The resurgence of Bedbugs on the territory, these insects which proliferate in mattresses and sheets, as well as in the furniture and corners of your interiors, have not escaped the attention of pest control professionals. The latter intervened massively in France in 2020, with a 76% increase in interventions to eradicate bed bugs according to the figures of the Trade Union Chamber of Rat Control, Pest Control and Disinfection (CS3D) published on the Parisian website.
Even if bedbugs do not transmit disease, so they are harmless to health, their bites still cause unpleasant itching. And beyond the bites, discover the presence of bed bugs at home can cause significant psychological damage, which can go as far as depression or post-traumatic stress.
How do you know if you have bed bugs?
The invasion of bedbugs is on the rise in France: the interventions of specialists had already increased by 30% between 2018 and 2019 and jumped by 76% between 2019 and 2020. And no region is spared, even if the tourist areas are the most affected due to the high turnover of people accommodated, which increases the risk of bringing them back in your suitcase or pajamas.
Flea market enthusiasts should also be wary, because these critters – which can remain empty for more than a year and a half – take refuge in wooden furniture as well as in clothing. “Bedbugs can go for months without feeding, so when everything reopens once the health crisis is over, we can expect a peak in infestations,” warns Stéphane Bras, spokesperson for the insect repellent union.
Real scourge, bed bugs only bite at night and hide the rest of the time. “There is no need to panic, however, tempers Dr. Pascal Delaunay, parasitologist-entomologist at the University Hospital of Nice . If you aren’t bitten at night, you don’t have bed bugs in your home! And if you are, there are many other explanations: mosquitoes, but also fleas.”
On the other hand, if it lasts, if the number of bites on the exposed parts increases for no apparent reason, it is time to become a detective.
How to identify bed bugs?
Bed bugs are visible to the naked eye and are usually brown, they do not jump or fly. “Ideally, says our specialist, we should be able to catch at least one to have it identified by a specialist, preferably an entomologist. If necessary by a pharmacist or a general practitioner, if they are familiar with it. The problem is that they are mostly active at night and shun light. This explains why their caches are difficult to find. »
However, certain signs can indicate the area where they hide. Specifically, the presence of more or less pasty black spots corresponding to their droppings, sometimes accompanied by bloodstains on the sheets. If only one sleeper is stung, or if a person is stung on only one arm, searches will preferably be conducted nearby.
The bedroom is their favorite roomit hides there preferentially:
- in mattresses and box springs
- in wallpaper fittings, under furniture, in baseboards, under electrical outlets…
- in the cracks and crevices of the parquet
- in the sofas, under the rugs
Which insecticide against bed bugs?
The larger the infestation, the more bedbugs move to other rooms in the house and to other dwellings. They can enter anywhere, including if your home is clean. It is possible to fight the fight alone. But there’s no need to leave head on, armed with an insecticide bomb: it would be useless. Know where to spray the product. It is best to get advice from a specialist. Rare entomologists come to your home.
First of all, you have to put the insecticide in the right place. Ideally where they hide and, in any case, in certain strategic places: bed frames and legs, baseboards, around windows and doors… If they are not killed directly, they will be killed during the following nights if they come into contact with the product.
Use a crawling insect formula (anti-cockroach type), which adheres to supports and remains active for several days. The application must be renewed twice a week, for three weeks in a row. Smoke-type insecticides, to be dispersed throughout the room, are useless. As for steam cleaners, they are effective if they touch bedbugs. Which is far from obvious.
How to get rid of it with an insect killer?
“While pest control companies weren’t always aware of what to do ten years ago, that’s no longer the case today,” emphasizes Dr. Delaunay. They intervene twice at fifteen days interval in order to eliminate the bugs which would not have been killed at the egg stage during the first passage. »
For this action to be effective, the premises must be prepared. It is therefore necessary to store and clean the parts concerned. In practice: clear the furniture likely to be infested (bedside tables, etc.) of the laundry they contain and remove the bedding. Then wash at 60°C so as not to contaminate the rest of the house.
On its bedbug information and control site, the government advises:
- Use companies specializing in detection (especially those using sniffer dogs);
- Check that the company is in possession of the Certibiocide certificate issued by the Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive Transition for less than 5 years.
Freezing against bed bugs: effective?
Be careful, it’s up to you: these companies are not moving companies! To avoid recontamination, dispose of the vacuum cleaner bag in a closed plastic bag. The tip must be decontaminated by spraying insecticide (vacuum cleaner off and unplugged).
What temperature ? Several other non-chemical control methods can supplement insecticide spraying. This involves freezing (for sweaters, for example) at – 20°C, for at least forty-eight hours. To be truly effective, machine washing must be performed at more than 60°C, or even tumble dried. As for the blankets and effects that cannot withstand the heat, we take them to the dry cleaners. Finally, nooks and crannies of mattresses and upholstery can be decontaminated with a steam cleaner.
To get rid of bed bugs yourself, follow these tips:
- Machine wash at over 60°C to eliminate adults and eggs. Clothes washed in this way should be kept in sealed plastic bags until the end of the infestation.
- Tumble dry (hot at least 30 minutes).
- High temperature steam cleaning, at 120°C, to destroy all stages of bedbugs in corners or upholstery.
- Freezing laundry or small objects at -20°C, 72 hours minimum.
- Aspiration (with the fine nozzle of the vacuum cleaner) of eggs, young and adults highlighted. Warning, the vacuum cleaner does not kill the insect, so it can come out. Also, wrap it in a plastic bag and throw it in an outdoor trash can. Finally, do not forget to clean the duct of the vacuum cleaner with soapy water or with a household cleaning product.
- Removal of infested furnishings : it is not obligatory but it makes it possible not to contaminate other sites. Of course, contaminated mattresses or furniture should not be sold or left on the street, but taken to landfill.
How to treat bed bug bites?
of a lifespan of 5 to 6 months, bed bugs feed on human blood and can bite up to 90 times in a single night, causing sometimes unbearable itching. It is therefore important to intervene quickly, in order to avoid the extent of the infestation as much as possible.
The bites look like mosquito bites and occur at night when bed bugs are active. These bites can be grouped together by 3 or 4 on the skin, sometimes in a row, and are generally located on the uncovered parts of the body (face, hands, arms, back, legs).
They do not transmit disease but can cause severe itching or even allergic reactions (urticaria). The itching can last from a few days to two weeks, but there is no risk of infection. Being bitten every night by an invisible insect can simply be very anxiety-provoking and cause sleep disturbances or even depression.
What treatment for stings? Don’t worry, there is no risk to your health: bed bug bites disappear naturally within ten days and do not require any special care. Clean your skin and try not to scratch to avoid infection. However, if you suffer from persistent itching, consult your doctor who can prescribe a cream to relieve you.
Everything you need to know about bed bugs
The General Directorate of Health funded a study by the Sentinelles network, the results of which were published in July 2020. According to this study, from April 2019 to March 2020, approximately 72,000 consultations with a general practitioner in mainland France had a reason related to bed bugs, i.e. an incidence rate of 109 consultations per 100,000 inhabitants.
Faced with this resurgence of bedbugs, in February 2020, the government set up A dedicated phone number 0 806 706 806and a website (stop-punaises.gouv.fr) to help the French recognize bed bugs, eliminate them and protect themselves from them. The site thus recalls that the law relating to the rental of accommodation has been modified so that tenants can turn against the owner of accommodation made available when it was already infested by these pests.
Finally, the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) has been called upon to update the recommendations on effective and sustainable methods for combating bed bugs.
Thanks to Dr Pascal Delaunay, parasitologist at the Nice University Hospital.
Sources:
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Regional Health Agency