In five years, more than one in ten French people have been affected by these harmful insects according to an ANSES report.
They invaded homes and public debate. Bedbugs are making a comeback among the French after having disappeared in the 1950s. Faced with the resurgence of cases and the growing controversy, the government announced an interministerial meeting on these pests, Friday October 6, and the creation of an observatory.
>> Bedbugs: eleven tips to protect yourself (and get rid of them)
According to a report from the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES), published in July, these insects infested more than one in ten French households between 2017 and 2022. Specialists disinfection are also seeing a significant increase in interventions.
A bug visible to the naked eye
But how can you recognize the arrival at home of these pests, which is not linked to a lack of hygiene, other small insects that we could find at home? First of all their appearance, a bedbug is generally brown, oval and very flat, emphasizes Health Insurance. Generally compared to an apple seed, it measures 4 to 7 millimeters long as an adult while a cockroach easily exceeds 10 mm. It therefore remains visible to the naked eye, reminiscent of BFMTV and more easily than a chip which has a more elongated shape.
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Another difference compared to a flea, it does not jump. A bedbug does not have wings, unlike moths. The latter therefore generally appear in kitchens for food moths and in storage places, wardrobes or cupboards for textile moths. Lice only manage to live in human hair, or very close to the scalp or on the eyelashes. As for bedbugs, they also like fabrics but are mostly present in mattresses or box springs as well as sofas, carpets, and curtains, explains the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
Bedbugs flee light and take refuge in dark places. It can therefore also be found in cracks in the wall, gaps in the parquet floor, behind frames, wallpaper joints, plinths and under electrical outlets. They can also reside in the washing machine if they were brought there by contaminated laundry and if washing is always done in lukewarm water.
Bites similar to those of mosquitoes
If in doubt, you should therefore mainly inspect these areas, with a preference for the mattress and the box spring. If multiple small black spots of 1 mm in the shape of a cloud appear, they may be bed bug droppings. Traces of blood can also appear on the sheets when a bedbug is crushed during the night because they are soaked in blood.
Bed bugs actually feed on human blood. We are talking about blood-sucking parasites. They can sting up to 90 times in one night, recalls Health Insurance. Bedbug bites are similar to those of mosquitoes, that is to say skin lesions, from 5 mm to 2 cm in the form of raised red spots called maculopapules. At the start of an infestation, the bites are grouped together on the skin. Then the bites spread all over the skin if you continue to live in an infested area. Health Insurance reminds that unlike ticks or mosquitoes, bedbugs present no risk of transmitting a virus or bacteria.