Does Florida Really Have the Worst Bugs in the Nation?

We put Florida's reputation as the buggiest state to test
Bugs in Florida
Don’t turn around … it’s right there. Unsplash

Florida seems to have them all – palmetto bugs that look like roaches on steroids, those pesky “love bugs” that end up smashed and stuck to our car windshields each summer, and those wood-eating termites that feast particularly well in the state’s humid climate. And that’s just for starters.

But is Florida’s reputation as the “Worst Bug State” factually accurate?

Bugs are bad in Cleveland, Tulsa

One recent study by home pest control experts declared Cleveland, Ohio, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, as the most bug-ridden states.

The same study proclaimed that bedbugs are the most hated pest, followed by termites, mosquitoes and ticks.

Florida tops experts’ list of worst bug states

Another telephone survey – conducted by Infogroup/ORC – did in fact declare Florida to be the worst state for bugs. Overall, the study showed that t90 percent of homeowners nationwide had experience an insect infestation.

According to product sales data, here are the top five buggiest states:

  1. Florida
  2. Louisiana
  3. Texas
  4. California
  5. Georgia

The least buggiest states?

  1. Washington, D.C.
  2. South Dakota
  3. Connecticut
  4. Idaho
  5. New Hampshire.

Those aren’t good examples of vacation paradises though, are they? Perhaps the best answer is buying some bug spray and sticking with the Florida sunshine.

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