U.S. cities exploding with solid bed bug numbers

AMERICA — Baltimore ranked number one for the second straight year on Orkin's annual Top 50 Bed Bug Cities list.
The Atlanta-based pest control company published the list on Monday and it's based on the most home and commercial treatments for bed bugs from December 2016 to November 2017, Bloomberg reported.
Baltimore came in first, Washington second, Chicago third, Los Angeles fourth and Columbus in fifth.

Bed bug numbers were reduced after WWII, but have since made a comeback due to increased traveling, regulatory restrictions on insecticides such as DDT and tolerance to organic pesticides.

One research firm found that the bed bug control industry was worth around US$611.2 million in 2016, with some analysts estimating industry revenue could hit US$1 billion in five years, according to Bloomberg.

According to one report, hotels spend on average of US$6,383 per bed bug incident, which includes the replacement cost for soft-goods, treatment and lost business.