Paris’s late-summer bed bug infestation drew unfortunate international attention to the city better known for its lights, romance and indulgent cuisine.
Although a seasonal occurrence, social media and public officials amplified the alarm bells, with the metropole’s deputy mayor Emmanuel Gregoire claiming “in reality, no one is safe”.
Striking just as Paris Fashion Week got underway, invasion fears of the tiny blood-sucking insects have since followed the thousands of attendees on their journey home, many of whom have returned to the UK.
Hitching a ride on clothing and suitcases, they are all too easily transferred to public transport seats and pose an unnerving threat to its users.
But which areas of the country are already most prone to bed bugs? Check Express.co.uk’s map below to see if your city is usually crawling with the critters.
Researchers from global pest control experts Merlin Environmental looked at local-level Google search trends to pinpoint the places with the most severe bed bug woes compared to population size.
Across the country as a whole, search volumes reflect the seasonality of the insects – lowest in the cold months of January and February and rising to peak in August and September. Some areas, however, tend to exhibit far greater concern than others.
Of the UK’s 20 most populous cities, the company deemed four had a “very high infestation” level – with London among them as Britain’s bed bug capital.
The total of 266,400 searches over the year to January 2022 is equivalent to 2.97 percent of the population habitually fretting about the suckers.
After a video of a suspicious bug on the London Underground went viral recently, Mayor Sadiq Khan came out and said their infiltration on the transport network was a “real source of concern”.
Leicester came in second place (2.95 percent), followed by Manchester (2.82 percent), Bristol (2.67 percent) and Birmingham (2.51 percent).
Disaster management expert Professor Lucy Easthope – who previously worked on the pandemic, 7/7 and 9/11 terrorist attacks posted on X: “I promise you this… Britain is not ready for an invasion of bed bugs.”
She added that “the lengths you have to go to get rid of them is arduous. Ditching your bed is not enough.”
Although their bites are generally harmless, they are itchy and cause unpleasant red rashes. The psychological impact, however, can be far more severe.
With an average lifespan of four to six months and being notoriously difficult to eradicate, their presence can result in stress, anxiety and sleep loss.
You can read up on the most effective ways to get rid of them by clicking here.
