As summer travel ramps up, experts are warning travelers to carefully inspect hotel mattresses and furniture due to a surge in bedbug activity across major U.S. cities hosting large events. Chicago, known as the Windy City, has once again topped Orkin's 2026 Bed Bug Cities List, maintaining its position as the city with the highest number of bedbug treatments for the fifth consecutive year.

Orkin highlighted that many of the cities experiencing the worst bedbug activity are also popular travel destinations expected to host major concerts, festivals, and sporting events throughout the summer and beyond. Nashville and Oklahoma City each climbed 10 spots on this year's list, indicating a rise in bedbug issues, while Youngstown, Omaha, and Knoxville saw some of the largest declines.

A report released earlier this summer by casino.ca, as reported by Fox News Digital, ranked Michigan as the state with the highest estimated risk of encountering bedbugs, followed by Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Experts advise travelers to perform quick inspections of furniture, shoes, and upholstery to avoid bringing bedbugs home. However, Zachary DeVries, associate professor of urban entomology at the University of Kentucky, cautioned against over-reliance on such rankings, noting that bedbugs can appear in urban, suburban, or rural areas alike.

In France, the bedbug outbreak continues as well, with streets in Paris reportedly filled with mattresses in plastic bags due to infestations.

These year-over-year changes underscore the persistent and evolving nature of bedbug activity across the nation.

Sources