- French government scrambles to find long-term solutions, with Health Ministry recommending that travellers inspect hotel beds
- Infestation is spreading beyond French borders, and Eurostar plans to introduce ‘preventative treatment’ across network
Bedbug outbreak grips Paris months ahead of Summer Olympics. Photo: ReutersThe French government is battling to contain a bout of nationwide panic over bedbugs in Paris just months before the capital hosts next summer’s Olympic Games.
Videos that appear to show the bloodsucking insects crawling over seats on the Paris Metro and a high-speed train went viral on social media last month, and some Metro passengers posted videos on TikTok vowing to stay standing.
Public transport operator RATP, which runs Paris’s subway, trams and buses said in an emailed statement it had investigated, but “no cases of bedbugs have been confirmed to date”.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said the government is working to find long-term solutions for detecting infestations and supporting those affected, while the Health Ministry recommends that travellers inspect hotel beds and suggested that people should be careful while purchasing used furniture or mattresses.
The latest rebound in bedbug numbers in Paris is in part down to a revival in tourism in the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Bedbugs are often carried in clothing and baggage. Tips for travellers from pest control groups include inspecting bedding, taxi and metro seats for signs of infestation, including tiny rust-coloured spots on bedsheets. Luggage should be closely examined when repacking and once back home.
Households should remove all clutter to make finding bedbugs easier, plus washing and drying bedlinen often and on the hottest temperature allowed for the fabric.
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What are bedbugs?
Bed bugs are small, flat, wingless insects, measuring about 6mm, that hide in mattresses and bedding. They feed on blood and typically bite during the night.
Considered one of the world’s major “nuisance pests”, the primary host of bedbugs are humans.
Although the parasites can be infected with human pathogens, no scientific study has found that they transmit disease.
Female bedbugs can deposit one to five eggs a day and may lay 200 to 500 eggs in their lifetime (see graphic). They can survive for months while waiting for their next meal, pest control experts say.
Infestation spreads beyond French borders
Port authorities in Tangier, Morocco said they had detected bedbugs on a passenger ship from Marseille, according to media reports, while Channel Tunnel express-train operator Eurostar said it plans to introduce “preventative treatment” across its entire network.
One Eurostar passenger, Niagale Bagayoko, posted photos of what appears to be bedbugs on her clothing to her X social media account, with the caption “Monday September 25, in Eurostar, London-Paris train 6:00am.”
A Eurostar spokesperson said it “will also disinfect a train on request or as soon as there is the slightest doubt” about the presence of bedbugs.
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Why are bedbugs on the march and is Paris really facing a “Bug-pocalypse”?
Between 2017 and 2022, more than one in 10 French households had been infested with bedbugs. The National Agency for Food, Environmental and Workplace Safety said the presence of bedbugs did not mean poor hygiene.
Entomologist Jean-Michel Berenger told newspaper Le Monde that several decades ago, bedbugs were kept in check by cheap and potent insecticides. Those insecticides, including DDT, were later found to be dangerous to human health and banned.
Meanwhile, bedbugs have successfully developed resistance to other, milder insecticides, scientists have said. Pest control is also expensive and often out of reach for low-income families.
Paris is not alone. Pest-control group Orkin this year released its leading US bedbug city list. Chicago, New York and Philadelphia took the top spots.