Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee has (again) been named one of the top cities in America for bed bug infestations
Where do bed bugs come from? How they get could get into your home
Does the thought of bed bugs keep you up at night? Here’s what to know.
Here’s something that’ll give you the creeps ― bed bugs are on the rise in Milwaukee.
On Monday, the international pest control company Orkin released its annual list of the 50 most bed bug-infested cities in the United States. Milwaukee was named the 25th-most bed bug-infested city, moving up 15 spots from 40th-most infested last year. The only city to rise more spots in the rankings was Greensboro, N.C., which moved up 25 spots from 43rd to 18th.
The most bed bug-infested cities list is based on Orkin’s data on which metropolitan areas they performed the greatest number of bed bug treatments in between Dec. 1, 2022, and Nov. 30, 2023. The ranking includes both residential and commercial pest control treatments.
What U.S. city has the most bed bugs?
Chicago topped Orkin’s list for the fourth year in a row. It’s been a rough year for the Windy City in terms of pests. Chicago was also named America’s most rat-infested city by Orkin last year. Way to hit Milwaukee’s southern neighbor/rival when they’re down.
New York and Philadelphia held the second and third spots, respectively, for the second year in a row.
What are America’s 50 most bed bug-infested cities?
- Chicago
- New York City
- Philadelphia
- Cleveland-Akron, Ohio
- Los Angeles
- Detroit
- Washington, D.C. (+2)
- Indianapolis (-1)
- Charlotte, N.C. (+5)
- Champaign, Ill. (+1)
- Columbus, Ohio (-1)
- Cincinnati (+1)
- Atlanta (+3)
- Grand Rapids, Mich. (-2)
- Denver
- Baltimore (-8)
- Richmond, Va. (+9)
- Greensboro, N.C. (+25)
- St. Louis (+6)
- Youngstown, Ohio (+7)
- Pittsburgh (-3)
- Dallas-Ft. Worth (-5)
- Flint, Mich. (-2)
- Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (-4)
- Milwaukee (+15)
- Charleston, W.Va. (-7)
- Greenville, S.C. (-3)
- Norfolk, Va. (-5)
- Davenport, Iowa (+8)
- Nashville, Tenn. (+3)
- Tampa, Fla. (+10)
- Toledo, Ohio (+6)
- Dayton, Ohio (+1)
- Knoxville, Tenn. (-4)
- Las Vegas (new to list)
- Omaha, Neb. (-4)
- South Bend, Ind. (-9)
- Houston (+6)
- Cedar Rapids, Mich. (-8)
- Ft. Wayne, Ind. (-5)
- San Francisco (-19)
- Buffalo, N.Y. (-13)
- Harrisburg, Pa. (-7)
- Seattle (-5)
- Miami
- Orlando, Fla. (+1)
- Minneapolis (new to list)
- Oklahoma City (new to list)
- Louisville, Ky.
- Lexington, Ky. (-4)
What do bed bugs look like?
Bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed. They’re quite small, measuring roughly 1-to-7 millimeters, or up to 1/4 of an inch, long. The little pests have a flat, oval body and dark, protruding eyes, as well as short antennae.
Adult bed bugs are reddish-brown in color after feeding on blood. Young bugs are whitish-yellow and closer in size to a poppy seed.
You can learn more about the appearance of bed bugs throughout their life cycle on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website.
Why are bed bugs a problem?
Bed bugs feed on human blood, often when people are sleeping. The bugs are not known to transmit or spread disease, the EPA says, but they can cause itchy bites that irritate human hosts.
Bed bug bites can affect each person differently. Bite responses can range from an absence of any physical signs of the bite, to a small bite mark, to a serious allergic reaction, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say. While the bugs aren’t dangerous, an allergic reaction to several bites may require medical attention.
Additionally, sometimes excessively itching the bites can increase the chance of a secondary skin infection, the CDC warns.
Another sinister thing about these pests is that they travel easily without human detection.
“Bed bugs are usually transported from place to place as people travel,” the CDC says. “The bed bugs travel in the seams and folds of luggage, overnight bags, folded clothes, bedding, furniture and anywhere else where they can hide. Most people do not realize they are transporting stow-away bed bugs as they travel from location to location, infecting areas as they travel.”
