Northeast Ohio ranks high in bed bug infestations due to travel, with eradication costly and research underway.

Northeast Ohio, including Cleveland and the Cleveland-Akron area, ranks among the nation’s highest for bed bug infestations, according to pest control firms Orkin and Terminix. Experts link the surge to heavy travel through major airports and public transit, which spread bed bugs from other regions. Infestations occur regardless of hygiene or income, but stigma often delays reporting. While bed bugs don’t carry diseases, eradication is costly—heat treatments can exceed $4,000 and are typically not covered by insurance. Growing resistance to chemicals has spurred research, including Ohio State University’s Seun Odalipupo studying bed bugs’ reliance on human skin microbiomes to develop new control methods.