More than one in ten French households were infested by bedbugs between 2017 and 2022, says an ANSES report published in July.
They have recently traveled by train and colonized the seats of cinemas. Bedbugs have been making a comeback in recent years, after disappearing from French territory in the 1950s. Between 2017 and 2022, these insects have infested more than one in ten French homes, according to a report from the National Protection Agency. food, environmental and occupational health safety (ANSES), published in July 2023.
The arrival of these parasites, capable of nesting in mattresses, box springs, parquet floors as well as in clothing and luggage, is not linked to a lack of hygiene. The size of an apple seed, bedbugs are happy to settle in living spaces because they feed on blood. Here are some tips to protect yourself from it and, if necessary, get rid of it.
1Adapt your bedding with specific material
Anti-bedbug covers are marketed to completely insulate mattresses and pillows. The objective is to protect yourself from an invasion, because bedbugs prefer the place where you sleep to settle. Glue-covered rings can also be installed on the legs of your beds, sofas and armchairs in order to trap insects that would like to nest there.
2Take precautions with second-hand furniture
When it comes to fighting bedbugs, beds, sofas and armchairs require special attention. If you are considering purchasing second-hand furniture, inspect every seam and crack in these items before investing.
The website of the Ministry of Ecological Transition also recommends “clean furniture collected in the street or purchased at a flea market with a specialized heat appliance (available for rental) before bringing it into your home”.
3Redo any joints that are damaged
Bedbugs avoid light and settle in dark, inaccessible places. They can thus live in the wood. In order to reduce the number of possible hiding places or to trap those which may have found refuge in a crack, it is recommended to fill the gaps, particularly in your plinths, using mastic or transparent silicone, applied using a suitable gun.
4 On vacation, adopt anti-bedbug reflexes
Use of temporary rentals, trips on public transport, etc. The holiday period often increases the risks of being in contact with these insects. To avoid unpleasant surprises when traveling, it is recommended to place your luggage higher up or keep it on you. In any case, the government invites people not to place them on the ground or on the bed, and “even less under the bed”, because these pests can be found there and travel to your home. The authorities instead recommend storing your suitcases on a previously inspected luggage rack, and leaving them closed when not in use.
When you arrive at your vacation accommodation, check that these insects are not found in mattresses, sofas, but also armchairs. When you return home, a careful inspection of every seam and closure of your luggage is also recommended.
5 Know how to recognize them and identify where they nest
The appearance on your body of red bites, resembling mosquito bites, grouped in threes or fours and occurring especially at night, are all elements that can put you on the trail of bedbugs. Black spots on slats, mattresses and bedding can also be traces of their droppings. Shedding of their shell is also a good indicator, as are small traces of blood on your bedding.
Be particularly vigilant around your bed, on your armchairs and sofas as well as on all the woodwork: bedbugs often find refuge there.
6Isolate a contaminated object outdoors
If you discover bedbugs on luggage returning from vacation, keep this item outside, if possible, to avoid spreading the contamination to the rest of your home.
7Wash your laundry at 60 degrees
Insects, but also their larvae and eggs, cannot resist extreme temperatures. So do not hesitate to wash the bed linen or second-hand clothes you buy at 60°C, advises the government website.
8Freeze your stuff
In case of delicate laundry, which cannot withstand being washed at high temperature, it is recommended to place the fabric in the freezer at “at least -18°C for three days”, as pest control expert Mickaël Vannieuwenhuyse explains, interviewed by Brut.
There “freezing” is in fact one of the best ways to get rid of bedbugs, because these insects do not resist the cold. “HASith -20°C, it will kill bedbugs over several days”says entomologist Jean-Michel Bérenger, contacted by franceinfo.
This practitioner from the Infection department of the IHU Méditerranée in Marseille ensures that he uses “a lot of this method in hospitals” from the city. “When we have a suspicious patient, we can put their things in the freezer and return them after three days. We know it is free of bedbugs” he specifies.
9Using steam appliances
A vacuum cleaner or steam cleaner can be a low-cost solution, adds entomologist Jean-Michel Bérenger. “Steam is 100 degrees, so it burns everything”, explains this specialist. This tip can, according to him, save a mattress, provided that it is favored “at the beginning of the infestation”.
10Bring in a professional
On average, fighting an outbreak of bedbugs costs 866 euros, according to ANSES. A significant budget which can dissuade households from using the services of a professional. But if you cannot get rid of them, the bedbugs are more and more numerous, or even if they have started to arrive at neighbors’ homes, it is necessary for a specialist to act.
This expert must offer you two interventions: a first pass to eradicate the adult animals, then a second, around two weeks later, in order to attack the larvae which have since hatched. However, make sure you have a precise quote before choosing the specialist.
11 Only spray insecticides as a last resort
The use of insecticides should only be advised by a professional when all previous solutions have failed. ANSES notes that bedbugs have become very resistant to these products, but also that they can present health risks if they are used incorrectly.
For example, the Agency has recorded more than 1,000 cases of poisoning, sometimes serious, between 2017 and 2022.