Bed bugs can also spread quickly. Female bugs can deposit one to five eggs per day and can lay as many as 500 eggs in their lifetime, Orkin says. The bugs can survive several months between blood meals.
“Bed bugs are extremely resilient, making them difficult to control. As travel plans ramp up, it’s important that Americans know how to protect themselves through pest identification and proper control,” Orkin entomologist Ben Hottel said. “While bed bugs are visible to the naked eye, they are excellent at hiding. Involving a trained professional at the sight of a bed bug introduction is recommended.”
How do I know if I have a bed bug infestation on my hands?
Most people don’t realize they have a bed bug problem until their skin breaks out in itchy red welts. These bite marks can take as many as 14 days to appear, according to the CDC.
The CDC and EPA recommend you check your bed sheets or mattress for the following signs:
- Dark spots (about this size: •), which are blood-filled fecal matter excreted by bed bugs.
- Pale yellow exoskeletons, which look like tiny eggshells, that baby bed bugs shed as they molt.
- A musty, sweet odor that bed bugs produce through glands on their lower body.
- Blood stains where bed bugs have been accidentally crushed.
- Live bed bugs in the seams, piping and folds of your mattress.
How do I prevent a bed bug infestation?
Here are some tips Orkin and American Pest Solutions recommend:
- Inspect your home for signs of bed bugs regularly. Check the places where bugs hide during the day, including mattress tags and seams, and behind baseboards, headboards, electrical outlets and picture frames.
- Decrease clutter around your home to make it easier to spot bed bugs on your own or during professional inspections.
- Vacuum frequently.
- Examine all secondhand furniture and clothing before bringing it inside your home.
- Bed bugs will lay eggs in dirty clothing but hate the heat, so wash and dry your laundry on the hottest temperature setting when returning from a trip.
- Inspect your bedding and luggage carefully if you’ve been traveling. Look for signs of bed bugs. If you see signs of bed bugs on items that can’t be washed, keep those items outside of your home until they can be treated.
How do I get rid of bed bugs if I find them?
If you find bed bugs, it is recommended you call a professional exterminator as soon as possible.
If you can, dispose of any beds, mattresses and cloth-covered furniture that bed bugs have infested. Wrap contaminated items in plastic to prevent any bugs from escaping, and label the items as “bed bug infested” so others don’t unknowingly bring the pests into their homes.
Finally, bed bugs hate the heat, so if you find them on your clothes, it is recommended you dry your clothes on a high-heat setting.
Indianapolis Star reporter John Tufts contributed to this report.
More: Milwaukee is one of the most rat-infested cities in America, but not as rat-infested as Chicago, Orkin says
More: Ticks are active across Wisconsin right now. The good news? There are several ways to prevent the bloodsuckers from biting
MPS cuts face backlash
Milwaukee Public Schools plans about 200 layoffs to close a $46 million budget gap, but union leaders say cuts could impact student safety while district leaders say no classroom teachers will be eliminated.
MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee Public Schools is planning to cut roughly 200 positions next school year as the district works to close a multi-million-dollar budget gap — but there’s disagreement over which roles will be impacted.
What we know:
District leaders say the goal is to close a roughly $46 million shortfall, prompting changes that Superintendent Brenda Cassellius says are necessary.
Milwaukee Public Schools said about 201 staff members will be impacted. District leaders say no classroom teachers, counselors or social workers will be cut — something the teachers’ union disputes.
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The reductions stem from a previously approved plan to eliminate about 260 non-classroom roles. The final number dropped after retirements and existing vacancies. The Milwaukee Board of School Directors approved that plan on March 9.
What they’re saying:
“We have a $50 million deficit, we are for sure not going to be able to do business the same way that we’ve been able to do business,” Cassellius said. “Change is just hard. It’s just hard. And every single one of our employees is so important.”
But some educators say the cuts go too far.
“MTEA is setting up a distress signal. We are talking about our teachers, art teachers, music teachers, physical education teachers, counselors — things that the voters of referendum of Milwaukee actually voted for,” said Ingrid Walker-Henry, president of the Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association. “Staffing is being cut to the extent that they are concerned about student safety.”
