Europe’s Bed Bug Panic
On October 3, 2023 Paris Fashion Week, filled with stunning presentations and showcases by designer labels such as Miu Miu, Chanel, and Saint Laurent among several others, came to an end. Many could say the week ended with style — that is, with the addition of “punaises de lit,” otherwise known as bed bugs.
Bed bugs, insects that feed on the blood of other animals, were reportedly found everywhere in the city, from the metro to well-maintained cinemas. Given that bed bugs are attracted to carbon dioxide, warmth, and human scent, it was no surprise when reports of increased sightings of the pests took place in crowded public areas. What’s more worrisome to people is the prospect that the resurgence of bed bugs could travel overseas. Paris is the world’s most-visited city with over 44 million tourists a year, and with good reason; aside from its many art galleries and historical landmarks, Paris inspires such niche fashion styles and designs that hundreds of tourists are willing to travel overseas for it. As influencers and fashion enthusiasts returned to their homes from the festive week, the widespread paranoia of bed bugs penetrated global social media.
“I think a lot of it is probably getting hyped up,” said Richard Cooper, a pest control expert at R. Cooper Consulting and a research associate in the Urban Entomology Lab at Rutgers University. “This is just getting attention again. And I promise these bed bugs have been there for a while.” Bed bugs have taken over social media channels, particularly TikTok. People have and currently are posting and sharing ridiculous amounts of content centered around bed bugs, such as roleplays from a bedbug’s point of view, videos of bedbugs on public transportation in London, and mini-podcasts sharing how they think the insects will infest the United States. Fortunately, exterminators who are legitimately knowledgeable about the bedbug infestation situation agreed that the media has exaggerated the crisis yet again. Professor and urban pest specialist Dini Miller claims, “It has the media excited, but in all honesty, these populations don’t develop just overnight.” Bed bugs have existed for millennia, and they’ve never entirely disappeared. In fact, New York City experienced a similar mass infestation of bedbugs in 2010, leaving a path of sleep deprivation and panic. “I think there are too many people are aware of bed bugs now,” Cooper adds. Cities were able to fend off the crisis under less awareness in the past, suggesting that chances of Paris sparking an outbreak now are slim. Still, the pest resurgence has raised questions, many regarding Paris’s plan to host next year’s Olympic Games.
Europe’s bed bug crisis notably reflects how social media skews information. The situation may not be as inescapable as we think — as long as we ignore the hype and carry out hygienic practices, bed bugs will likely have a harder time hitching a ride in the future.
