Ah, Paris, where great artists sip the finest wine and savor the rarest cheeses, where the Seine flows calmly past some of the greatest architecture of the last thousand years, where lovers kiss beneath the Eiffel Tower, where bed bugs hitch a ride on the subway waiting for fresh blood to suck on.
Wait, what?
That’s right, Paris isn’t just a romantic cultural getaway anymore, it’s also drowning in bed bugs ahead of the 2024 Olympics. Recent videos have shown the little bloodsuckers crawling around buses, trains, movie theaters, and of course, hotels.
It’s not a good look, to say the least, but why Paris and why now? What’s so attractive about the city of love for a bunch of bed bugs? Let’s put it this way: Paris isn’t the problem, it’s just the first obvious victim in a global surge of bed bug problems.
Follow the tourists
Thanks to its history and cultural heritage, Paris has the fortune of being one of the most visited cities in the world, though when it comes to bed bugs, that might not be so fortunate. That’s because bed bugs aren’t great at traveling more than a few feet on their own to spread to new hosts, they need humans and animals to get them around.
With this knowledge in mind, it makes sense that the cities that regularly welcome the most tourists are going to be the most susceptible to large-scale outbreaks. A visitor from as far away as the US or Asia may not even know he is carrying a few bed bugs in his clothes or luggage. Just a few hours of flying, a ride on a train or taxi, and a night in a hotel, and suddenly several people have a bed bug problem that they also spread before they are aware.
What you get is, well… Paris.
Beyond Paris
But Paris isn’t really the problem. Such cities may be more prone than others to a significant bed bug infestation, but these bloodsuckers have to come from somewhere, right? If there’s an uptick of bed bug infestations in Paris, that means there must be an uptick in the number of people bringing bed bugs to Paris. So, what’s really going on here?
What is causing the increase in bed bug infestations?
Bed bugs have grown resistant to many of the chemicals traditionally used to root out infestations. The ones that could be killed were, leaving behind the ones with genetic traits that helped them escape these pesticides. These traits were passed onto the next bed bug generations, eventually creating infestations that are harder and harder to beat and have more opportunities to spread.
Eliminating bed bugs isn’t something everyone can easily afford. Contrary to popular belief, personal hygiene and economic status have nothing to do with whether or not you have bed bugs. The President himself is just as likely to get bed bugs as you, except that the White House has a team of cleaners who are dedicated to preventing this sort of thing. Instead, disadvantaged communities simply don’t have the means to get rid of bed bugs once they have them, and with economic gaps widening, entire neighborhoods of cities like Paris could be more and more susceptible.
The post-COVID travel explosion is an incredible chance for bed bugs to spread and thrive. After the pandemic began, there was an incredible 20% drop in reported infestations. Why? Because no one was traveling. It’s taken a little while to reach headlines, but bed bugs didn’t die out during this time, they just got hungry, and now they get to eat.
General misinformation and false conceptions about bed bugs have allowed them to spread. As Parisians are learning, for example, bed bugs don’t just bite you in your bed at night. They can hide in furniture, clothes and suitcases, before infesting offices, public transit, gyms, movie theaters and pretty much anywhere else people congregate.
Paris may momentarily be the bed bug epicenter of the world (or at least of the news), but these four factors pose a big problem for anyone anywhere hoping to avoid or get rid of a pesky bed bug infestation.
What to do about it
Luckily, there is a solution to the major problems confronting a world that has to grapple with a debilitating wave of bed bug infestations: Sterifab.
For one, Bed Bugs are not resistant to Sterifab as they are to many other chemical pesticides. Sterifab’s unique formula acts as a desiccant and affects the nervous system of bed bugs and other pests at every stage of life. Whatsmore, Sterifab is available and accessible to everyone, though pest control professionals are trained at recognizing the signs of a bed bug infestation and know how to apply Sterifab for maximum effect.
Educating yourself about bed bugs will give you a better idea of how to prevent and combat an infestation with Sterifab. Be sure to get into all the most difficult and unlikely of hiding spots!
Preparing for a trip to Paris (or anywhere else)? Get Sterifab today for your luggage and wherever you are staying - to help you stay bed bug-free.