Cassellius acknowledged the uncertainty and asked school leaders for patience.
“We just have to for sure know our budget situation, where we’re at with that after these cuts are made in order to make those decisions,” she said. “So I’m asking my principals, be patient with us.”
By the numbers:
The district outlined the 201 affected positions as:
- 70 central office roles
- 62 educators with a teaching license but not assigned to one classroom
- 59 assistant principals
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MPS says the savings will support new class size guidelines, including:
- 18 students per teacher in K3
- 20 students per teacher in K4
- 22 students per teacher in K5
Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS)
District leaders say no students will be asked to leave a school to meet class size guidelines. Officials say they are working with schools that may not have space or that require larger classes based on specific programs.
What’s next:
Milwaukee Public Schools plans to present its proposed 2026–27 budget to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors in May.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Milwaukee Public Schools and prior FOX6 coverage.
What’s the main story line of the 2026 Brewers season?
Curt Hogg and JR Radcliffe chat about the overriding storyline for the 2026 Brewers on the cusp of opening day, part of the ‘Microbrew’ podcast.
Just before the pitch clock hits zero, the Milwaukee Brewers released a rundown of channels on cable and satellite for game broadcasts, mere hours before the 1:10 p.m. CT first pitch on Opening Day, Thursday, March 26.
The club said channels include 1263 on XFinity, 670 on DirecTV, 1743 on U-Verse, and 319 or 469 on Spectrum. The broadcasts are also listed as available on streaming service Fubo.
The Brewers are pointing fans to a channel-finding tool on their web site at Brewers.com/watch, though in the moments after the announcement, the channel finder was not yet locating details for Spectrum customers for Milwaukee-area zip codes. A club spokesperson said Major League Baseball was aware of the error and the games would indeed air on Spectrum in Milwaukee.
The built-in Spectrum guide still showed Channel 308 as the “BREW” offering in Milwaukee, with Brewers Live Pregame scheduled to begin at noon CT and baseball at 1 p.m. March 26.
With the February announcement of a switchover from FanDuel Sports Wisconsin to Major League Baseball productions in 2026, MLB negotiations have gone down to the wire with the various providers around Wisconsin. Several teams covered by Main Street Sports, which operated the FanDuel brand, have been in a similar boat this offseason.
Brewers fans aren’t alone in experiencing the late-arriving channel information. Maury Brown of Forbes has been keeping track of all the late-arriving channel announcements for teams around baseball, specifically those that were covered by the Main Street Sports. As of 7 a.m. March 26, the Royals, Rays, Tigers and Braves also still hadn’t released channel listings.
Streaming customers who used the FanDuel Sports Wisconsin app in previous years can use the new Brewers.TV option to once again watch games. The opener is also one of 10 games simulcast on over-the-air channels this season, including WITI-TV (Channel 6) in Milwaukee.
MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a pursuit that ended with a crash into a library construction site.
In court:
Court records show Cameron Moore, 37, pleaded guilty to three felonies and the state dismissed two others as part of a plea deal. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in May.
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The backstory:
Sheriff’s deputies were monitoring a home near 2nd and Lloyd. They were trying to locate a man, later identified as Moore, who was wanted for burglary and fleeing/eluding.
Moore left the home and got into an SUV that afternoon. Detectives tried to pull the SUV over and, while it did briefly stop, it almost immediately took off.
Crash damages library at MLK and Locust, Milwaukee (Jan. 7, 2025)
About a mile into the chase, the SUV ran a red light and slammed into a car at the intersection of King Drive and Locust Street. It then careened into the library construction site.
Nobody in the vehicles involved in the pursuit or crash was injured, according to authorities. A construction worker inside the building reported leg pain, and he was examined and cleared at the scene.
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“120 to 140 miles per hour on the freeway, on the public roadways passing people,” Court Commissioner Katharine Kucharski said after charges were filed. “We are all very lucky that nobody is…passed in this situation.”
The Milwaukee Public Library’s new Martin Luther King Branch opened months later. At the official opening, Ald. Milele Coggs acknowledged the roadblocks along the way – including the crash.
The Source: Information in this report is from the Wisconsin Circuit Court and prior FOX6 News coverage.
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