France faces a bed bug infestation. Discontent isn’t just spreading through the streets – the little insects are even causing arguments in parliament. There will be an emergency meeting on Friday.
Bedbugs are only the size of an apple core – but they’re currently a big problem in France: the tiny insects are said to have infested cinemas, trains and the Paris metro, among other places. People’s reactions vary between calm and alert.
“If I really have to take her home, then I will have to react. But I’m not taking any extra care,” says a passerby. Others, however, pay more attention. “I ventilate well every morning, check the sheets and the duvet,” says one woman. Everything you hear and read at the moment scares you a little.
Two thirds more pest control operations
According to the professional association of exterminators, 65% more operations against bedbugs took place in France between June and August than in the same period last year. Overall, the number of missions has been increasing steadily since 2020, the association states. This is partly because people are now more aware and report cases more frequently.
Salim Dahou, biocides technician at Hygiene Premium, removes pillowcases to prevent the spread of bedbugs in an apartment near Paris.
At least as far as public transport is concerned, everything is clean, said Transport Minister Clément Beaune. All suspected cases reported would also be checked there and the results published. “None of the cases reported in recent days have been confirmed as actual bed bug infestations,” Beaune said.
According to current knowledge, bed bugs do not transmit diseases. However, their bites can cause rashes and itchiness – not to mention nervous tension if your own home is affected.
Bedbugs on the political agenda
Insects have become a political issue in France. Mathilde Panot, leader of the left-wing La France Insoumise party’s parliamentary group, gave a truly furious speech in parliament on Tuesday – as she held a sealed glass bottle containing real bedbugs.
“Bedbugs spread in all areas of daily life, they are a real ordeal for those affected,” said Panot. They deprive them of sleep and cause constant anxiety and social isolation. “We demand that insect control becomes a free public service that protects health and the environment. Prime Minister: Does your government house have to be infested with bedbugs before you can finally act?”
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne reacted in an equally harsh tone and asked for “a little decency”. “Political divisions should not play a role in this issue,” she said. “So why are you exaggerating once again? Why don’t you say that the government has launched a plan to combat bedbugs in early 2022? We thus provide the first answers to the problem.”
This plan depends, among other things, on more information so that cases are reported more quickly. From the critics’ point of view, however, this does not go far enough. In any case, the topic is again at the top of the political agenda: on Friday there will be a government crisis meeting on the topic of “bedbugs”.