Just 10 months before the opening of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, the French capital is battling an invasion of bedbugs.

The tiny pests were first reported in hotels and vacation rental apartments across the city during the summer. Then there were sightings in movie theaters and, in recent days, there have even been reports of bedbugs crawling around on seats in both national high-speed trains and the Paris Metro system.

One metro train driver was dismayed to find some of the unwelcome guests in his driver’s cabin.

    • darq@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      I’ve had bedbugs before, they got into my luggage on an extended trip. And I just have to say screw bedbugs. They’re absolutely miserable little things and difficult to get rid of.

      At first it’s not so bad. Just some itchy bites, nothing serious and they aren’t a major disease vector. But they interfere with your sleep. And they mess with your mind after a while. Eventually it feels like they’re crawling all over you whenever you’re in bed, wherever your skin touches the linen, even if they aren’t actually there.

      So yeah they aren’t the end of the world. But I’d do a lot to avoid them.

    • WarmSoda@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      You’ve obviously never had to deal with bed bugs.
      Fuck off.

        • WarmSoda@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          I am nice. Bed bugs are not nice.
          The video this person linked to advocates to “simply” wrap your bed and all of your clothes in plastic for a year.
          How is that something that’s not horrible?

          These bugs will ruin your sleep, your health, and your home, along with anyone else’s home they catch a ride on, and do cause PTSD. Downplaying them is stupid.

          • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Anyone whose dealt with a bad bedbug infestation can tell you just how horrible they really are. If you don’t deal with them quickly they infect every non-hard surface in your home. You usually have to vacate your home and leave extreme heaters running for an entire 24-48 hours to get rid of them and even that is not a guarantee. I had drenched my entire room in chemical killer and literal hundreds crawled up onto the walls to get away. Fucking terrifying and disgusting. I don’t let people in my house anymore if I don’t know where you’ve been.

    • a1studmuffin@aussie.zone
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      1 year ago

      This seems like bad advice. A friend of mine literally developed panic attacks due to bed bugs. His family spent so long trying to get rid of them for good, and during that whole time none of them were getting proper sleep. Once they were gone, any hint of a bite or an itch triggered him. They can take a huge mental toll in addition to physical.

      • Nheea@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Encountered bed bugs in an airbnb in Lisbon 2 years ago. It was probably a new infestation, there weren’t too many and I wasn’t affected cause I took all the precautions to not take them home with me, but I still have small panic attacks when I see a small red spot on me.

        They even freaking bit my scalp. They are horrible.

    • pimento64@sopuli.xyz
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      1 year ago

      Are you really trying to do an end run around anti-immigrant xenophobia by downplaying bedbugs?