Paris
After the French capital hosted Fashion Week and the Rugby World Cup, there are concerns the problem could spread
Paris is burning its luggage and bed linen as it battles a “scourge” of bed bugs, stoking fears of an infestation worldwide as pest controllers report a surge in inquiries and transport companies and hoteliers try to allay concerns.
The City of Light is reportedly under siege by the nocturnal bloodsuckers, prompting French Transport Minister Clément Beaune to meet with transport operators. “It’s a real nightmare,” said Yacine, a teacher in Paris who declined to give his last name. “I’m so afraid of taking the metro, I won’t go to the cinema – it’s very alarming.”
With the city having just hosted Paris Fashion Week and the Rugby World Cup, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city, fears are growing that the problem could spread as visitors return home with an unwelcome souvenir.
Bed bugs have been spotted on trains, in cinemas and in accommodation across France
In the UK, Eurostar has sought to reassure travelers that its trains’ fabric surfaces are “regularly thoroughly cleaned”, including with heat, and that the presence of insects such as bed bugs is “extremely rare”.
In a statement it said the trains would be cleaned “on request or as soon as there is the slightest doubt”. “Preventative treatment across our entire network” is also planned, but no further details were given.
“I pray nothing followed me”: US influencers fear bed bug invasion through Paris Fashion Week
Transport for London said it would continue monitoring and “rigorous” cleaning of its networks. UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls said that while the organization was aware of the “reported challenges” in France, there was “absolutely no evidence or reports of this happening in the UK”.
But social media has already raised fears that it may be too late. There has been a spike in Google searches for bed bugs in the UK this week as tensions run high on trains and on the streets. “My girlfriend is on a train from Birmingham to Leicester and has just seen a bed bug,” Londoner Tian-Demi Douglas tweeted on Monday. “The whole car is screaming. Game over, boys. We’re fucked.”
Douglas later said her friend planned to take precautions, putting her shoes in boiling water, washing her clothes at 90 degrees and even rubbing alcohol on her purse.
Particularly in London, where 15 Eurostar trains leave direct from Paris every day, there is a sense of preparation for the impact and a new underlying threat to every house guest and every accidental street discovery.
“There was a nice armchair on the street that I wanted to take with me, but I didn’t take it because of the insects,” says Izzy Brooks, a young graduate in south London.
Pest experts have received increasing inquiries from Londoners concerned about the impending invasion. David Lodge of Beaver Pest Control has seen a 17% increase since last month (and 10% in the past year), while Joseph Terrence of Simply the Pest London says he has received requests from people traveling to Paris “looking for advice asked “what?” do to protect yourself”.
In many emails received this week, Blago Manov, the director of Bed Bug Hunters, was contacted by a woman concerned about her French roommate.
“I thought, ‘Please don’t worry just because he’s French,'” he says. “Bed bugs don’t discriminate.”
For those already losing sleep due to phantom bites, the experts’ assessment of the “scourge” reported in Paris may not bring peace: There are just as many bed bugs today as ever – and probably almost as many in London and New York.
“The French public is now becoming more and more attentive,” says Manov.
Daniel Neves, who is from France but works as an inoculand in London, says he has not heard of “a massive wave” from his colleagues in Paris. He agreed that knowledge of the problem – and even the pest itself – was generally lower across the Channel.
“When I’m in France and I go to conferences or talk to people and tell them what I see in London, for the most part they show disbelief,” he says. “Some people have no idea what punaises de lit are… In France, suffering from this would be considered so incredible that it would cause great uproar.”
While bed bugs are found wherever there are large numbers of people, there is a regular increase in large cities. New York suffered an “invasion” of bed bugs in 2010 that destroyed the city’s massive Niketown store on 57th Street and Google headquarters.
But the periodic nature of the bug bloom is difficult to separate from a variety of factors, such as rising temperatures—they thrive in warmer climates and buildings—and media attention.
During recent warmer summers in the UK, pest controllers have struggled to keep up with demand. As Lirian Graca of Mercury Pest Control says, “Bedbugs have always been a growing problem.”
While the danger of bringing home a bed bug in your luggage is no greater than usual, pest experts say the panic over Paris could help make people more aware of the threat. “It is better to be aware of it and address the problem earlier,” says Manov.
An infestation almost always begins with a beetle entering a person’s home in a suitcase or piece of furniture. Although they inevitably make occasional stops on public transport or in cinema seats, sightings are rare and infestations even rarer.
