Louisville Lands at 31 on America’s Top 50 Termite Cities List

Freaking termites. Courtesy of Orkin

Orkin released its annual Top 50 Termite Cities list, and Louisville landed at No. 31 this year.

That’s not even the bad news, though — that means they climbed `13 spots since last year. While Los Angeles moved into No. 1, displacing long-time front-runner Miami, Washington, D.C., Tampa and Chicago rounded out the Top 5 in the fairly disgusting list. Both Chicago and Raleigh are newcomers to the Top 10, with Chicago making the biggest jump from #23 to #5 on this year's list. (Read the full report here.)

The list is based on treatment data from the metro areas where Orkin performed the most first-time customer termite treatments from February 1, 2021 – January 31, 2022. The ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments, the report says.

The Orkin report warns that homeowners can get termites from wooden structures (such as porches and decks) directly touching the ground; firewood leaning against the house; soil that stays damp long-term from leaking faucets; or water retention areas near foundation and dead trees or other landscaping near the house.

"Termites are able to hide in your home for years, secretly damaging your home without ever being acknowledged," said Glen Ramsey, Orkin entomologist. "Some species of termite queens lay millions of eggs each year that hatch and grow into wood-eating machines, wreaking havoc within the foundation of your home and causing extensive damage."

Well, I’m officially terrified.