Bed bug hysteria in Paris - here’s how to avoid them

Social media and news sites around the globe have been delighting in reporting on Paris' bed bug infestation. While some of the images being shared are certainly enough to gross even bug-lovers out, upon closer inspection, the whole situation isn't quite as worrying as it seems.

Jean-Michel Berenger (pictured), an entomologist at Marseille's main hospital and France's leading bedbug expert, told the BBC, "Every late summer we see a big increase in bedbugs. That is because people have been moving about over July and August, and they bring them back in their luggage."

Photo: YouTube

And while many Parisians are worried about having to deal with bedbugs yet again in their apartments (according to official city data, one in ten Parisians have experienced bedbugs in the last five years), France's leading bedbug expert says that with the problem occurring during fashion week and with the 2024 Olympic Games just a year away has complicated things.

Berenger told the BBC, "There is a new element this year - and that is the general psychosis which has taken hold. It is a good thing in a way because it serves to make people aware of the problem, and the sooner you act against bedbugs the better. But a lot of the problem is being exaggerated."

France isn't the only country to see a rise in bedbugs. With the pandemic firmly in the rear-view mirror, travel is booming, and so are the other intrepid travelers that hitch free rides on travelers’ suitcases and clothing — bedbugs. US Today reported that these pests are also on the rise in the US.

The accounts of bedbugs being found in hotels and AirBnbs across the United States over the summer of 2023 were plentiful. In 2022 several media outlets reported that Spain was also struggling with an intense bedbugs problem.

Part of the problem in the United States is that the travel boom collided with staffing shortages across the hotel industry. According to a January survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, 79% of American hotels were experiencing staffing shortages — 22% severely so. Similar patterns are playing out internationally.

The travel boom and staff shortage is “a recipe for things to get missed,” travel expert Halee Whiting told USA Today. She said that Overworked staff may not be as thorough when checking. Bedbugs, which enjoy heat and humidity, also peak in the summer.

Bed bugs travel with guests and, therefore, can be found even in the most luxurious of hotels. Usually, when they’re spotted, hotels will close off the room, but they are tricky to remove and prevent. A 2016 survey of 100 US hotels by Orkin found that 82% had to treat for bedbugs in the previous year.

Image: Liliana Drew/Pexels

TikTok user Sarah Luepker explained her nightmare trip. It began in a “very nice, very clean” Airbnb in Colorado. Informed about the possibilities of the critters, she even checked her bed for bedbugs. The coast appeared to be clear.

Image: saramics.pottery/TikTok

She woke up with a couple of bug bites, but she thought they were mosquito bites. More kept popping up throughout the day, which she also blamed on mosquitos. Then she slept another night in the bed. The next day, “bites kept popping up every five minutes — it was a mess!”

Something seemed off, so her friends went back to check for bedbugs. Only on her bed, with a cloth headboard, did they find bedbugs. Five or six days later, her bites grew to “the size of golfballs,” her breathing was off, and her head hurt. She took Benadryl and had to relax.

Image: saramics.pottery/TikTok

According to the CDC website, most people are like Sarah, and they don’t realize they’ve been bitten immediately. That’s because bed bugs inject an anesthetic and an anticoagulant. Usually, it takes 24 hours to several days for a bite to appear, but it can take up to 14 days.

Image: saramics.pottery/TikTok

Seeking the silver lining, Sarah said Airbnb refunded her and her friends’ stay. “It’s kind of like I won everybody a free Airbnb... And all it takes is a little anaphylaxis!” But she got lucky because it’s generally down to the Airbnb host to give a refund or not.

Image: saramics.pottery/TikTok

In a viral video, hotel expert Halee Whiting gave the rundown of how she checks for bedbugs in a hotel before she even unpacks.

Image: haleewithaflair/TikTok

First, turn off the lights, lower the shades, and use a flashlight like the one on your phone to begin the hunt, she explains.

In the dark, lift the covers and check in all the best hiding spots, especially around the headboard. “They usually like to hang out in the corners and the creases,” she said. If there’s a mattress pad, lift it up and check there too.

Image: haleewithaflair/TikTok

You aren’t only looking for the critters themselves. You should also be vigilant for “blood spots,” she said, “cause that’s not a good sign either.” According to the CDC, these rusty-colored spots are due to the blood-filled fecal material that they excrete on the mattress or nearby furniture.

If there’s a large infestation, you’ll probably be able to smell it too. That’s because bed bugs release pheromones that smell musty and sweet. It depends, but the scent often reminds people of berries, cilantro or almonds. The scent is such a good sign that dogs have been trained to sniff them out.

Entomologist Kenneth Haynes of the University of Kentucky told Scientific American that it’s also important to keep your luggage away from the bed and put it on the suitcase stand or dresser to make it harder for them to crawl in. Super paranoid? Put your bags in the tub. Bugs would have a hard time and no reason to crawl there.

A 2017 survey of 2,000 hotel patrons found that two-thirds couldn’t identify a bed bug in a lineup of insects. So here it goes: A bed bug is about the size and shape of an apple seed. If it hasn’t fed, it’s flat and brown. If it has fed, it will be round and reddish. Immature bed bugs can be as small as the head of a pin.

If you see bedbugs or realize you’ve been bitten, contact the front desk and report it. Hotels will often compensate you and/or pay to wash your clothing and luggage at high temperatures and address the issue. At rental services like Airbnb, it’s not so straightforward.

Entomologist Jeff White told the New York Times that it’s a good idea to keep some garbage bags in your car to store the suitcases in. Then, inspect the bag, a lint roller helps, and run your clothing and other dryer-safe items through a hot cycle in the dryer, which kills any bugs and eggs.

Another way to prevent bed bugs from entering your home is to thoroughly check any second-hand furniture you buy— especially upholstered objects like mattresses or sofas. Remember that they aren’t signs of dirtiness.

While bedbugs can take an extreme psychological toll, physically, they don’t carry disease. The worst case is anaphylaxis, like what happened to Sarah, but that’s rare, according to the CDC.

In a worst-case scenario, and bedbugs hitched a ride to your home on a suitcase, it’s unpleasant, but don’t panic. The worst symptoms are often mental. Expert Haynes told Scientific American that “good professional pest controllers do get rid of bed bugs.”

According to a 201 survey by American Pest control group Orkin, almost half of US hotels had been sued because of bed bugs. At the time, the average lawsuit costs hotels more than $17,000 each.