However, the risk always exists and is increased wherever there are many warm bodies moving. It’s impossible to protect yourself completely, says Lyubo Kiryakov from Bed Bug Specialist. “The cinema is a dark place: what are you going to do? Take a flashlight and start searching under your seat? Unless you catch them crawling around, you won’t be able to see them.”
His London business is booming, he says – but no more than usual. “To be honest, I wish we were less busy… It’s not just London and Paris, it’s every major city around the world – it’s a nightmare .” Kiryakov says: The most contaminated places in the world are the baggage departments of airports.
The global bug boom is in fact a problem of our own making. After being almost wiped out worldwide in the early 20th century thanks to the development of effective insecticides like DDT, the clever bloodsuckers developed resistance when international travel began.
“It allowed them to develop and improve their skills, basically: they became smarter,” says Manov.
Today’s street bed bugs – now with a more robust exoskeleton – can easily identify which areas have been treated with pesticides and avoid them, just as they can tell the difference between a blood meal and the bag they rode on.
An estimated 30% of the human population does not respond to a bite, meaning infestations often go untreated for longer. This seems to be particularly common in older people, who may be immobile or even bedridden and more susceptible to stress.
But everyone is fair game. Manov’s clients included members of the royal family – Dutch, not British, he points out – and a “very famous fashion director” (he wouldn’t say which brand). “We also had some of the richest people in the UK. Nobody is insured against bed bugs.”
But between a few straightforward preventative measures (see below) and acting quickly if found, Manov says bed bugs don’t necessarily have to spell disaster and the death of your wardrobe and bedding by cooking at 60°C. “The general assumption is that you have to burn your house down.”
Some of his customers have even considered putting their bedbug-infested home up for sale, Manov says. But bed bugs don’t stay lurking forever: They’re lured by the promise of a late-night feast and, once discovered, can be quickly eradicated by professionals.
“It’s a myth that they can survive for months without a blood meal – and that’s unfair because it scares people,” says Manov. “I try to calm her down and reassure her… It’s not that difficult to get rid of bed bugs. People shouldn’t be overly stressed.”
He added: “Don’t be quick to blame your French roommate.”
How to protect yourself from bed bugs
Check your accommodation
When you’re away from home, Blago Manov recommends “DIY inspections” of the bed frame and under the bedding for signs like exoskeletons, eggs, and feces (which leave a telltale dark stain on mattresses that’s difficult to remove). The adult beetles themselves are visible to the naked eye and resemble “flat apple seeds.”
Don’t unpack your bag
Lyubo Kiryakov from Bed Bug Specialist advises against keeping your suitcase near the bed and unpacking your things in the wardrobe or drawers. Unwashed clothing is also a risk factor: “Bed bugs can smell you on your clothes.”
Look for hitchhikers
Manov also describes baggage handling at airports as ground zero for bed bugs: “When I take my bag off my belt, I always give it a quick shake and inspect it.” Whether you can discover a bed bug in or on your luggage “depends on how many bed bugs you’ve collected,” says Kiryakov – but it helps to know what you’re looking for. “If you look closely, you can find them.”
Watch out for bites – don’t trust yourself to feel them
Given the high proportion of the population that remains unresponsive, you may still sleep peacefully even if bed bugs bite. “Many people are not even aware that they have been bitten by bedbugs or that they have them on their property,” Manov says. If there is any reason to suspect, look for visible signs on skin exposed while sleeping, such as: B. on the face, neck, wrists and ankles as well as on blood stains on the bed linen.
Don’t try to DIY
While there are plenty of quick fixes and panaceas for bed bugs online, they’re unlikely to do the job and could potentially drive them further into hiding. “They will only increase the infestation and make our work even more difficult,” says Kiryakov. “What you can do is thoroughly vacuum the mattress, bed frame and bed board and, if you have a steamer, apply steam, which will eliminate bed bugs immediately.”
Find an accredited professional
Many unscrupulous pest controllers cut corners, making the infestation worse. Municipal services may also be inadequate due to funding cuts. Manov recommends hiring someone who is accredited by the British Pest Control Association.
At the very least, make sure the entire property is properly prepared and treated: spot applications won’t work. A one-room accommodation should take about 40 minutes, says Kiryakov. “If it takes less than that, the treatment won’t work.”
{{#Ticker}}
{{top left}}
{{bottom left}}
{{top right}}
{{bottom right}}
{{#goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/ticker}}
{{Headline}}
{{#paragraphs}}
{{.}}
{{/paragraphs}}{{highlightedText}}
{{#choiceCards}}{{/choiceCards}}We will be in touch to remind you to contribute. Watch for a message in your inbox. If you have any questions about contributing, please contact us.