VIDEO. Bedbug hell

Bedbugs seem to have very recently colonized our public spaces, our cinemas, our hotels, our public transport. One in ten French people have already been affected by this almost invisible scourge. Videos that have gone viral, picked up by media around the world, have triggered a panic fear of having them at home. What if they had taken up residence in my house? asks the journalist from “Envoyé Spécial”.

Emilie Helmbacher decided to put herself in the shoes of an individual whose apartment is infested by these insects. She tested several companies, chosen at random, using a hidden camera: false diagnoses, prices varying from one to three times, unscrupulous entrepreneurs. Pest control companies play on the prevailing psychosis to scam tenants or owners in distress.

Although banned for sale, the Sniper would have caused fatal poisoning

A so-called miracle product has appeared on the shelves of local grocery stores: the Sniper. Problem, this insecticide is banned for sale in France and Europe. According to an ANSES report, since 2018, the Sniper is the cause of 163 cases of serious poisoning, sometimes fatal. Alain, a computer scientist who testifies in this report, is convinced that this product caused the death of his father in October 2023. How to navigate when bedbug invasions become a business attracting both serious and good professionals number of charlatans? What are public authorities doing to combat this problem?

And you, who have just packed your bags after the Christmas holidays, are you sure you didn’t carry any in your luggage?

A report by Emilie Helmbacher, Jérémy Luc and Clément Bellorini broadcast in “Envoyéspecial” on January 11, 2024.

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