The years have passed and, yet, Roselyne Deberdt remembers it as if it were yesterday.
“They were everywhere in the apartment. There were so many of them that I saw them swarming on the walls. And I’m not talking to you about that smell that hung in the air.”says the Dracénoise today, not without a certain shudder.
Responsible for the Îlot de l’Horloge autonomy residence in Draguignan, at the time of this mishap, Roselyne Deberdt, for the first time, encountered bedbugs in her professional environment.
“Before this, I didn’t know the problem at allshe admits. But I was confronted with it very quickly, a little over a week after taking office.”
“We became hysterical”
“This discovery was made in one of the apartments and, very quickly, half of the accommodations were infested”she continues.
Enough to trigger a real commotion within the residence.
“We all got a little hysterical, we were so scared to bring some home.”
Especially since the insect is tenacious: “It took 4-5 in-depth treatments to overcome it. Thanks to Laurent Brunel, one of the specialists in the problem in Draguignan, we established a very strict protocol and monitoring, with automatic disinfestation before the arrival of each resident.”
Fear of being misjudged
A technical and organizational difficulty, but not only that.
“At the time, the subject was taboo. There was no need to talk about it too much. The residents experienced this situation as a shame, with the fear of being misjudged because in their minds the presence of these bedbugs meant that the accommodation was dirty. Even though we know that this is not the case, it has been very traumatic for the elderly. We had to talk, play down the drama and let go of the guilt.”
The episode was also significant for Roselyne Deberdt who, without knowing it, had not yet finished with the parasite.
Almost ten years later, last year, while returning from a Parisian getaway, the retiree came face to face with the famous insect.
“When I saw the pin on the wall, I went into a panic. I was panicked and I immediately applied the reflexes I had learned before.” Namely: wash your household linen at 60°C, place anything that is not washable in the freezer for 72 hours, vacuum your home and seal all the gaps, particularly around sockets and windows, with silicone.
“Great precautions”
Of “great precautions” have become reflexes, which the Dracénoise has fully integrated into her daily life.
“I have dedicated a special drawer in my freezer for my things when I return from travelingshe concedes. This fear does not leave my mind. Bedbugs can be everywhere.”
Just last weekend, these little creatures were discovered on board a Paris-Marseille TGV. Information reaching the ears of Roselyne Deberdt, who obviously did not remain indifferent to it.
“I have to return to Paris soon. And I can already tell you that it won’t be without my lavender repellent spray and a trash bag to protect my bag!”