SC has one of the worst cities for bed bugs in the US, Orkin says. Take a look

Good news and bad news on the bed bug front for Greenville.

The city moved down three places in Orkin’s list of worst U.S. cities for those disgusting bloodsuckers. But they’re still in the top 25, coming in at 24 for 2023. In Orkins’ 2019 report Greenville was No. 18 - so the trend is going in the right direction.

Last year, Orkin also found Greenville was one of the most rat-infested cities, but not as bad as bed bugs. Greenville was 41 of 50 for rats.

Interestingly, Chicago was No. 1 for bed bugs and rats. The Windy City has been first on the list for bed bugs for three years in a row and has been working on infestations since 2013 when an ordinance was passed setting new requirements on rental properties and homeowners.

The ordinance bans throwing out anything with bed bugs unless the item is fully enclosed in plastic. It also requires businesses to be professionally cleaned if bed bugs are found.

These critters hop around a lot on most anything — purses, jackets, luggage. That’s one reason many infestations begin with hotel stays.

They get on your stuff and then take up residence in your own bed. You brought something back in addition to memories.

In addition to Chicago, Orkin’s top five cities for bed bugs were New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles (biggest jump — no pun intended moving up seven spots) and Cleveland.

The list is based on Orkin treatment data from Dec. 1, 2021 to Nov. 30, 2022 at homes and businesses.

Last October, Orkin said the number of rats increased because restaurants were closed due to COVID. Instead of hanging out in alleys, rats made their way into homes.

The most common species of rat in South Carolina is the brown rat, typically about a pound, brown or gray with scaly tails.

Could be worse, Kansas City, Missouri, has rats the size of rabbits.

This story was originally published January 19, 2023 at 8:00 AM.