Are commercially available insecticides ineffective? Bed bug consultations remain at a high level, even though they should have disappeared once: Tokyo Shimbun TOKYO Web
Bed bugs cause intense itching when bitten. After the war, the number of consultations decreased sharply due to improvements in the sanitary environment, but recently the number of consultations has remained high. Once introduced into a home, they can breed in a short period of time, making it difficult to exterminate them in an ordinary household. How should I deal with it? (Tomohiro Oguni)
Adult bed bugs (provided by Japan Pest Control Association)
◆If you get stung, “I can’t stand the itching”
“It feels like I’ve been bitten by something. It’s so itchy.” “There were a lot of small insects.” Such words are being received at public health centers in Tokyo.
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Environmental Health and Hygiene Division, the number of consultations increased from 26 in 2005 to 458 in 2019, 320 in 2020, 281 in 2021, and 405 in 2022. A representative said, “Although this is not the actual number of damages, it has remained high for the past few years.”
Bed bugs, also called bedbugs, are a member of the stink bug family. Adults are about 5 to 8 mm long and brown in color. They live by sucking the blood of people and animals. They are active at night and their bites cause intense itching.
◆ Has it been brought in to inbound?
For a while after the war, they were seen everywhere in Japan, but as sanitary conditions improved and insecticides were used to exterminate them, they almost disappeared from daily life in the 1970s.
It started to increase again around 2010. Shinji Motegi, executive director of the Japan Pest Control Association, a public interest incorporated association made up of exterminators, explains, “It is believed that the insects were brought in from overseas due to the rapid increase in inbound visitors to Japan.” Bed bugs are said to be attached to luggage, bags, clothes, etc. and brought indoors.
Due to global warming, the warm period when movement is active is becoming longer, and it is thought that it may be becoming more widespread. It seemed like things would calm down due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that didn’t happen. On the other hand, Motegi says, “The number of tourists is on the rise again as the movement of tourists and other people has become more active since the end of the coronavirus.” According to the advertising and public relations office of Duskin, which also handles pest extermination, the number of consultations from April to July this year was 1.8 times that of the same period last year.
Damage has been reported outside of Japan, and in France, outbreaks have occurred not only in homes but also in subways, airport waiting rooms, movie theaters, etc., and it has become a social problem. The government is taking measures in preparation for next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.
◆ Rely on a professional for extermination…How much does it cost?
How to get rid of bed bugs using coolant (provided by Duskin)
However, bed bugs seem to be difficult to control.
In recent years, “super bed bugs” that have become more resistant to insecticides have become widespread, making it difficult to exterminate them with commercially available insecticides, forcing companies to be relied upon to exterminate them.
According to Duskin, the average cost for extermination is around 120,000 to 130,000 yen, depending on factors such as breeding status and number of rooms. Depending on the breeding situation, the cost may be even higher.
“During the day, they hide in the crevices of beds, sofas, and under carpets, so it’s difficult for amateurs to spot them,” Motegi said. “There have been cases where it has spread throughout the home of an elderly person living alone without them noticing, or it has spread from one room of an apartment to another.”
Is there anything that can be done at home? “If you notice signs that look like insect bites and severe itching, you suspect bed bugs.
