PARIS – "Paris is Crawling with Bed Bugs"; "Bed bugs in Paris: Here's What We Know So Far"; "Bed bug Infestations Sweep Paris." Print and digital media, as well as social media influencers, are having a field day reporting on recent bed bug outbreaks in The City of Lights. But is the bed bug problem really worsening in Paris?
Clara Quinque, marketing manager, Rentokil, Paris, told PCT that — similar to the U.S. — Paris has been dealing with growing bed bug populations the last 15 to 20 years, a result of a variety of factors including bed bugs becoming resistant to pesticides, but “this most immediate boom is not representative of the growth we’ve seen the last 15 to 20 years.”
Rentokil Paris has seen a 60 percent increase in requests for bed bug services compared to last year, and service requests were up in 2022 compared to 2021, Quinque said.
This upward trend is related to post-COVID human behavior, including increased international travel. Quinque said bed bugs have become “more aggressive” post-COVID. For example, Quinque said before COVID a bed bug may have eaten once every three days, while today bed bugs are eating (bloodmeals) every day. “This has led to an increase in [service] demands due to the fact that they are being seen more by the customer,” Quinque said.
While Quinque believes the rise in bed bug problems is legitimate, she acknowledged that media coverage has played a role because “it’s something everyone can relate to. When people hear about bed bugs in a hotel, or bed bugs in a movie theater, they think ‘That could be my family or that could be my friends.’”
Quinque said the Paris government has been slow to raise awareness, but that may be changing as a result of this recent media coverage. Although the government has not taken any official immediate action that Quinque is aware of, she said “different political parties are coming up with ideas,” including re-imbursing residents for a certain amount of costs associated with bed bug work.
Also similar to U.S. companies, Rentokil Paris offers a variety of bed bug treatment options, including chemical and heat. Quinque said Rentokil estimates that 80 percent of the treatments performed by its teams are thermal (including the heat cannons and 'dry' steam treatments), while the other 20 percent are chemical treatments.
One of the reasons for the interest in bed bugs in Paris is because the city is set to host the 2024 summer Olympics, which will certainly increase international tourism. Quinque said Rentokil has reached out to the Olympic Board of Directors with hopes of providing guidance on best pest control practices. “Not just for bed bugs, but vectors of disease, such as mosquitoes, rodents and flies as well,” Quinque said. “It's more a package that we're trying to offer with several Rentokil brands Rentokil has, including Rentokil-Initial, for sanitary and hygiene [considerations].”
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