Columbus No. 3 for bedbugs

Local More Local Stories US & World More US & World Stories By Rita Price The Columbus Dispatch Friday March 14, 2014 6:30 AM

Columbus keeps climbing in the ranks of the nations most bedbug-infested cities, according to major pest-control companies.

The city rose to No. 3 on the latest list from Orkin, which ranks metro areas by the number of bedbug treatments the company performed last year.

Terminix says bedbug-specific calls in Columbus jumped by 47 percent from January through May last year, compared with the same period in 2012. That hike was the fourth-highest, the company said.

It should be of concern to our public officials, said Susan Jones, an Ohio State University entomologist and bedbug expert. It is getting worse as we speak.

Jones and other members of the all-volunteer Central Ohio Bed Bug Task Force say the absence of public funding for bedbug awareness and eradication hampers efforts to fight what has become an epidemic.

The tenacious, blood-sucking, hard-to-kill insects inflict misery most everywhere they go. Households that cant pay for professional extermination services are most likely to suffer, because home remedies and over-the-counter products generally dont work well.

Cities need to address this issue because it is a communitywide problem, with schools, hospitals, movie theaters and other public places always at risk, Jones said. And the state health department needs to provide guidance.

Of the top seven cities on Orkins list, four areas are in Ohio. Cincinnati is No. 5, Cleveland/Akron/Canton is sixth, and Dayton is seventh.

Chicago took the top spot on Orkins list. The nations biggest city, New York, was No. 17, down from 10th place in 2012. Columbus rose three spots from 2012 to last year.

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Columbus No. 3 for bedbugs