By Scoop Dog, Bed Bug Help’s resident news hound
If you live in Northeast Ohio, you might not want to read this one right before bedtime. According to a recent WOSU report by Ida Lieszkovszky, Cleveland and Akron have once again crawled their way to the top of Orkin and Terminix’s most bed bug-infested cities list. That’s right - only Chicago is scratching more than we are.
The report doesn’t just give us the heebie-jeebies - it clears up a big misconception: bed bugs don’t discriminate. As Dr. Seun Odalipupo, a bed bug researcher at Ohio State University, put it, “If you have a bed bug problem, it’s because you’re human.” They don’t care about income, zip code, or how clean your house is. They just care that you’re warm-blooded and stationary long enough for a midnight snack.
So, what’s fueling Cleveland’s itch-inducing fame? Travel, mostly. With major airports and plenty of movement between the Midwest and East Coast, these little hitchhikers are getting around like seasoned frequent flyers. Experts warn they can come from just about anywhere - movie theaters, schools, even doctor’s offices.
The story also highlighted a local company that takes the “roasting” part literally. Their method involves industrial heaters cranking rooms up to 120-150°F - basically turning your house into a bug sauna. It’s effective but expensive: around $4,000 for a full treatment. And since most insurance policies don’t cover bed bugs, that’s a big bite out of anyone’s wallet.
But here’s the part that caught my reporter’s nose - Odalipupo’s research is digging deep into bed bug biology. He’s studying how the pests sniff out their favorite hosts using the human skin microbiome (that invisible mix of bacteria and oils that makes you you). Someday, that could lead to new ways to trap or repel them. Until then, though, vigilance, professional help, and a dash of humility are still the best defenses.
So yeah, Cleveland might be hot right now - but for all the wrong reasons. Stay alert, check those mattresses, and remember: these bugs may bite, but they don’t define you.
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- Scoop Dog
Sniffing out the truth, one pest at a time.
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