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With this report out today, citing the top 15 bed bug ridden cities in the United States, we’re reminded of this MSNBC article. It cites a Congressional study in the “Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009” (seriously, would we make that up?) that found a 500% increase in U.S. bedbug infestation in the past few years. Ohio appears to have been hit the hardest in recent years with “about 4,000 reports of bed bugs … in 2009, up from zero just a few years ago.”
The real culprits behind the bed bug march across the U.S. are the high cost of eradication, along with lack of awareness.
…
“There are still an amazing number of people that think bed bugs are some kind of folklore,” he says. “Or, if they do know about them, they think it’s due to poor hygiene, or it’s a problem that only affects the lower classes.”
In fact, prior to 2006, bed bugs were mostly found in upper end hotels in business and leisure travel destinations such as New York, Boston, Orlando and San Francisco, Cooper says.
I’ll admit that last fact surprises me, as I always took it to be an issue of lack of sanitation and seedy hotels. It’s clearly no longer something that U.S. hospitality/service providers can ignore.
(Oh and if you’re not planning on going to bed anytime soon, here’s a plethora of bed bug images to keep you cozy. Sleep tight.)