As every year in summer, companies specializing in pest control note a peak in interventions for bedbugs. A consequence of summer travel.
What if unwanted guests have slipped into your suitcases? As people return from vacation, pest control companies are observing a resurgence of bedbugs.
“It’s very cyclical, every year from June to October with the return from vacation, we have a seasonal peak, explains Maxime Dohollo, the boss of the company Agence Nuisibles.
“Human movement is the primary cause of the increase in cases,” he adds.
In Lille, these invasive insects are also making a comeback. Last week, Romain Wartelle, head of the company Nuisibles du Nord, carried out five interventions, compared to an average of two the rest of the year. For him too, the months of August and September are synonymous with overactivity.
“Vacationers who have stayed in a hotel or rental property may return with bedbugs in their suitcases,” confirms the manager.
In addition to the return from vacation, he sees another explanation. With the summer turnover, some accommodations remained empty. Now that the start of the school year is coming, students are starting to move into their new apartments. “If the previous tenants left leaving bedbugs, we only discover it now,” emphasizes Romain Wartelle.
“Four times more requests”
With the Olympic Games and the many accommodations booked on Airbnb, the professional expected a resurgence of these invading insects. But for the moment, it has not happened: “Last year at the same time, we had about the same number of interventions.”
Another company, however, is seeing a sharp increase in bedbug cases. “We have four times more requests than last year,” explains Kevin Granad Rios, head of the company Kosmos 3D in Paris.
“We usually pay for advertising on social networks, but this summer we didn’t do that and we still had a lot more activity than last summer,” he insists.
“I don’t know why, but one thing is certain, it was talked about a lot last year and now people are better informed to detect and treat the problem as quickly as possible,” he believes.
He also anticipates a peak in activity due to the Olympic Games. But for the moment “it is too early to draw conclusions, because there is always a delay.”
To minimise the risks, he advises to carefully inspect the contents of your suitcases and to wash your belongings at 60 degrees in the washing machine. Otherwise, it is possible to place them in the freezer for 72 hours.
Above all, he urges landlords to take care of it as quickly as possible, including by taking charge of the treatment for tenants. Because there is nothing worse than letting the situation drag on. “If nothing is done and bedbugs develop under the floor or in the electrical networks, the property can lose value!”
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