When it comes to the itchy, crawly, blood-sucking bed bugs that keep people up at night, it’s always the big cities that are hardest hit. There are two reasons for this. The first is that there are more people living and working in large cities, creating a greater chance for bed bug infestations. Second, people travel to large cities, so there is a higher chance that someone from another state or country will bring bed bugs along with them.
Bed Bugs Found in Large Cities across the U.S.
So where does Louisiana rank on the worst bed bug lists? For once, none of the major Louisiana cities like New Orleans and Baton Rouge are near the top of a negative list – in this case, the worst states for bed bug infestations.
The states that continually top the charts according to pest control companies include the following:
- Cincinnati
- New York City
- Chicago
- Detroit
- Washington DC
- Columbus, OH
- San Francisco
These findings are based on the number of treatments that have been needed in these locations.
A Growing Problem in Louisiana
Even though we aren’t high on the “worst” list, Louisiana is not exempt from bed bug infestations, and these problems are becoming more common across the world, Louisiana included. At Dugas Pest Control, we work solely with Louisiana residents, so we’ve seen our fair share of bed bug infestations, even if they still fall under the radar compared to cities like New York City and Chicago. Nevertheless, all bed bug infestations are the same: difficult to get rid of.
Louisiana’s warm, sub-tropical climate is always favorable to bug species, and with large cities like New Orleans and Baton Rouge where many people travel to, there is always a risk of bed bugs. Although we don’t want to it to happen, we expect to see more cases of infestations over time. In 2010, the bed bug problem started creeping toward our state. This same year, there were 16 LA hotels that had complaints against them for bed bugs.
So when asked the question of whether or not Louisiana will be as badly affected by bed bugs as large cities like Boston or Cincinnati one day, we can only assume that it’s a strong possibility.