Bed Bug Outbreak Fills Paris Streets with Mattresses
The streets of Paris are now littered with mattresses encased in plastic as the bed bug issue persists. During a stroll home from school, an 18-year-old student encountered a mattress left on the side of the road.
As summer travel approaches, a prominent pest control company has released a list indicating U.S. cities where bed bug encounters are most likely.
Bed bugs, which are small, blood-sucking insects, thrive near humans and animals, especially in areas where people sleep, such as beds and sofas. Their bites can lead to itchy skin irritations and, in some cases, allergic reactions.
This year, Chicago once again ranks at the top of Orkin’s list of cities for bed bug treatments. It has held this position for the fifth consecutive year, emphasizing its status as a hotbed for these pests.
Los Angeles, Detroit, Cleveland, and Indianapolis follow closely behind in the top five. Interestingly, an increase in bed bug activity has also been reported in tourist-heavy areas like Tampa and Myrtle Beach.
Orkin noted that cities experiencing the highest levels of bed bug activity also tend to be those that attract large tourist crowds, especially during major events and festivals throughout the summer.
Meanwhile, Nashville and Oklahoma City have climbed ten spots on the list this year, while places like Youngstown, Omaha, and Knoxville have seen significant declines.
The ranking is derived from treatment data for metropolitan areas where Orkin conducted the most bed bug treatments between May 2025 and May 12, 2026, encompassing both residential and commercial settings.
According to earlier reports, Michigan has been identified as the state with the highest risk of encountering bed bugs, followed by Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, while Hawaii and Oregon ranked lower on the scale.
Warren, Michigan, leads the list of U.S. cities for bed bug issues, with North Las Vegas, Nevada, and Madison, Wisconsin, also noted as significant concern areas. This analysis combines bed bug data from various sources, including Orkin and Terminix, along with TripAdvisor hotel reviews and social media mentions.
In an interesting take, Zachary DeVries, an associate professor specializing in urban entomology at the University of Kentucky, suggests that while such reports are intriguing, they may misrepresent the situation. He cautioned against interpreting these rankings as implying that bed bug problems are confined to specific cities, noting their ability to appear in urban, suburban, or even rural areas.
Furthermore, Dini Miller, an urban pest management professor at Virginia Tech, highlighted that popular places are likely to receive more attention for bed bug reports simply due to the number of visitors they attract.
Experts advise travelers to check their furniture, shoes, and upholstery for bed bugs and suggest inspecting mattress seams and furniture backs while away from home. A sticky lint roller may also be useful for identifying any bugs that hitch a ride.
