Statistic You Probably Didn't Want to Hear: More Bed Bugs in D.C.

Bad news for all your nocturnal hours. There's a new study out ranking U.S. cities based on bed bug populations, and D.C. has moved up the chart in just a few short months.

In March, D.C. had the nation's eighth-highest population of bed bugs, according to a study by Orkin, the pest extermination company. But now, WTOP reports, D.C. has climbed to No. 6.

This is just more unsettling news about creepy crawlies wriggling their way around our mattresses and bedding while we slumber. Last month, it was reported that in addition to being increasingly common in apartment buildings, bed bugs are also squirming their way into the Washington area's single-family homes.

The study released today, compiled from information obtained by Terminix, puts D.C. in a group of six cities where the bed bug population is on an observable upswing. Philadelphia is No. 1, followed by Cincinnati, New York, Chicago and Detroit.

And the study comes with yet another reminder that while they don't carry any known diseases, bed bugs are tough to stamp out, WTOP reports:

"Bedbugs are among the most difficult and expensive urban pests to control. It typically takes a professional to do it right," says Susan Jones, an urban entomologist with the university's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and a household and structural pest specialist.

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Statistic You Probably Didn't Want to Hear: More Bed Bugs in D.C.