Banned insecticides against bed bugs and cockroaches: France's health agency warns again

Facing a bed bug or cockroach infestation, the temptation to buy "the strongest product available" is strong. That is exactly what French health authorities are warning against: in its monitoring bulletin published in April 2026, ANSES has renewed its alert about banned insecticides still circulating on the parallel market — and still causing harm.

What the warning says

The product most often involved is a concentrated insecticide based on dichlorvos (DDVP), an organophosphate banned in France since 2013. It is nevertheless still sold on markets, in a few small shops or online, and sometimes brought back from abroad.

The figures reported by the agency leave little doubt:

• 363 cases linked to this product recorded by poison control centres between 2023 and 2025;
• nearly three quarters of exposures occur at home, during a treatment against bed bugs or cockroaches;
• dozens of cases involve children, after ingesting a product left within reach;
• distribution, long concentrated in the Paris region, now extends to other major cities and overseas territories.

Acute poisoning can cause respiratory, digestive, neurological or neuromuscular symptoms, sometimes severe.

A product sold with no regulatory labelling, no marketing authorisation number and a promise of "radical" results is not a bargain: it is a red flag.

Cockroach in a dark corner of a kitchen

Why these products appeal — and why they fail

A bed bug or cockroach infestation is exhausting: sleepless nights, disgust, a sense of emergency. After several store-bought sprays with no effect, many households look for something "more powerful".

The paradox is that these illegal products do not solve the problem:

• they only hit visible insects, never the eggs or the individuals hiding in cracks;
• they scatter colonies towards neighbouring homes;
• they leave lasting contamination on mattresses, textiles and floors — in the rooms where people sleep and children play;
• they add to the phenomenon of cockroach resistance to insecticides.

In short: maximum risk, minimum effectiveness.

The right reflexes during an infestation

1. Never buy insecticides outside official channels (markets, social media, informal sellers), nor any product without proper labelling and an authorisation number.
2. Identify the pest before treating: strategies against bed bugs and cockroaches have nothing in common.
3. Act mechanically while waiting for the intervention: careful vacuuming (bag disposed of outside immediately), washing linen at 60 °C, removing water and food sources for roaches.
4. Do not move belongings from room to room: it is the surest way to spread the infestation.
5. Call a certified professional, the only party allowed to use approved biocides with controlled dosing and a safety protocol.

Bed bug traces on the seams of a mattress

If you have been exposed

If a suspicious product has already been used in your home, ventilate thoroughly, keep children and pets away, and contact a poison control centre if symptoms appear (nausea, headaches, breathing difficulty, tremors). Keep the packaging: it helps identify the substance.

The professional alternative

A professional treatment relies on authorised, traceable products, applied in the right places at the right doses, combined with non-chemical methods (steam, heat, monitoring traps) and a follow-up inspection. It is the only approach that truly eliminates a colony without endangering the household.

ProDeratisation operates across the Paris region (Île-de-France), including emergency call-outs, for pest control treatments, bed bug treatment and rodent control. You can request a free quote, check our prices or contact us directly for a fast intervention.

Key takeaway: against bed bugs and cockroaches, the "miracle" product sold under the counter is a health trap. The only lasting solution remains a proper diagnosis followed by a regulated treatment.