Are French trains infested with bedbugs? Passengers share videos of bugs and bites.
Sightings of bedbugs on French trains have skyrocketed in recent weeks, leaving passengers with itchy bites and sharing videos and photos of carriages allegedly infested with blood-sucking insects.
Usually confined to hotels and homes, the problem appears to have spread to the Paris metro and some cinemas in the capital.
National rail operator SNCF has denied that its trains are infested with the insects, but has also said it will be vigilant in the coming weeks.
Paris City Hall has called for urgent action from the state to combat the problem ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games.
Are French trains infested with bedbugs?
Last week, a passenger traveling on a TGV train from Marseille to Paris reported the presence of bedbugs to the train conductor.
The carriage passengers were informed that they could request a reimbursement for their ticket, reports the French newspaper Le Parisien.
Two other sightings were reported in the same week on other SNCFs trains.
THE train The operator reassured Le Parisien that it regularly carries out preventive treatments against parasites and has not had any confirmed presence of bedbugs on its trains in recent months.
The sightings were not limited to SNCF trains. Last Friday, a passenger traveling with low-cost rail operator Ouigo posted a video on X – formerly Twitter – of a bedbug-like insect on his seat.
It was accompanied by the caption: “Ouigoremember to disinfect your trains, thank you.”
The problem may have also spread to Paris Metro Le Parisien reported that a Line 8 driver reported the presence of bedbugs in his cabin on Wednesday.
Bedbugs have also been reported in Parisian cinemas
Last month, a report of bedbugs at a UGC cinema in Paris spread like wildfire on social media.
After visiting the cinema in Bercy Village, in the city’s 12th arrondissement, user X posted photos of bites on his body allegedly received while watching a movie There.
The cinema later issued an apology to customers via a press release on
It stopped short of offering customers a refund, saying it’s difficult to determine the source of the bites.
Further reports of bedbugs were made in the MK2 cinemas in Beaubourg and Bibliothèque, as well as in other UGC cinemas in Châtelet-Les-Halles, Noisy-le-Grand and Bercy or at the Pathé Alésia, according to the newspaper Le Figaro.
MK2 says it continually inspects its movie theaters and has carried out response and detection procedures at sites with reports of infestations.
Are bed bugs dangerous?
Between 2017 and 2022, more than one in 10 French families faced a bedbug infestation, according to a recent report by Anses, the French national agency for food, environmental and occupational health safety.
Experts attribute the increase in infestations to the increase in travel and the growing resistance of bedbugs to insecticides.
Although bedbugs do not spread illnesses, their bites can be itchy and uncomfortable, and the bugs can spread quickly. Dealing with an infestation can be difficult and expensive.
The resolution of the problem, which according to Anses affects families of all socioeconomic backgrounds, costs on average 866 euros. He recommends non-chemical treatment methods such as extreme heat or freezing.
What is being done to combat the bed bug problem in France?
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, the Paris municipality urged action against the bed bug problem, Le Monde reports.
“Bed bugs are a public health problem and should be reported as such,” wrote the city’s deputy mayor Emmanuel Grégoire. “The State must urgently bring together all interested parties to put in place an action plan appropriate to this scourge as the whole of France prepares to welcome the Olympic and the Paralympic Games in 2024”.
To prevent the problem from spreading to its trains, SNCF says it regularly carries out thorough cleaning and pest control procedures, including the use of traps and insecticides in inaccessible areas.
Preventative treatments are typically carried out every 60 days, he told France Inter radio, but following recent reports he has stepped up checks to every 15 days for at least the next month.
If reports of pests are proven on a specific train, it is taken out of service until the problem is resolved, SNCF added.
Image:Getty Images
Maybe the bedbugs just want to enjoy a good movie or scenic train ride!
Maybe the bedbugs are just trying to enjoy the latest French films? 🎥🐛 #BedbugsOnTheBigScreen
Comment:
I mean, are we really surprised that bedbugs are invading French trains and cinemas? Its France, after all! 🇫🇷🐜
Who needs action when you can have a free bed bug ride on the French trains? 🐜🚂