Cincinnati has a cockroach problem. Sure, things could be worse, but also ew.
Pest Strategies, a resource for getting rid of annoying or harmful critters, recently compiled a list of the 25 cities with the biggest cockroach problems, and we wretched a bit noting all the places CityBeat staff have lived or visited.
For 2021, Cincinnati is No. 18, with Pest Strategies reporting 26,800 cockroach sightings based on data from the U.S. Census. Breaking things out further, Pest Strategies says that there are 304.20 bug sightings per 10,000 residents. With Cincinnati having a population of nearly 304,000, according to the Census, that's a lot of bugs!
Most of the top 10 cities for cockroaches are based in the South and Southeast, with Houston the worst offender; in the Space City, Pest Strategies says there are a whopping 3,524 cockroach sightings per 10,000 residents, which seems... excessive and gross. New Orleans, Atlanta, Miami and Raleigh round out the top five.
Pest Strategies says there's a reason the cockroaches are bigger and more plentiful in places with all that heat:
Warm climates present the perfect condition year-round for cockroaches to breed and feed, typically using your home or office to do so. Cockroaches aren’t too different from humans — both head indoors when the weather gets too hot. While you’re making the temperature inside cozy for you, you’re likely also attracting roaches who prefer it comfortable, not hot.
But cockroaches aren't the only ones turning Cincinnati into a giant insect playland. Earlier this year, longtime pest-control company Orkin ranked the Queen City as No. 8 for bed bugs, the same ranking it gave in 2020.
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