – Bedbugs are Everywhere
It’s not just Ohio, though – or the Big Apple; a look at screaming headlines tells the story. Some examples:
More bad news: there have been reports of bedbugs on airlines.
What Travelers Can Do – The Beagle Option
One thing you could do is travel with a pup like the one below:
Beagle photo by Bukowsky18 on Flickr
Beagles are said to be excellent at ferreting out bedbugs, and if you could arrange to have one in your hotel room, so much the better. Or have one waiting for you at home; it will lick you in sympathy as you begin to scratch.
What Travelers Can Do – Serious Solutions
First of all, when you get into your hotel room, check for bedbugs – and these gruesome pictures will help you identify the little critters. If you see anything like this, move.
Protect Your Luggage, Protect Your Bags
Bedbugs like hiding in cloth and textiles, so do not put your suitcase on the bed, on a rug, or even on a fabric-strapped luggage rack – unless you’ve scoped out the situation thoroughly and know there’s no infestion.
Be on the safe side: Put your bags on a desk or bureau. Some recommend going so far as sealing your suitcase in a giant-sized Ziploc bag.
The main thing is, avoid bringing them home with you. If you do (or think you have), unpack in the garage – and wash all clothing in hot water. More tips here – on Bedbugger.com, of course.
Bedbug photo by Oldmaison on Flickr
