France: bedbugs in Paris bring panic to the city – 10/03/2023 – World

Bedbugs have “invaded” Paris and other French cities, triggering a wave of panic and raising questions about health and safety during next year’s Olympic Games. This is how the phenomenon has been widely described in the French media — and now, in international media.

In part, the story is true. But in another, no. What’s happening is that the number of bed bug sightings has increased in recent weeks — and this growing trend goes back several years.

“Every late summer we see a big increase in bedbugs,” says Jean-Michel Berenger, an entomologist at Marseille’s main hospital and one of France’s leading insect experts. “That’s because people moved around during July and August and brought the insects back in their luggage. And each year, the seasonal increase after the holidays is greater than the previous one,” he explains.

In Paris, one in 10 apartment residents has had a problem with bedbugs in the last five years, according to official figures. Now, the traditional fear of infestation is added to new anxieties.

There are numerous reports that bedbugs have been seen in movie theaters recently, and people say they have been bitten on trains. This information is often taken extremely seriously by Parisians. Both the Paris City Council and President Emmanuel Macron’s government were concerned about the problem.

The action aims to show how seriously the government takes the issue to protect Paris’ image before the 2024 Olympic Games — and not as a small problem quickly amplified by social media.

Cinema owners, worried about declining attendance, were alarmed by videos showing insects on seats. Passengers on the Paris metro began checking the upholstery of the seats — some prefer to stand.

“There is a new element this year: the general psychosis that has set in,” says Berenger. “In a way, it’s good because it makes people aware of the problem, and the sooner you take action against bed bugs, the better. But a lot of the problem is being exaggerated.”

The fact is that bed bugs are making a comeback, but this is not recent news. It’s been going on for 20 or 30 years. And not just in France, but in many places. There are several factors that can explain the phenomenon, such as globalization, container trade, mass tourism and immigration.

The bed bug —cimex lectularius, in Latin— is a “domesticated” creature: it goes where humans are.

After World War II, bed bugs — like many other animals — were decimated by the widespread use of the insecticide DDT. But over the years, DDT and many other chemicals have been banned due to their side effects on humans.

On the other hand, the bed bug population has been “modified” by eliminating those creatures that were genetically susceptible to chemical eradication in the first place. Those who survived the use of DDT are the ancestors of today’s race, who are, as a result, much more resilient.

A third factor may be the decline of cockroaches, largely thanks to greater concern about them and generally cleaner homes. Cockroaches are predators of bed bugs.

The truth is that bed bugs are indeed a threat, but the danger is more psychological than physical. As far as is known, it cannot transmit diseases. Their bites are painful, but the pain passes quickly.

It sheds its exoskeletons at regular intervals; leaves feces in the form of black dots; It moves with joy when it smells a human and can live for a year without food.

But the real harm of bed bugs is to mental health.

A year ago, my 29-year-old son found bedbugs in his 20th floor apartment. He threw away the bed; he washed all his clothes; he scrubbed the whole house. But he still couldn’t sleep. Then he began to imagine the animal walking on his skin. It became an obsession.

Only after his apartment was steam cleaned by a pest control company was he able to breathe again. Some pest controllers use sniffer dogs to locate insects.

“Bed bugs are no laughing matter,” says Berenger. “But there are a lot of absurd stories out there about how easily they can spread. In my opinion, the way to combat bed bugs is to rely on public policies to spread the bugs.”

These are the people, he explains, who, although few in number, cause most of the damage. They are often marginalized people: homeless or very poor people, mentally ill and with little access to social services.

He and his team have already found hundreds of bedbugs in apartments, crawling on top of each other, on clothes, on floorboards, behind pictures. “Every time one of these people leaves the house, they are spreading bed bugs. They are the ones who need help.”

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This text was originally published here.