Chicago, Illinois
The ‘windy city’ may be best known for its iconic deep dish pizza and cool jazz culture, but below the surface is a whole host of potential pest problems. Not only does Chicago take out the top position when it comes to bed bug infestations, but is also number one overall in terms of all pest control call outs. This makes staying informed when it comes to potential creepy crawly problems a key concern for all residents of the ‘second city’.
Situated within the humid continental climate zone, Chicago normally experiences four distinct seasons with cold, snowy winters and hot, humid summers. The Chicago region is also prone to extreme weather episodes, such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hail. This makes the city susceptible to a range of different infestation problems all year round, from cockroaches, to bed bugs, and more.
As the third largest city in the US, Chicago has a high population density. This includes a built-up metropolitan area, in which high-rise buildings are common, and a sprawling suburban population of more than 6 million inhabitants. This further adds to the diversification of the city’s potential pest problems, with pest issues typical of both highly urbanized areas (in which cockroaches and rats and other rodents may be common) and suburban sprawl (such as termite infestation).
Perhaps the most common pest problems in the greater Chicago area include bed bugs, ants and rodents. This group of pests fits the typical profile of a city that is urbanized as Chicago and can lead to a range of potential problems for homeowners, tenants and landlords. Bed bugs can be a nightmare and are almost impossible to completely eradicate from a home without professional help. Although possible, an effective effort requires a fastidious extermination method and the complete elimination of all bed bugs from the home to prevent re-infestation. Bed bugs love to travel and can quickly spread to the homes of families and friends. Meanwhile, ants can be attracted to food and penetrate your property in the thousands. ‘White ants’ in particular (termites) can cause serious and irreparable structural damage to a home. Finally, rodents, although perhaps the least troublesome, can lead to an array of problems on their own including dangerously chewing through electrical wires and creating health problems for cohabiting humans.
One important thing to note as either a landlord or tenant in the Chicago area, is that the ultimate responsibility for pest extermination lies with the owner of a property. According to the Chicago Building Code, an owner must “exterminate any insects, rodents or other pests in any family unit, if infestation is caused by the failure of the owner or operator to maintain the dwelling in a rat-proof or reasonable insect-proof condition, and he must exterminate such pests in any family unit in the dwelling, regardless of the cause of infestation.”
With such a large pest population, Chicago is thankfully also home to a number of the nation’s leading pest control providers. One of the leading pest control companies in the area is Rose Pest Control. In operation since 1860, Rose Pet Control claims to be Chicago and America’s most experienced pest control company. They provide a number of expert solutions for the removal of bed bugs, rodents, ants, wasps, spiders, and many other common pest problems. Other pest control companies servicing the wider Chicago area include Nevernest Pest Control, Pest Control Chicagoland, and Anderson Pest Solutions.
