Long seen as a marginal — or shameful — problem, pest infestations at home have become a mass phenomenon in France. An Ipsos study published in February 2026, based on a representative sample of 1,000 people, puts a number on it for the first time: 62% of households have suffered at least one infestation in the past five years. Here is what matters — and what it changes for you.
Infestations have doubled in five years
One comparison says it all. In 2021, 16% of French people reported facing an invasion of pests or rodents. In 2025, that figure reaches 32% excluding the tiger mosquito, and 42% including it. Over five years, 62% of households are affected.
Three categories drive the increase:
- wasps and hornets: infestations multiplied by 2.8 (the Asian hornet is now present in 96 départements);
- rats and other rodents: multiplied by 2.5;
- bed bugs: multiplied by 2.1.
The three most frequently encountered species remain the tiger mosquito, the mouse, and wasps/hornets. These are no longer isolated cases but a documented trend, consistent with what we see in the field: the bed bug resurgence and the spread of rats in cities.
The Paris region on the front line of apartment blocks
The geography is very uneven. The South-West records the highest rate (76% of the population affected), ahead of the South-East (69%) and Île-de-France (63%), then the North-West (57%) and North-East (53%).
While the South is overexposed to flying insects and the tiger mosquito, the Paris region stands out for its density of collective housing: bed bugs and cockroaches travel from flat to flat through service ducts, rubbish chutes and shared partition walls. That is exactly why treating one flat in isolation so often fails — and why an infestation in a co-owned building requires a coordinated approach.
The real cost of an infestation: €570 on average
The study puts the average spend of an affected household at €570 to get rid of an infestation. That figure covers far more than the call-out itself:
| Pest | Average total spend | Professional treatment | | --- | --- | --- | | Bed bugs | €816 | — | | Fleas | €684 | €492 | | Rats | €560 | €346 | | Mice | — | €360 | | Tiger mosquito | — | €337 | | Average, all categories | €570 | €284 |
Bed bugs top the list by a wide margin, because the bill includes inspection, treatment and often replacing the bedding. That extra cost explains another figure: 40% of victims gave up essential or leisure spending to pay for treatment — rising to 68% among households hit by bed bugs.
The real cost of an infestation is not the price of the treatment: it is the price of the treatment plus everything you let slide before booking it.
That is the operational lesson. An early professional intervention costs €284 on average; waiting turns a localised colony into a whole-home infestation, with bedding, furniture and sometimes temporary rehousing on top. See our pricing or get an instant estimate with a free quote.
A heavily underestimated psychological toll
Beyond money, 69% of victims report an impact on their quality of life and mental health:
- stress: 44%
- sleep problems (bites, itching): 38%
- increased anxiety: 31%
- shame over a perceived hygiene problem: 14%
- social isolation: 5%
Worth repeating: bed bugs are not linked to poor hygiene. They travel in luggage, on public transport and in second-hand furniture. Shame is a terrible adviser: it delays the call to a professional, and that delay is exactly what the insect exploits.
Home insurance: the cover 68% of French people don't know about
This is the study's blind spot. Several insurers (MACIF, CCF, Luko, Friday, among others) now include a pest guarantee in their home insurance policies: referral to a certified professional and coverage of the treatment, typically between €300 and €500. More comprehensive add-on policies also exist, covering temporary rehousing during heat treatment, post-treatment cleaning or pet boarding.
Yet 68% of French people are unaware these guarantees exist, while 53% say they would be interested.
The reflex to adopt: before paying for an intervention, reread your home policy or call your insurer. On an average €570 bill, a €300–500 reimbursement changes everything. We always issue a detailed, compliant quote and invoice that you can forward to your insurer or building manager.
A political issue now
Pests no longer stop at the front door: 66% of French people say they have seen them in public spaces near their home in the past 12 months — 73% in Paris. Rats (33%), mice (21%) and wasps/hornets (31%) lead. As a result, 57% of French people want pest control debated in the municipal elections, and infestation now ranks ahead of burglary among the events people most want to avoid (27% vs 26%).
What to remember — and do
- Act early. The gap between €284 and €816 is decided in a few weeks of hesitation.
- Identify before treating. Strategies against a rat, a mouse, a cockroach or a bed bug have nothing in common.
- Do not buy just anything. "Shock" products from the parallel market are dangerous and ineffective: see our article on banned insecticides flagged by ANSES.
- Check your insurance before booking.
- In a shared building, alert the management. A partial treatment moves the problem instead of solving it.
ProDeratisation operates across the Paris region (Île-de-France), including 7-day emergency call-outs, for rodent control, insect control and bed bug treatment. We also work with professionals and building managers. Request a free quote or contact us for a fast intervention.
Source: Ipsos study for Badbugs.fr, based on a representative sample of 1,000 French residents, published in February 2026.
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