Bedbugs: Infestation spreads from France and the UK to South Korea – why have there been bedbug outbreaks?

Bedbugs were eradicated in South Korea in the 1960s

The bed bug epidemic has spread to South Korea – 60 years after the country eradicated the insects entirely.

South Korea was thought to have entirely got rid of bedbugs after a nationwide extermination campaign in the 1960s, when trucks sprayed pesticide DDT – now thought to be a carcinogen and which is banned worldwide for agricultural use – throughout the nation.

The latest reports of incidents – 17 outbreaks in the capital, Seoul and cities Busan and Incheon – follows reports of major problems in countries including France and the UK.

A bed bug infestation can be a serious problem. Picture: Getty Images

Seoul has set aside 500 million Won (£310,000) and created a response team to battle the infestation in what it is calling its “zero-bedbug city project". The Seoul Metropolitan Government is scheduled to inspect around 3,200 public facilities, including hotels and bathhouses, to assess their sanitary conditions and treat any infestation.

In France, where media reported one in ten households are affected by bedbugs, the epidemic spread over the summer. Meanwhile, Rentokil, the largest pest control company in the world, reported the number of bedbugs in Britain increased by 65 per cent this year compared to last year.

The insects have made a comeback over the past 30 years in many developed countries. Experts believe it is due to increasingly nomadic lifestyles, as well as a trend for reusing second-hand goods and passing items between households. There is also suggestions the bugs have an increasing resistance to insecticides.

They cause small bites, which can be raised and itchy. However, except in very unusual circumstances, if someone has an allergic reaction to them, they are not harmful.