Only one animal creates more insurance claims than bedbugs – MarketWatch

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Next time you hear someone say Sleep tight, dont let the bedbugs bite, take them seriously bedbug incidents are on the rise in the U.S.

Bedbug bites and infestation were the second highest animal-related cause of liability loss (21%), according to a new report on liabilities by Munich, Germany-based insurance firm Allianz AZSEY, -0.30% , following deer incidents (such as vehicle collisions) at 58%. New York alone saw a 44% jump in bedbug incidents from 2014 to 2015, a peek into a growing trend the insurance industry has seen the past several years.

There are a number of reasons for the rise in bedbug infestations, according to Schaumburg, Ill.-based American Academy of Dermatology (ADA), including more people traveling, which allows bedbugs to move along with the travelers as carriers. Bans on insecticides might also be to blame, the ADA suggested, such as DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane), which was developed in the 1940s and canceled in 1972 because of its negative impact on the environment, wildlife and human health, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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Bedbugs, the blood-sucking insects that reside in beds and furniture, can be found everywhere. More than 90% of exterminating professionals found bedbugs in apartments, condominiums and single-family homes in 2015, and 75% found infestations in hotels and motels, according to a 2015 bedbug survey from the National Pest Management Association and the University of Kentucky. Respondents also said they found bedbugs in college dorms, day-care centers, health care facilities, stores, libraries, movie theaters, nursing homes, office buildings, hospitals and public transportation.

The top 10 cities suffering the most from bedbugs as of last December, according to Atlanta-based pest control company Orkin include:

1. Baltimore 2. Washington, D.C. 3. Chicago 4. New York 5. Columbus, Ohio 6. Los Angeles 7. Detroit 8. Cincinnati 9. Philadelphia 10. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose

Bedbug infestations occur year-round but incidents are most prevalent in warmer weather months, usually April to August, Allianz noted. For example, claims in May are twice as high as those in February.

Not everyone knows if they have been bitten by bedbugs. Bites look different on everyone, but usually appear as small red marks and can be misconstrued for another insect bite. Some marks may have a red dot in the center, or a scab, according to Bedbugger.com, a resource website about bedbugs. If you think you may have bedbugs, do a visual inspection of resting areas and call a professional to do a thorough walk-through, according to another bedbug site Bedbugcentral.com. (It can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,500 to get them professionally removed, according to freelance work site Angies List.) Also, consider buying mattress and box spring encasements to protect them. When traveling, search your hotel on resources like The Bedbug Registry, a free database of user-submitted bedbug claims. Check your hotel room, looking for specks of blood, dark spots that could be excrement or discarded outer shells, the ADA suggested.

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Only one animal creates more insurance claims than bedbugs - MarketWatch

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