CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte is getting better about bedbugs, according to a new study.
The study, conducted by Pest Gnome, compared the 500 biggest U.S. cities based on three categories. Researchers looked at the number of accommodations, multi-unit buildings and population density. The study also considered access to exterminators among six total metrics.
Charlotte came in at No. 38. That's an improvement from last year when the Queen City was 32nd overall. Charlotte's middling urban density helped with the score, coming in at No. 298.
The Queen City was No. 82 for pest control and 32nd for risk of infestation.
Other North Carolina cities on the list include Greenville (93), Raleigh (97), Durham (107) and Asheville (124).
"Bedbugs will usually be in areas where people spend a fair amount of time sitting or sleeping," Aaron Ashbrook, an assistant professor of urban extension entomology at Louisiana State University, said. "Some other areas where people could encounter bedbugs are public transportation systems, movie theaters or office buildings."
Ashbrook said it's a misconception that bedbugs are only found in beds. He said they're often found in carpets, floorboards, electrical outlets, curtains and other pieces of furniture.
The top five cities in order were New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago and San Francisco. Houston has the lowest urban density of the top five, but high numbers of hotels and used furniture stores carried it to No. 3, researchers said.
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