Colorado’s urban centers face a mounting bed bug crisis, with Denver leading the charge according to recent Orkin rankings, while nearby cities like Aurora, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and Pueblo report surging infestations and extermination efforts.
These resilient pests thrive in high-traffic areas, spreading through travel, rentals, and secondhand goods, prompting local pest control companies to ramp up heat treatments and inspections. As of 2025, Orkin’s data highlights a 12-15% national increase in treatments, with Colorado’s mild climate worsening the spread.
Denver’s Top-Ranked Battle
Denver climbed to #14 on Orkin’s 2025 list of worst U.S. cities for bed bugs, up from #15 the prior year, based on treatment calls from late 2023 to 2024.
Factors include 31 million annual tourists via Denver International Airport, dense apartments in LoDo, Capitol Hill, and RiNo, and hotels in Cherry Creek, where bed bugs hitchhike in luggage. HotBugz reports 65% of cases from multi-unit housing and a 30% inquiry rise in suburbs like Aurora and Lakewood, with costs exceeding $2,000 per home for extermination.
Local efforts focus on heat treatments reaching 120-140°F to kill all life stages, outperforming chemicals amid pesticide resistance. Orkin and HotBugz emphasize inspections of mattresses, baseboards, and outlets, noting a 25% egg detection increase.
Aurora’s Hidden Spread
Aurora, Denver’s eastern suburb, sees frequent bed bug reports tied to its large apartment complexes and proximity to the airport. Konold Pest Control offers comprehensive inspections and treatments like heat and eco-friendly options for homes and businesses. EnviroPest stresses early detection, as bed bugs migrate via shared walls and laundry, mirroring Denver’s multi-unit woes.
Residents combat this through professional extermination, with firms providing prep guidance and follow-ups to prevent re-infestation. The suburb’s growth fuels the problem, but targeted heat kills pests in one day, avoiding chemical residues.
Colorado Springs’ Persistent Threat
In Colorado Springs, Orkin provides 24/7 bed bug control for homes, hotels, and facilities, using advanced assessments and treatments. Bed bugs here feed on blood nightly, causing rashes and allergies, often entering via travel or clutter. The city’s military bases and tourism amplify spread, with pros recommending thorough plans over DIY failures.
Extermination involves liquid treatments, foams, and monitoring, with emphasis on family safety. Local data shows stubborn infestations requiring repeated visits, but professional intervention halts growth.
Fort Collins’ Emerging Cases
Fort Collins reports at least six bed bug incidents per BedBugs.net, concentrated in specific sites, prompting EnviroPest’s eco-friendly heat treatments completed in hours. These single-day processes follow inspections and prep, ideal for the college town’s rentals and homes. Bed bugs hide in furniture and outlets, spreading via secondhand items common in student areas.
Pest control skips DIY, using heat to eradicate eggs and adults without chemicals. Prevention includes bait systems for related pests, but bed bugs demand direct heat assaults.
Pueblo’s Multi-Treatment Fight
Pueblo tackles bed bugs with Mug-A-Bug’s regimen: contact insecticides for furniture, residuals for cracks, dusts for outlets, and growth regulators every two weeks initially. These hardy pests require multiple visits until bites cease, then 30-day follow-ups. The southern city’s homes face rapid reproduction, with treatments targeting sofas and baseboards.
This structured approach disrupts breeding, proving more effective than single applications. Locals benefit from combined methods, ensuring complete removal in pest-prone areas.
Causes and Statewide Factors
Bed bugs, apple-seed-sized and reddish-brown, survive mild Colorado winters, resisting pesticides and laying 1-5 eggs daily. Spread occurs via tourism (31 million Denver visitors), secondhand furniture from Craigslist, and multi-unit walls/laundry. Hotels report lawsuits from guest bites, with odors and stains as signs.
Nationally, Chicago tops lists, but Colorado’s 12% Denver service increase reflects travel booms.
Prevention Strategies Across Cities
Inspect secondhand items, use mattress encasements, and launder in high heat post-travel. Reduce clutter, check hotel seams, and notify managers in apartments. Businesses schedule inspections; heat treatments prevent escalation.
Early action saves thousands in damages like furniture loss or lost rent.
Extermination Innovations
Heat reigns supreme, killing at 118°F+ without toxins, unlike sprays missing eggs. Colorado firms like HotBugz, Konold, and EnviroPest use monitored heaters for one-day results. Chemicals supplement in Pueblo but lag in resistance cases.
SOURCES:
- https://hotbugz.com/updates/denver-climbs-the-bed-bug-ranks-to-14-in-the-us-dont-let-these-bloodsuckers-ruin-your-sleep/
- https://konoldpestcontrol.com/service-area/aurora/bed-bug-extermination/
