Three Bedbug Reports on French Trains Within a Week
France, a major tourist destination visited by tens of millions every year, is struggling with bedbugs. Bedbugs have been found in various places such as train seats, movie theater chairs, and accommodation beds.
According to French media Le Parisien on the 25th (local time), three reports of "bedbugs found" were received by the French National Railway Company (SNCF) within the past week.
In particular, a post on the 19th stating "bedbugs found on a train seat" recorded over 7 million views on social networking services (SNS). On the 22nd, a passenger on a direct train to Lille Flandres filmed an insect that appeared to be a bedbug crawling on the armrest of a seat and posted it on SNS.
As bedbug sightings continue, local residents are growing anxious. According to Le Parisien, Luca (18), a French university student, heard a passenger report to a conductor on the 24th while traveling from Marseille in the south to Paris by train, saying "there are bedbugs." He said, "There were about ten of us in our carriage, and I had to carefully check my seat for bedbugs. Considering the train fare, we should get a full refund."
However, a netizen claiming to be an SNCF employee stated on X (formerly Twitter), "Insects on the train? There are no bedbugs or cockroaches on high-speed trains (TGV)," adding, "Sometimes insects may intrude, but they do not live inside the train; passengers bring them in."
Bedbugs are nocturnal insects that feed on human blood with their long proboscis. While they do not cause serious health problems, their bites cause intensely itchy symptoms that are hard to endure. Bedbugs reproduce rapidly, with just two individuals able to increase to 302 adults and 970 eggs within 90 days, and they are resilient enough to survive up to about 180 days without feeding. Therefore, post-infestation treatment is crucial.
Although bedbugs nearly disappeared in Korea after the 1970s, in France, the hygiene conditions of accommodations have deteriorated due to the influx of tourists from various countries, leading to a resurgence.
In France, bedbugs are often found not only on train seats but also in movie theater chairs and accommodation beds. In 2018, when bedbugs were rampant, it was estimated that they appeared in a total of 400,000 locations including hotels, hospitals, theaters, and apartments.
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