Unwanted insects such as bedbugs and cockroaches constitute a particularly stimulating entry point for re-examining urban animal geographies and human-animal cohabitation from at least three perspectives. 1 - First of all, it is the question of wildlife in the city (Lorimer, 2012) and the autonomous dynamics of the evolution of space-species-citizen relations that can be explored. Bedbugs and cockroaches underline the extent to which certain animals can be perfectly adapted to the city, but also the extent to which their development is beyond human control. While the question of wild vertebrates in the city (mammals and birds) is present in the work of geographers (e.g. Estebanez, 2015), that of invertebrates (insects or arachnids), despite pioneering work, remains largely unexplored (Blanc, 2021). 2 - Then there is the question of unloved nature. These insects are among the bugs, the filth and the swarming multitudes (Raffles, 2016) that humans would prefer not to coexist,. Far from a beneficent and enchanting nature, these insects underline how painful if not impossible inter-species cohabitation can be. 3 - Finally, bedbugs and cockroaches invite us to explore a particular natural environment: the domestic space. From kitchens to bedrooms via technical ducts, they take us into private and intimate human territories, but also into inaccessible micro-spaces that are still little investigated and yet teeming with life (Dunn, 2018).
In this paper, I will return to each of these three perspectives by illustrating my point with a survey carried out in Lausanne among three categories of actors: inhabitants, ecologists and exterminators. These investigations are part of the preparation of the exhibition "Indésirables!? Les animaux mal-aimés de la ville " which will take place in 2022 and 2023 at the Museum of Zoology in Lausanne.
Mots clés : undesirable animals|insects|city|Lausanne|domestic space
A103815JS