DC ranks No. 2 on pest control firm’s bedbug list

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 25, 2003: With the San Francisco skyline in the background a United States Coast Guard ship travels under the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Bridge on a routine Homeland Security mission March 25, 2003. Security in the U.S. has been increased since the start of the war with Iraq. (Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images) — **10. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose** (Up 4 slots) (Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images)

FILE - In this June 2, 2011 file photo, the skyline of downtown Philadelphia is seen from Camden, N.J. Democrats have picked Philadelphia as the site of their 2016 national convention. It's a patriotic backdrop for the nomination of the party's next presidential candidate. The Democratic National Committee says the convention will be held the week of July 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek, File) — **9. Philadelphia** (Down 3 slots) (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek, File)

CINCINNATI - JULY 15: Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G) corporate headquarters sits in front of the skyline July 15, 2008 in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. P&G employs over 138,000 people in over 80 countries. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) — **8. Cincinnati** (Unchanged) (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

7. Detroit (Unchanged) (AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz)

AP Photo/Beth J. Harpaz

HOLD FOR STORY - FILE - In this July 1998 file photo, traffic drives toward downtown Los Angeles on the 110 freeway as a curtain of smog shrouds the skyline. Southern California is having its smoggiest summer in nearly a decade and hospitals report an increase of people with breathing problems. The South Coast Air Quality Management District says ozone levels exceeded federal standards for all but four days in June 2016. July had only one clean-air day, and there hasn't been a single day so far in August. The worst-hit areas are in the mountains and inland areas outside of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File) — **6. Los Angeles** (Down 4 slots) (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)

5. Columbus, Ohio (Unchanged) (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File

JBG's footprint will son extend into New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) — **4. New York** (Unchanged) (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

A bike commuter rides along Lake Michigan, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, toward downtown Chicago. Dangerously cold temperatures gripped the Upper Midwest in advance of a storm that's expected to bring several inches of snow in coming days. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) — **3. Chicago** (Down 2 slots) (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

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Clarence Mitchell Courthouse in downtown Baltimore, where jury selection is underway for the trial of Officer William Porter. (WTOP/Dick Uliano) — **1. Baltimore** (Up 9 slots) (WTOP/Dick Uliano)

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WASHINGTON — The District has moved farther up a list residents probably don’t want to be on.

The pest control company Orkin has released its annual list of cities where they made the most bedbug treatments from Dec. 1, 2015, through Nov. 30, 2016, and D.C. has moved up a spot to number 2.

Baltimore leapt nine spots to number one, supplanting Chicago. In last year’s list, the Charm City shot up from number 31 to number 10.

“Anyone can get bedbugs in their home,”said Ron Harrison, Orkin’s entomologist and director of technical services. “They are not a sign of uncleanliness. Bedbugs only need blood to survive. We have treated for bedbugs in everything from million dollar homes to public housing.”

He adds that the bugs were “were virtually unheard of in the U.S. 10 years ago.”

Bedbugs are about the size of an apple seed when fully grown and can survive up to a year without feeding, Harrison said in the statement, so they’re hard to detect and hard to get rid of. And while their bites can give many people terrible itching and rashes, many have no reaction to their bites, which makes them even harder to detect.

Harrison said you need to check for bedbugs regularly — he does it once a week, when he changes his sheets — as well as checking picture frames and around electrical outlets. You should also dry any sheets, curtains and stuffed animals you think may be infested on the highest heat the fabric allows.

You need to keep an eye out for bedbugs when you’re traveling too. Orkin says to remember the acronym SLEEP:

Survey the hotel room for signs of an infestation. Look for black or brown spots on any furniture.
Lift and look in bedbug hiding spots: the mattress, box spring, bedskirt and other furniture, as well as behind baseboards, pictures and even torn wallpaper.
Elevate luggage away from the bed and wall. The safest place is in the bathroom.
Examine your luggage while repacking and once you return home from a trip.
Place all dryer-safe clothing from your luggage in the dryer for at least 15 minutes at the highest setting after you return home.