Marysa Tuttle and Ashleigh Jackson
6 minutes ago
While cockroaches are good for the ecosystem, they can be a nuisance and difficult to avoid in some of America’s largest cities.
Pest Gnome, a company that specializes in connecting people with pest exterminators in their area, ranked the most cockroach-infested cities in the country.
Perhaps not surprisingly, several highly populated metropolitan areas made the list, which was determined using data from the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Houston topped the rankings, with 37% of homes showing signs of these bugs in the past 12 months, according to the study. H-Town is known for its heat and humidity, and Pest Gnome said cockroaches thrive in these conditions.
Another Texas city ranked second on the list: San Antonio. The study found that about 28% of homes in the Alamo City showed signs of cockroaches in the past 12 months. Tampa, Phoenix and Las Vegas rounded out the top five.
Here is the full list:
- Houston, TX
- San Antonio, Texas
- Tampa, Florida, USA
- Phoenix, Arizona, USA
- The Vegas, Nevada
- Miami Florida
- Atlanta Georgia
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Dallas, TX
- oklahoma city, state of oklahoma
- New York, NY
- Richmond, Virginia, USA
- Los Angeles California
- Washington D.C.
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Riverside, California, USA
- Chicago, IL
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- San Jose, California
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Detroit, Michigan
- San Francisco, CA
- Rochester, New York
- Seattle, WA
Cockroaches play an important role in our ecosystem as they are a food source for other creatures, such as toads, mice, beetles and spiders, according to Orkin.
But they can also pose a risk to human health.
“Cockroaches are known to transfer disease pathogens, such as the various bacteria that cause ‘food poisoning’ in humans, by contaminating food, food preparation surfaces, dishes, and eating utensils,” the Department of Health stated. Illinois Public Schools on their website.
To prevent cockroaches from wandering into your home, Pest Gnome recommends sealing entry points, cleaning up stray crumbs, repairing leaky pipes, and using Raid and Roach Motels. If all else fails, call an exterminator.