PHILADELPHIA (Reuters Life!) – New York has more unwanted nocturnal guests than other urban areas and has been named the most bedbug infested city in the United States.

It surpassed Philadelphia, Detroit, Cincinnati and Chicago, which rounded out the top five cities, according to extermination company Terminix, which compiled the list based on call volume to its offices around the country so far this year.

"In the past, offices might get a couple of calls a month for bedbug eradication," said spokesman Clint Briscoe. "Now, some of them are getting several dozen a week."

The company blamed international travel for the bugs' return 60 years after they were thought to have been eradicated in the US. But it said the appearance on its list of smaller cities shows the insects that live in furniture, clothing and luggage, are getting a grip on the US heartland.