How to avoid bedbugs in France

The itchy pests - punaises de lits in French - even made an appearance in the French parliament on Wednesday - when leftwing MP Mathilde Panot,  demanded an urgent government response to the report published by the country's organisation for food safety agency.

The Nupes alliance of left-wing parties is also calling on the government to recognise bedbugs as a public health problem and to develop a "national eradication plan".

Many bedbug infestations tend to happen after travelling during the summer holidays, and even France's fanciest hotels have reported outbreaks.

Here are some tips to avoid an infestation;

Learn to detect bedbugs - Before anything else, you should learn how to detect bedbugs - the bug itself is a small brown insect that can sometimes look red-coloured. They are about the size of an apple seed. 

An infestation will show signs - there may be rust-coloured or reddish stains, or small dark spots, on bed sheets or mattresses. Eggs and eggshells are difficult to spot, as they are only about 1mm in size, but live bedbugs are a bit bigger and may be visible to the naked eye. 

Inspect the room - Bedbugs tend to stay in areas where they have access to humans, making beds and couches the most common places you will find them. They tend to avoid the light and prefer dark, hidden locations.

Start by looking over the bed, pull back the sheets and look for stains. Look around the mattress, headboard and glance over the slats. Do not be afraid to move furniture to see if there are any bedbug traces underneath or behind. People often forget to look below carpets and rugs, as well as around outlets, so check those spots as well. 

Any type of wood or fabric could be a risk, particularly if it is in close proximity to the bed.

Be careful about your suitcase and clothes - When entering a new place, even if it appears very clean, you should still remain cautious. Do not put your suitcase or any clothes on the bed or other furniture, until you have checked for bugs. 

READ MORE: Bedbugs, mice, and mould: How to handle infestations in your French home

Typically bedbugs avoid tiles and places that are less frequented by their food source (humans), so the bathroom is a good option.

Avoid unpacking your clothes into drawers, instead you might consider hanging your items or leaving them inside the suitcase.

Bring trash bags - Another option is to bring trash bags and to seal your suitcase, and the contents inside, in a bag until you have inspected the room. 

Wash at 60C - When returning from your holidays, keep your suitcase away from the bed as you do not want to unwittingly bring an infestation back to your home. Be sure to wash all the clothes that you took on your trip at 60C - temperatures below this will not kill bedbugs. You can also put your items into the dryer - adult bedbugs will be killed within 15 minutes at high temperatures, but it may take up to 60 minutes of time in the dryer to kill bedbug eggs.

As for your suitcase, once it is empty you can use a hair dryer or steamer to clean it. 

Unfortunately, simply putting your items in a sealed plastic bag for a day or two will likely not do the trick. Bedbugs can live without much oxygen on account of their small size, so it can take weeks or months for them to die without air. Heat is most effective.