ATLANTA — Orkin, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rollins Inc., announced its top 50 bed bug cities for 2011, and several of them are popular spring break destinations. Last year, Orkin's parent company, Rollins, which operates seven pest control brands, saw a 33.6 percent increase in bed bug business compared to 2010. The following cities are ranked in order of the number of bed bug treatments Orkin performed from January to December 2011 along with their shift, if any, in ranking compared to January to December 2010.
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1. Cincinnati |
26. San Diego (+13) |
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2. Chicago |
27. Seattle/Tacoma, Wash. (-3) |
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3. Detroit (+1) |
28. Omaha, Neb. (-11) |
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4. Denver (+2) |
29. Buffalo, N.Y. (-16) |
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5. Los Angeles (+20) |
30. Pittsburgh (-3) |
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6. Columbus, Ohio (-3) |
31. Indianapolis (-12) |
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7. Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas (+43) |
32. Milwaukee (+6) |
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8. Washington, D.C. (-3) |
33. Charlotte, N.C. (+13) |
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9. New York (-2) |
34. Phoenix (+19) |
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10. Richmond/Petersburg, Va. (+6) |
35. Louisville, Ky. (-3) |
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11. Houston (-1) |
36. Hartford/New Haven, Conn. (-16) |
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12. San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, Calif. (+35) |
37. Grand Junction/Montrose, Colo. (+30) |
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13. Cleveland/Akron/Canton, Ohio (+1) |
38. Knoxville, Tenn. (+4) |
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14. Boston (+4) |
39. Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, Mich. (-17) |
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15. Dayton, Ohio (-7) |
40. Nashville, Tenn. (+15) |
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16. Las Vegas (-1) |
41. Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, Calif. (+24) |
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17. Honolulu (+55) |
42. Des Moines/Ames, Iowa (-13) |
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18. Baltimore (-6) |
43. Salisbury, Md. (+46) |
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19. Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville, N.C. (+9) |
44. Albany/Schenectady/Troy, N.Y. (-23) |
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20. Philadelphia (-9) |
45. Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, Iowa (-22) |
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21. Atlanta (+24) |
46. Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn. (-20) |
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22. Lexington, Ky. (-13) |
47. Lincoln/Hastings/Kearney, Neb. (-17) |
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23. Syracuse, N.Y. (+25) |
48. Salt Lake City (-8) |
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24. Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (+27) |
49. Charleston/Huntington, W.Va. (-13) |
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25. Colorado Springs/Pueblo, Colo. (+19) |
50. West Palm Beach/Ft. Pierce, Fla. (+6) |
Los Angeles moved from 25th to 5th, San Francisco moved from 47th to 12th and Honolulu was not in the top 50 list at 72nd in 2010, but now ranks 17th. Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Fla. also jumped in the rankings from 51st to 24th along with West Palm Beach, Fla., which was not in the top 50 in 2010. New Orleans, La. ranked 31st in 2010 and is no longer in the top 50. Also no longer in the top 50 are Sioux City, Iowa; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Davenport, Iowa/Moline, Ill.; Austin, Texas; Norfolk, Va.; Champaign, Ill.; Springfield, Ill.; and Tulsa, Okla.
"The changes in some cities' rankings show bed bugs continue to be a problem in most areas of the U.S.," said Orkin entomologist and technical services director Ron Harrison, Ph.D. "Several of the top 50 cities have large, busy airports, and there could be a correlation between increased travel and bed bug activity. The changes could also be because the bed bug population is increasing overall, or even because the public is becoming more aware of bed bugs and has become better adept at identifying them."
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