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
The Milwaukee Bucks’ impending trading of Giannis Antetokounmpo to a new team has been the buzziest NBA story since the New York Knicks won the title. But what if it never happens?
The stars are aligning for the Bucks to pitch a narrative to Giannis that for the second straight transaction cycle they’ve dangled him to the rest of the Association and gotten a tepid response.
A few teams, like the Miami Heat, have been clearly interested. Many others, like the Boston Celtics, seem much more cautious and coy about their pursuit of the Greek Freak. Juggernauts like the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are less than a Giannis away from winning the championship, and neither team even seems willing to bid.
Even Miami’s dogged pursuit may not include exhausting every possible means to add Giannis. After all, he’s into his 30s now, with a lot of basketball miles between NBA and international competition, and his representatives want a seat at the table, plus the injury history is getting extensive…
The important distinction, as @Anthony_Chiang and I, and @EthanJSkolnick have noted, is while only Bam is off limits, the Heat cannot in good conscience offer every single good young player and every single available first and every pick swap. Most, sure. But offer everything…
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) June 18, 2026
And then there’s the Bucks, an organization so committed to winning with Giannis they waived and stretched Damian Lillard last summer because they thought adding Myles Turner would lead to the next great Milwaukee frontcourt following Brook Lopez’s decline. There’s a pitch to be made right now from Jon Horst and the Bucks’ leadership that there’s no other NBA team out there who wants to win with Giannis as badly as they do.
Outside from the human element of feeling wanted, there are more tangible elements in play. Giannis can’t sign his next massive extension until October 1 with Milwaukee, or six months following a trade if he is dealt. If his next team is hesitant to give up players or picks to trade for Giannis, is there really any guarantee that a max extension is on the table in 2027?
The collective bargaining agreement’s extension rules offer somewhat of a double-edged sword in this case. It hurts the Bucks’ ability to keep Giannis that he can’t formally extend until the draft and free agency are over, but also the prospect of being able to sign before suiting up in 2026-27 is more appealing to Giannis than having to wait until January or February. Especially given the series of injuries that have plagued him.
All of this sentiment and security still isn’t enough in itself for Milwaukee. The Bucks would require a plan to improve quickly to get Antetokounmpo bought in again to avoid ending up back here, but in an even more desperate spot, come February. Upgrading from Doc Rivers to Taylor Jenkins is a great start, but executing trades and smart free agent signings will be crucial.
Is it serendipitous timing that the Bucks biggest position of need is wing players and the New Orleans Pelicans reportedly want to get into the range of the 2026 NBA Draft where Milwaukee is slated to pick, with rival teams eyeing young wings Trey Murphy and Herb Jones? Notably, those same Pelicans infamously overpaid to “get their guy” last Draft.
This is more than likely some combination of pipe dream and fairy tale, given most of the reporting around Giannis continues to conclude he’ll be departing Milwaukee in the coming weeks. But even that is strangely optimistic for the Bucks, as they’ve reportedly quietly walked back ownership’s stated timeline of having a decision made by the draft.
All of that said, it still feels more likely that Giannis is traded than not. But this saga has had its share of twists and turns so far and throughout all the noise Giannis has re-signed with the Bucks. Who’s to say that couldn’t happen one more time?
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MILWAUKEE — An Oak Creek couple’s stolen car has been found after a viewer who saw a report on the theft spotted it near a south side Milwaukee apartment complex.
Melinna Posey said the ordeal began when her car was stolen and she turned to social media for help. A person who responded claimed to have the vehicle and demanded money for its return. The person messaging even taunted her, discarding some of the items inside the car.
Personal items were inside the vehicle, including the family’s car seat, stroller, cameras and photos.
“It’s been very stressful, especially for him. It’s his vehicle, it’s in his name,” Posey said.
Watch: Stolen Oak Creek couple’s car found by viewer dumped near Milwaukee apartment complex
Stolen Oak Creek couple’s car found by viewer dumped near Milwaukee apartment complex
I spoke to Posey on Tuesday. Since then, she and Tyler Dusenberry had been searching for the car. On Thursday, the couple received a message from someone who saw the story on TMJ4. That person found the car at a south side Milwaukee apartment complex and shared pictures of the red Dodge Durango SRT between trees and a building, covered in tarps.
“I didn’t believe the text message at first today, and then he sent pictures of the car, and I was like, thank the lord, I was like thank you so much,” Posey said.
“It’s a roller coaster that’s what it’s been,” Dusenberry said.
Brendyn Jones/TMJ4
Oak Creek Police picked up the car and are processing it for evidence. The family has not yet been able to see the inside of the vehicle or what, if anything, was left behind.
The family said they are grateful to everyone who helped them this week, but said the entire experience will be tough to get over.
“It’s just unfortunate that this all happened, and we had a lot of memories and trips within that vehicle so it’s just a little life-changing to be honest,” Dusenberry said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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PLOVER, Wis. (WBAY) – Police in the western part of the state are spreading the word after someone stole over $95,000 worth of Milwaukee-brand tools. Police are concerned that they’ll be sold online or sold outside the state.
Milwaukee-brand tools were stolen from a trailer at a solar farm in Plover.
Police say there were 130 items, including more than 40 half-inch impact guns, multiple wire cutters, grease guns, 80 batteries, and a couple of small generators.
Investigators are warning that buyers who purchase stolen items can have them seized and could lose their money or even face criminal charges if they knew the property was stolen.
Copyright 2026 WBAY. All rights reserved.
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