France is crawling with bed bugs, should Montrealers be worried?

File - In this March 30, 2011, file photo, a bed bug is displayed at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington. Bed bugs are causing a stir in New Haven, Conn., where the blood-sucking parasites have been making unwelcome appearances in places including Yale University. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

A skin-crawling situation plaguing Paris has prompted fears about travellers spreading bed bugs far beyond its borders.

But the insects that burrowed into the French capital during Fashion Week shouldn't be cause for panic in Montreal, says an entomologist with pest control company Orkin Canada.

Kurtis Brown says while the situation overseas is alarming, bed bug populations are already well-established in major Canadian cities.

Last year, Montreal ranked 12th in Orkin's list of the top bed bug cities in Canada. Toronto took the top spot, meaning the company carried out the most bed bug treatments there.

"From time to time, many cities have heightened reports of bedbug activity, especially when we start seeing them in public places," said Brown.

Montreal's airport authority echoed that sentiment when asked if it was concerned about travellers bringing back the bugs.

It says right now, there are no added precautions in place.

"In the event of any outbreak, (extra) protocols would first have to be defined and imposed by government authorities to all Canadian airports," said a spokesperson in a statement on Friday.

It also encouraged travellers to take precautions to limit their risk.

TRAVEL TIPS

Bed bugs can hide in your suitcase and clothing. To avoid bringing home an unwanted souvenir, Health Canada offers the following tips when travelling:

• Don't pack a pillow;
• Bring white sealable plastic garbage bags for separating belongings;
• Don't put luggage on hotel room beds. Keep it on the luggage stand;
• Thoroughly inspect mattresses by lifting each corner;
• Don't store anything under the bed.

When you return from a trip, consider this advice:

• Check your luggage for bed bugs before bringing it into your home;
• Wash all clothing and fabric in hot water;
• Dry non-washable items in the dryer for 30 minutes;
• Vacuum your luggage and immediately throw out the vacuum bag.

NEW BATTLE ON BED BUGS

As cities around the world grapple with bed bugs, a few factors have experts worried.

And a warmer climate is one of them.

Bed bug populations tend to spike in summer and fall. If the warmer season sticks around longer, so could the pests, says Brown.

Last month was the warmest September on record globally, with an average surface air temperature of 16.38 C, according to Copernicus Climate Change Services, a European data agency.

"If we have elevated temperatures for longer periods of time, we tend to see populations increase faster because that generation time is shrinking," he said.

Another issue—the insects are getting harder to get rid of.

Bed bugs are increasingly resistant to insecticides because certain kinds are overused, says Brown.

"We sort of select naturally resilient members of those groups. They survive, then they reproduce and pass those genetics on to their offspring."

WHAT TO DO IF YOU GET BED BUGS

Time is of the essence when you're dealing with bed bugs, so knowing how to spot the telltale signs is key.

The pests are about the size and colour of an apple seed. If they're around, you might have marks similar to mosquito bites, itchy skin, or small black dots on your sheets and mattress seams.

If you're dealing with an infestation in Montreal, you can find information about what to do here.