Covid lockdowns may be behind the surge in bed bug outbreaks in the UK, experts have warned.
A lull in travel activity during the pandemic inevitably slowed the spread of the insects, which can be picked up in hotels, public transport and restaurants.
But a return to pre-pandemic norms, with their primary means of transit often being in suitcases, has encouraged their resurgence helping them spread faster, it is claimed.
It comes as fresh reports of the insects across Britain have emerged in recent days, amid concerns the plague-like scenes in France have reached the UK.
The French Government has held crisis meetings and are battling to get the bugs under control before it hosts the 2024 Olympics. Schools and libraries have been forced to close, while travellers have complained about the critters in Airbnbs, hotels, cinemas and restaurants.
A lull in travel activity during the pandemic inevitably slowed the spread of the insects, which can be picked up in hotels, public transport and restaurants. But a return to pre-pandemic norms, with their primary means of transit often being in suitcases, has encouraged their resurgence helping them spread faster, it is claimed
Fresh reports of the insects across Britain have emerged in recent days, amid concerns the plague-like scenes in France have reached the UK. This map reveals which of the UK’s 20 largest cities have the worst bed bug infestations for their population size
The French Government has also held crisis meetings and are battling to get the bugs under control before it hosts the 2024 Olympics . Schools and libraries have been forced to close, while travellers have complained about the critters in Airbnbs, hotels, cinemas and restaurants
Natalia Bungay, technical manager at British Pest Control Association (BPCA) said: ‘Reports of bed bug activity tend to increase in the summer as people travel more.
‘The lack of travel during Covid lockdowns meant bed bug issues were few and far between, so it’s not surprising we’re now seeing a rapid rise in call outs.’
Meanwhile, Jean-Michel Bérenger, an entomologist at the IHU (medical research centre connected to hospitals) in Marseille, told French newspaper Le Monde: ‘The spread has been going on for years now.
‘There was a lull with the lockdown due to the Covid pandemic, then an upturn over the last two years with tourism back in full swing as people want to enjoy themselves.’
A viral TikTok video posted earlier this month appeared to show a bed bug crawling on a passenger’s leg on the Victoria Line in London, while the bugs were also spotted on Manchester bus services last week.
What are bed bugs?
Bed bugs can run up to 100 feet per hour, meaning they can easily travel from room to room to find a host to feed on.
Their almost paper-thin bodies mean that they are able to fit into the smallest cracks of furniture like the headboard of a bed, making them very difficult to spot.
Bed bugs travel by hiding in clothing or luggage so that when a human hops in the car or on a train the bugs hitch a ride too.
They primarily come out at night to feed and hide during the day.
Using their sharp senses they track the CO2 coming from our breath to find someone to feed on even in pitch darkness.
A female bed bug generally lays one egg a day but can lay up to seven under the right conditions.
Eggs look like grains of sand and take around 10-15 days to hatch into a new bed bug.
The best way to find bed bugs is by using a specially trained dog which can sniff out the bugs communication pheromones.
Bed bugs can run up to 100 feet per hour, meaning they can easily travel from room to room to find a host to feed on
Earlier this month, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, said that the possibility of bed bugs on the London Underground was ‘a real source of concern’.
Mr Khan also said that he was in contact with officials from Paris after the French capital came under an infestation crisis.
However, experts have urged caution, warning many sightings are false. As there is no official toll of outbreaks, the scale of the problem is unclear.
Professor Mary Cameron, a professor of medical entomology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said while no studies have proven an increase in the insects, ‘there probably has been a rise in bed bugs’.
She added: ‘Paris is the one (incidence that) people are most concerned with at the moment.
‘It’s because the weather has been so mild and we’ve had an extended summer, and most insects like warmth and humidity because then they can reproduce rapidly.
‘So I think the weather has extended the season for different insects, including bed bugs.’
An increase in travelling and movement of people since Covid lockdowns will also have contributed to the rise, she said.
‘During Covid there would have been a decrease in bed bug infestations’, she added.
‘But now people are travelling a lot more and they can carry the bed bugs in their luggage from a hotel room to back home, and also they can be on public transport too. That will all contribute to an increase in bed bugs.’
The outbreak of the blood-sucking insects has provoked a wave of disgust in Paris.
Residents and tourists have taken to social media to post images of bugs crawling across hotel bed sheets and train seats.
Bed bugs, which can be a large as 7mm, typically spread when they get into clothing or bags which are then taken elsewhere.
While the bugs don’t carry any diseases that sicken humans and their bite is painless, it leaves behind an itchy red mark on areas that are exposed while sleeping.
Although Paris is battling its own invasion of bed bugs, the critters naturally exist in Britain, too.
The UK saw a 65 per cent increase in bed bug infestations from 2022 to 2023, according to data released by pest-control company Rentokil in September.
According to the BPCA, there are also now roughly 12,000 bed bug-related callouts every year.
It is believed that up to 30 per cent of all UK homes were infested with bed bugs after WWII, according to pest control firm Rentokil.
An outbreak of the blood-sucking insects has provoked a wave of disgust in Paris. Residents and tourists have taken to social media to post images of bugs crawling across hotel bed sheets and train seats. In one video posted on the platform earlier this month, @jimmytravelsworld showed him picking out bed bugs using tweezers from his bed and under the mattress. ‘When you go to Paris to find love but end up finding bugs living rent free in your bed’, he said. In the video watched more than 44,000 times, he also shared bite marks of his wrists after living in the infected property
Although named for their habit of nesting in mattresses, bed bugs, which are around the size of an apple seed, can also live in sofas, carpets and furniture.
They hide in small cracks and crevices as thin as a credit card and mainly feed at night. Homes, hotels, public transport, workplaces, schools, cinemas, theatres, shops, pubs and restaurants are at risk of infestations.
Bed bugs spread by making their way into clothing or luggage, meaning people can unwittingly help them hitch-hike between locations and start a fresh outbreak. They can also crawl between rooms in hotels and blocks of flats.
They quickly reproduce, with each female bug laying one to seven eggs per day after feeding and up to 250 in their 10-month lifespan. They can survive for weeks to months without feeding.
Professional help is needed to fully eradiate an infestation, with experts recommending a heat pod treatment that heats infested rooms and belongings to 50C (122F) for a couple of hours.
Pest control firms have reported being inundated with calls about infestations in recent months.
London is thought to be the UK’s hotspot, according to Google search data for the 12 months up to January 2022.
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