Just hearing the phrase “bed bug” makes me itch, and I’ve never even seen one. The thought of little critters crawling all over my body to suck my blood is really repulsive. How worried should I be, here in New Jersey?

According to a new study, not very worried at all.

A website called Pure Care gathered the data; here’s how they did it.

We used Google Trends to analyze ten of the most searched bed bug-related queries (like "bed bug bites" and "how to kill bed bugs"). The Bed Bug Search Score was measured by averaging the volume of searches across all ten queries. States with the highest score were determined as those with the biggest bed bug problem.

Bed Bug Summit Held Near Chicago
Getty Images
loading...

The good news is that New Jersey ranks toward the bottom of the list when it comes to being bothered by bed bugs. As a matter of fact, we’re the third lowest.

New Jersey's Bed Bug Search Score is 37.8; compare that to bed buggy-Oklahoma's score of 99.1.

The states most bothered by bed bugs: Oklahoma, West Virginia, Kansas, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Women are checking for unusual things and detecting bed bugs in the bedroom.
juststock
loading...

The states least bothered by bed bugs: Oregon, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Washington.

With bed bugs being in the news recently (albeit in France), searches in the U.S. for "bed bugs Paris" exploded over 20,000% last month.

Exterminators Tackle Growing U.S. Bed Bug Problem
Getty Images
loading...

Here are the bed bug queries that were measured and ranked:

⚫ Bed bugs
⚫ Bed bug bites
⚫ What do bed bugs look like
⚫ How to get rid of bed bugs
⚫ Bed bug treatments
⚫ How to kill bed bugs
⚫ How to check for bed bugs
⚫ What do bed bugs look like

LOOK: Here's where people in every state are moving to most

Stacker analyzed the Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey data to determine the three most popular destinations for people moving out of each state.

Gallery Credit: Amanda Silvestri

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.

You can now listen to Deminski & Doyle — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite afternoon radio show any day of the week. Download the Deminski & Doyle show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now.

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM