Bed bugs this year???

[annarosa]

Hi!
Heading out in September, and just wanted to know if bed bugs are an issue this year? I've read that treating your stuff with Permethrin works well at keeping the little suckers at bay, anyone try this and succeed? Also lavender oil for your skin? I really don't want to bring these little guys home with me. Any tips and advice is really welcomed! Also been thinking about just staying in hotels instead of the albergues, will that make any difference? Thanks so much!
Annarosa

 

[Finola]

Hi!
Heading out in September, and just wanted to know if bed bugs are an issue this year? I've read that treating your stuff with Permethrin works well at keeping the little suckers at bay, anyone try this and succeed? Also lavender oil for your skin? I really don't want to bring these little guys home with me. Any tips and advice is really welcomed! Also been thinking about just staying in hotels instead of the albergues, will that make any difference? Thanks so much!
Annarosa

Hi, I've done the Camino Frances in three goes and each time have taken a single fitted bedsheet treated with Permethrin. I've never had trouble with bedbugs, though I've only ever stayed in one hostel where other people were. So I guess the permethrin-treated bedsheet probably works and it weighs very little and doesn't take up too much room, but maybe bedbugs aren't all that common in the albergues anyway. Hope this is of some help.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I've read that treating your stuff with Permethrin works well at keeping the little suckers at bay, anyone try this and succeed? Also lavender oil for your skin? I really don't want to bring these little guys home with me. Also been thinking about just staying in hotels instead of the albergues, will that make any difference? Thanks so much!
Annarosa

Permethrin is about all you can do. It is an insecticide rather than a repellent, but no repellent has been proven useful against bed bugs. It is an effective insecticide and likely will kill anything that crawls into your backpack at night.

Lavender oil has not been proven to be effective. Use it if you like, but don't expect much from it except a nice aroma.

To prevent them from coming home with you, put all your equipment in a large garbage bag when you return, spray inside with permethrin, then wait a day to open it.

Hotels have bed bugs, too. Half the bed bugs I have seen were in hostales/hoteles. Avoiding albergues probably will not work.

 

[annarosa]

Do you know where I can get Permethrin in Canada? I've checked Canadian Tire and Home Depot, not really sure where to find it. And as to the lavender oil I hate the smell lol so if its an iffy thing I'm not using it. Thanks for saving me from that headache

 

[Deleted member 3000]

In Canada go to a farm store that has supplies for cattle and horses. They will have a skin treatment for animals that has permethrin in it.

 

[PANO]

To prevent them from coming home with you, put all your equipment in a large garbage bag when you return, spray inside with permethrin, then wait a day to open it.

What also works is to put your clothes into a black garbage-plastic bag, close it well and expose it to the sun for 2-3 hours; bugs will be exterminated by the heat, no chemicals required.
A seasoned Irish peregrino recommended to additionally drink a bottle of wine (or was it two?) during the process; this would not only disinfect the bite-wounds from the inside but also inebriate the bugs to oblivion.

 

[valentinamf78]

Yes!!! There are!!!!! I did my camino (french camino) last week (26/27/28/29 May) from Sarria to Santiago! I just slept 3 nights in albergues. First in mercadoiro (5 km before portomarin), then in palas de rey ( inthe municipal albergue) and the last Night in pedrouzo, also in a municipal albergue. The bed bugs ate me!!!!!

 

[shefollowsshells]

YEP!!! They were on the Norte six weeks ago...I didn't get them but two of my buddies pinpointed where they got them.
They had bites on their necks that looked painful. Both seemed to think that was part of the Camino while I certainly don't want to welcome the bites as part of mine.
I travel with a silk(ish) fitted sheet AND pillowcase...minimal weight and would not dream of traveling without it. It has been sprayed with the Perm stuff...

 

[peregrino_tom]

I know this is being a bit pedantic but as this recurs on beg bug threads, can I just point out that:
The majority of pilgrims don't get bitten by bed bugs. If you have a permethrin sheet and you don't get bitten by bed bugs it doesn't necessarily follow that you didn't get bitten because you had a permethrin sheet (or lavender oil, or tea tree oil, or DDT etc) . The only thing you can really say is that to date no-one on this forum who has taken a permethrin sheet has reported being bitten - but that is a very long way from being able to say that it is effective.

 

[PANO]

I know this is being a bit pedantic but as this recurs on beg bug threads, can I just point out that:
The majority of pilgrims don't get bitten by bed bugs. If you have a permethrin sheet and you don't get bitten by bed bugs it doesn't necessarily follow that you didn't get bitten because you had a permethrin sheet (or lavender oil, or tea tree oil, or DDT etc) . The only thing you can really say is that to date no-one on this forum who has taken a permethrin sheet has reported being bitten - but that is a very long way from being able to say that it is effective.

So you are saying that the Irish peregrino
(

A seasoned Irish peregrino recommended to additionally drink a bottle of wine (or was it two?) during the process; this would not only disinfect the bite-wounds from the inside but also inebriate the bugs to oblivion.

)
was actually right?

 

[shefollowsshells]

I know this is being a bit pedantic but as this recurs on beg bug threads, can I just point out that:
The majority of pilgrims don't get bitten by bed bugs. If you have a permethrin sheet and you don't get bitten by bed bugs it doesn't necessarily follow that you didn't get bitten because you had a permethrin sheet (or lavender oil, or tea tree oil, or DDT etc) . The only thing you can really say is that to date no-one on this forum who has taken a permethrin sheet has reported being bitten - but that is a very long way from being able to say that it is effective.

I would agree...I have seen VERY few people who I suspected of getting bit by bed bugs...I also think you could send out the same number of folks that canvas the different Caminos to any city in the World and statistically I bet there will be just as many if not more people getting bit staying at accomodations ranging from hostels to resorts.

I take a fitted sheet for many more reasons than bedbugs...and I personally would never travel the Camino without one...but each his own...

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I have been at dinner tables where everyone but me has been bitten. Many don't complain, or don't know that the red marks are bed bug bites. This Forum does not sample the 50% of pilgrims who are Spanish, or the next 25% from France, Germany, Italy, and Portugal. Bed bugs are out there, and become more active as the summer moves on. Every tourist office in France sells permethrin because they think the problem is endemic. Be casual about it at your own risk!

 

[koilife]

I know this is being a bit pedantic but as this recurs on beg bug threads, can I just point out that:
The majority of pilgrims don't get bitten by bed bugs. If you have a permethrin sheet and you don't get bitten by bed bugs it doesn't necessarily follow that you didn't get bitten because you had a permethrin sheet (or lavender oil, or tea tree oil, or DDT etc) . The only thing you can really say is that to date no-one on this forum who has taken a permethrin sheet has reported being bitten - but that is a very long way from being able to say that it is effective.

The real question is the degree to which the bed bug is pyrethroid resistant. Resistant populations take longer to die (if at all) which means they can still cross the sheet and bite. This is not just anecdotal stories; resistance is regularly tested scientifically, and a Google search will readily identify many such studies, However, as most populations have not yet developed resistance, permethrin (and similarly proven insecticides) are likely to be highly effective, though not guaranteed.

 

[annakappa]

Some Albergues are more susceptical to hosting bed bugs than others. All these quaint old Albergues with wooden floors, especially in the dorms are one category that is definitely bed bug prone! Personally, I feel that new metal bunk beds have probably less nooks and crannies for them to shelter than wooden bunk beds. Mattresses that have a fully sealed mattress cover are obviously a better bet than a loose fitted sheet supplied by the Albergue to cover the mattress. Anne

 

[Dave2525]

Do you know where I can get Permethrin in Canada? I've checked Canadian Tire and Home Depot, not really sure where to find it. And as to the lavender oil I hate the smell lol so if its an iffy thing I'm not using it. Thanks for saving me from that headache

Try amazon.ca, last time I looked they had it available. A friend was travelling to the US so I ended up ordering from Amazon.com.

 

[Stellere]

I was bitten by bedbugs in late April, either in an albergue in Santiago or in a hotel in Finisterre, right before heading home. My stuff is still in a plastic garbage bag in the shed 4 weeks later. Ha! It hasn't been hot enough for me to feel confident in the sun's bug-killing power. Anyone know how long the critters can last wrapped in plastic? I'm opting for overcautious here.

 

[jirit]

The bed bug problem is not a camino only issue - seems all of Spain has seen a jump in reported cases.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...448/Bedbug-epidemic-spreads-across-Spain.html

 

[travellover]

What size of a fitted sheet do I need? Twin? Or there is some kind of hostel" style?

 

[shefollowsshells]

What size of a fitted sheet do I need? Twin? Or there is some kind of hostel" style?

A twin fitted is perfect! I was not on one bed where mine did not fit.
I had a regular twin pillow case and wish I had made some mods to it. The pillows there (on the Norte I think all of my beds had pillows on the Frances I don't think so)...are very long...much longer than the pillows we use in the states. When I put my pillow in the case it had maybe about 6 inches or so sticking out which always grossed me out. I wish I had removed the seam or just cut open the closed end of the pillow case and left a few inches out on each side OR even connected two cases.

I got a cheap silkish sheet set from a thrift store. I had never slept on that sort of sheet before and must say I was burning up on many nights and felt it was slippery, might reconsider fabric next time.

 

[C clearly]

I was bitten by bedbugs in late April, either in an albergue in Santiago or in a hotel in Finisterre, right before heading home. My stuff is still in a plastic garbage bag in the shed 4 weeks later. Ha! It hasn't been hot enough for me to feel confident in the sun's bug-killing power. Anyone know how long the critters can last wrapped in plastic? I'm opting for overcautious here.

They can last a long time at ambient temperature. Put the bag in a freezer for a couple of weeks instead.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

"Anyone know how long the critters can last wrapped in plastic?"

Eggs are hardiest and die at 118F after 90 minutes.

 

[angeliki louk]

Aaaaaa i am scared and confused with all that you write,hahahahha!!! I am coming from Greece and i will start my camino on the 8 July.
I have a sleeping bag that i will be using, is it enough? What else i have to do??????i dont want to be bitten or carry them with meeeeee


Sent from my iPhone using Camino de Santiago Forum

 

[Dutch]

The portable heat chamber in Falcon269's PDF file should be available in every albergue. Seems like a cheap and easy way to kill bed bugs.

Permethrin is a reppelent, but not for bed bugs. Mosquitoes i.e. will fall of a permethrin treated fabric, but to kill a bedbug with just a treated piece of fabric like a sheet takes about 30-60 minutes of constant contact between the bed bug and the treated fabric. Plenty of time for them to nibble on you.

Permethrin is good to spray your bag. If they get in your bag, the constant contact with the fabric will kill them. So permethrin is a "long-term" solution. That is, if the bed bug, as stated here earlier, isn't imune to the stuff. Bed bugs evolve....just like the rest of nature does brrrr

Oh, bed bugs don't discriminate between a non-star hostel and a five star hotel. They can be found everywhere. I've never seen anybody checking into the Ritz of Four seasons carrying a treated fitted sheet ...... But stranger things happen, so you never know

 

[Metropolly]

There's little you can do to prevent yourself being bitten where bedbugs are present, bar vacuum-packing yourself and all your belongings! Some people claim they've done this or that particular treatment and 'never had a problem', but beware that not everyone reacts to a bedbug bite - so just because you don't see or feel a bite doesn't mean you haven't been exposed to an infestation. If everyone around you is covered in bites, chances are you've met the bugs too, only you don't know it!
My older relatives tell me that when bedbugs were last common in Europe, during the Second World War, returning soldiers would be made to strip on the doorstep and all their belongings plunged into vats of boiling water. In the winter, bedding was dragged out into the show and shaken free of any frozen bugs.
These steps are not always practical these days, but doing as your mother always told you can help: always hang up clothes and packs rather than leaving them on the bed or floor; thoroughly shake out your bedding (sleeping bag or whatever you use) every morning before stowing it away; wash everything on as hot a wash as possible when you get the chance; wear a lightweight white nightshirt to bed, rather than the next day's camino kit, so that you can see any giveaway blood spots. None of this will guarantee you're bug-free, but it can all help. These tiresome old-fashioned basic hygiene rituals suddenly make sense!

 

[annakappa]

There's little you can do to prevent yourself being bitten where bedbugs are present, bar vacuum-packing yourself and all your belongings!

LOVE this original idea!
Next on the market will be vacuum pack night gear! Anne

 

[jirit]

Just to show that bed bugs is neither just related to the camino or Spain here is some recent reports and stats for the USA.

http://www.pestworld.org/all-things-bed-bugs/history-of-bed-bugs/bed-bug-facts-statistics/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/dispatches/2013/07/09/bed-bugs-in-hotels/2492871/

http://www.freep.com/article/20140513/FEATURES08/305130106/Bedbug-population-booming-in-U-S-

Almost reminds me of Hitchcock's movie The Birds...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birds_(film)

I can see it now... hapless pilgrims being swarmed at night by vicious blood sucking bed bugs

 

[donalomahony]

This is just online from WIRED magazine

How to Search Your Hotel Room for Bed Bugs Just click on the title!

 

[Kanga]

Prevention is better than cure; check the bedding before you unpack. It's easy to spot a real infestation but the problem is the one bedbug that has newly arrived. For that I carry either Clako or a personal insect repellant and use Anniesantiago's method. Expose and lightly spray the mattress and wait ten minutes. Watch, with a torch if the light is poor. Any bedbugs will emerge and you will see them. Report it to the hospitalero who should then treat the bed. If not, go elsewhere.
Personal insect repellant does work as a repellant so you can apply it to yourself if you are really paranoid. But it wears off, you have to apply it everywhere, and it's unnecessary if there are no bedbugs. Interestingly Deet does not seem to work for bedbugs (or ticks) so stick to the permethrin based ones. They are sometimes labelled as suitable for children.

 

[Andrew James Doyle]

We used Silk sleeping-bag liners only (slept with clothes on or borrowed blankets where we could) and never encounted Any! But none of the fello perrigrinos with us either! So perhaps we got lucky, and chose (in sucession) those Albergues without Any!?! I get the feeling there are less than people think but appreciate if you are the one bitten, you would tell the World!! Buen Camino

 

[paulstmalo]

I was bitten by bedbugs in late April, either in an albergue in Santiago or in a hotel in Finisterre, right before heading home. My stuff is still in a plastic garbage bag in the shed 4 weeks later. Ha! It hasn't been hot enough for me to feel confident in the sun's bug-killing power. Anyone know how long the critters can last wrapped in plastic? I'm opting for overcautious here.

Put all your stuff in the freezer for 48 hours. Guaranteed to kill the little b........s

 

[Oztrekker]

Yes they are, I got feasted apon, now I am paranoid after the fumigation eashing. Am still getting red spots. I am seeing specks of white on my sleeping bag I am like is that an egg?

They are mean blood suckers, just stay at municipals where they give you the bed bug covers as part of the deal.

 

[pererin]

Just walked in May, didn't get any problems personally but did meet those who had. They were in the minority not majority.
Used a silk sleeping bag liner, which was from Lifesystems and came already treated. The liner was good, sometimes a bit too warm, but worked.
Don't worry too much about bed bugs, as others say, just check your bed out.
One thing everyone should do though, if you think you've found them/signs of them tell your host/hospitalero etc so they can treat them and stop the problem.
When I was walking one of my companions had been bitten and the private albergue owner at our next stop insisted on ringing back where my companion had been to make sure they were aware and were doing something.
Relax, don't worry too much and enjoy your Camino.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

just stay at municipals where they give you the bed bug covers as part of the deal.

The covers are for hygiene, not bed bug protection, so don't expect much. The mesh fabric give bed bugs a good foot hold!

 

[travellover]

Has anybody tried this? The Original Bed Bug Patch Repellant, 24 Count
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00563E5ZW/?tag=casaivar02-20

It has mixed reviews, supposedly you stick one patch on any part of your body and it works for 36 hours.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The Original Bed Bug Patch Repellant, 24 Count
by The Original Bed Bug Patch

Price: $19.99 ($0.83 / count) + $5.95 shipping
Note: Not eligible for Amazon Prime.
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Quest Products.

• Natural and organic, safe for adults and children
• Uses the B1 vitamin

From research at the University of Wisconsin:

Vitamin B1 – Vitamin B1 is often taken to help repel mosquitos but one study suggests this remedy may be useless. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin study tested B1 with a larger sample of human subjects and found no effect of vitamin B.

 

[tploomis]

My father came down with a bad case of "psychological bedbugs," in his words. He became convinced that his house was infested with bedbugs, complete with itching sensations and a suspected infestation source. It took a couple of months to clear up.

 

[Sue M]

Found bedbugs sharing my bed last year is Palas do Rei. It was horrid. Decamped to the corridor and had a sleepless night. Have just walked from Le Puy to Conques and stayed in three hotels which had had them one had been completely gutted with new beds, sheets, curtains etc. and notices telling everyone to report a bug straight away if they spotted one. Another hotel was in the middle of having arentokil treatments. A third assured me that they let of 'bombs' in rooms where bugs had been found. I got a bit neurotic because I remembered what it was like to wake up and feel them crawling over me, but luckily I didn't see (or feel!) any this time!

 

[Cher.Rey]

Hi, I've done the Camino Frances in three goes and each time have taken a single fitted bedsheet treated with Permethrin. I've never had trouble with bedbugs, though I've only ever stayed in one hostel where other people were. So I guess the permethrin-treated bedsheet probably works and it weighs very little and doesn't take up too much room, but maybe bedbugs aren't all that common in the albergues anyway. Hope this is of some help.

What type of fitted sheet did you use and where did you get it?

 

[annakappa]

What type of fitted sheet did you use and where did you get it?

A fitted sheet alone won't help much, because it doesn't completely cover the mattress on all sides AND top and underneath. The bed bugs are frequently found in the sewn ridge surrounding the mattress - top and bottom. Also, bed bugs can be hiding in any crevice and joints of the bed itself. Anne

 

[paladycamino]

We have found them in hotels and albergue's get the spray from a pharmacy when you get here. They say you can put it on your skin or bed I elected the bed.

Remember not everyone gets them there is 5 of us and 2 of us got them the others did not

I have gotten them in the states so I knew I was going to get them

They have a Rollon also but it did not work very well for me

 

[brynderwyn]

I know this is being a bit pedantic but as this recurs on beg bug threads, can I just point out that:
The majority of pilgrims don't get bitten by bed bugs. If you have a permethrin sheet and you don't get bitten by bed bugs it doesn't necessarily follow that you didn't get bitten because you had a permethrin sheet (or lavender oil, or tea tree oil, or DDT etc) . The only thing you can really say is that to date no-one on this forum who has taken a permethrin sheet has reported being bitten - but that is a very long way from being able to say that it is effective.

I know this is being a bit pedantic but as this recurs on beg bug threads, can I just point out that:
The majority of pilgrims don't get bitten by bed bugs. If you have a permethrin sheet and you don't get bitten by bed bugs it doesn't necessarily follow that you didn't get bitten because you had a permethrin sheet (or lavender oil, or tea tree oil, or DDT etc) . The only thing you can really say is that to date no-one on this forum who has taken a permethrin sheet has reported being bitten - but that is a very long way from being able to say that it is effective.

We walked the Portuguese Camino September 2013, and I was attacked by bed bugs in a municipal albergue while sleeping in my permethrin soaked silk sleep sack!

 

[Dutch]

Permethrin is not made for/against bedbugs. Its a great insect repellent, but only works on bedbugs when they are in contact with treated fabrics for minimum 30 minutes. So no matter if your sheet it soaked in it, they still have plenty of time to have a nibble and leave again. Unfortunately.

Permethrin is good for treating your backpack inside and out (and other stuff you keep in there). If they happen to crawl into your pack and travel along with you, the long term contact with treated fabric will knock them out.

 

[Kanga]

I don't use a pyrethrum treated sheet, not because there is a problem with it but I haven't needed it. Instead I use the AnnieSantiago method - lightly spray the mattress with pyrethrum spray as soon as I arrive at the albergue. Stand back and watch for ten minutes. The bugs don't like it and will crawl out and be visible. If there are any I report to the hospitalero and let them take action - if no action go elsewhere. It's probably not foolproof but I've found bugs three or four times this way and never been bitten.

 

[Luka]

Yep, found about 10 to 15 red spots on my upper back today. Hardly itching though. Stayed in Foncebadon last night, the night before in Astorga. No idea how I can check if I am carrying them with me. They must be big enough to see, I guess.

 

[PANO]

Bedbugs are proliferating generally and world wide, the Camino only gets its share. With a quarter of a million peregrinos a year and less than clinical hygiene generally prevailing inside albergues, it actually surprises that there are not many more cases. Just a week ago, newspapers reported that my town Zurich (often praised for its cleanliness) had a record of 60 cases this year and they they keep on raising rapidly, as travelling is on the increase. The buggers are spread by humans. Let's hope that modern technology will eventually relieve us of the pest; when will there be an app for THAT?

 

[sourkraut]

I don't like creepy crawlies but just reading this thread makes me worry about something else. How much permethrin am I likely to breath in in all the clouds put out by pilgrims in communal accommodation? Are people considerate enough to open the windows so that others can breath? I understand that in a dry state it's considered harmless to humans but what about all those aerosols?

 

[Kanga]

I don't like creepy crawlies but just reading this thread makes me worry about something else. How much permethrin am I likely to breath in in all the clouds put out by pilgrims in communal accommodation? Are people considerate enough to open the windows so that others can breath? I understand that in a dry state it's considered harmless to humans but what about all those aerosols?

The spray I use is actually a personal insect repellent, safe to spray directly on the skin and safe for children - so a low dose. I use it lightly. My aim is not to kill the bedbugs, just to detect them. It's not ideal I know, but hopefully not too intrusive.

 

[rsvp125]

No bedbugs during my Camino (July 2014)

 

[Dutch]

@Kanga is the repellent you use the one you can buy in SJPP at some albergues or maybe also other places? That french repellent?

 

[ranthr]

Clako in France, what do you buy in Spain?

 

[annakappa]

Yep, found about 10 to 15 red spots on my upper back today. Hardly itching though. Stayed in Foncebadon last night, the night before in Astorga. No idea how I can check if I am carrying them with me. They must be big enough to see, I guess.

It was probably Astorga. One of the Albergues has a sort of bad reputation! Anne

 

[annakappa]

T-tree oil is also supposed to be a repellent for bed bugs. Anne

 

[KinkyOne]

Yep, found about 10 to 15 red spots on my upper back today. Hardly itching though. Stayed in Foncebadon last night, the night before in Astorga. No idea how I can check if I am carrying them with me. They must be big enough to see, I guess.

Hi, Luka!

Hope you're OK or better at least. I've got biten by bedbugs in El Ganso on 14th July (might be also in El Acebo the night afterwards). Anyway, in Ponferrada I was already in private room and washing everything on 90 degrees. Next day on Camino de Invierno even more bites. I've made two more short stages and again washed everything but nothing helped. When I came to A Rua I was taking anti-histaminic pills (get Claritine or Loratadina or such) for three days and treated bites (over 200 by that time) with Cuatroderme cream. Then a nice lady Asuncion told me that most possibly I've had severe reaction to just a few bites and she gave me some homemade gels and homeopatic medicine. Also we've washed all my clothes on 90 once again. And I sprayed my backpack and boots with two different sprays (one was Raid), but was later told that "Goibi, xtreme antimosquitos tropical locion" is really good. Oh, and I 've forgot to mention that no bedbug was seen by me nor by anyone other although they are 4-12mm long. Come on, if I've got more than 200 bites there should've been at least one bedbug - but wasn't...

Ultreia!
With no bedbugs

 

[Piccata]

Yep, found about 10 to 15 red spots on my upper back today. Hardly itching though. Stayed in Foncebadon last night, the night before in Astorga. No idea how I can check if I am carrying them with me. They must be big enough to see, I guess.

Luka, I too was bitten multiple times (probably by bed bugs, based on spacing, location on my body, size, etc.) while on the Camino and never saw a single one, either in my belongings or on any bed. I too used a pyrethrin sprayed sheet, but it didn't seem to keep them off me. It is quite likely-not guaranteed-that you are carrying them with you, and you could wait a few days to see if the biting continues. However, if you do this, you will probably spread the bed bugs to the places you stay in (and consequently other pilgrims) while you are waiting to be sure. SO DON'T!
As an unfortunately experienced victim of these pests, I would recommend the following actions to rid yourself of bedbugs while continuing on: 1. Find an albergue with a clothes dryer (not so easy, but possible). I think dryers get the clothes hotter for longer than any water from a water heater can, which may explain KinkyOne's problems. 2. Wash/dry (on highest heat) everything possible except (of course) the clothes you are wearing (your walking clothes). Put the cleaned items in large plastic bag. I had a white trash compactor bag which is extra thick, but I've never heard of bed bugs being able to bite through anything. 3. Shower and shampoo. 4. Put on cleaned clothes. 5. Wash/dry (on highest heat) remaining dirty clothes and towel. 6. Use the plastic bag to separate your belongings from your backpack, because you will probably never find a dryer in France or Spain large enough for your backpack. Be sure to close the plastic bag very tightly every time after opening it. 7. Inspect your guidebook, etc., to try to eliminate any pests hiding there, but store them outside the plastic bag just to be safe. No need to wash down (feather) sleeping bags; you can run them through a hot dryer only. 30 minutes at the highest heat appears to be the magic number. These actions work even if it's raining outside and there's no sun to heat your belongings, but you do need to pay for two separate runs in the dryer. By the end of the Camino I was running my sleeping bag and pajamas through the dryer every morning every time I came across one, just prophylactically. When people ask what the worst part of my Camino was, I tell them bed bugs. But I learned how to deal with them and they didn't wreck an otherwise amazing experience.

 

[Kanga]

@Kanga is the repellent you use the one you can buy in SJPP at some albergues or maybe also other places? That french repellent?

Clako in France, what do you buy in Spain?

Any personal insecticide from the chemist that is labeled as suitable for children - read the label and as long as it contains some pyrethroid type product (not Deet!) it will work to annoy the bugs. I pick the one that smells best. There is one nice one I've come across in Spain with a mechanical (non aerosol) pump but I no longer remember the name. Clako (from France) is fine if you can get it, expensive but a nice easy small size and non aerosol.
I've tried some essential oil based sprays but found them ineffective. Lavender is useless. Tea tree might work.
You do need to be vigilant to watch for a good ten minutes after you spray - hard to be disciplined about it night after night and when you've walked 25 k. The bugs are easier to see when they crawl out on a white surface, more difficult on dark walls and timber.

 

[Kanga]

1. Find an albergue with a clothes dryer (not so easy, but possible). I think dryers get the clothes hotter for longer than any water from a water heater can, which may explain KinkyOne's problems. 2. Wash/dry (on highest heat) everything possible except (of course) the clothes you are wearing (your walking clothes). Put the cleaned items in large plastic bag. I had a white trash compactor bag which is extra thick, but I've never heard of bed bugs being able to bite through anything. 3. Shower and shampoo. 4. Put on cleaned clothes. 5. Wash/dry (on highest heat) remaining dirty clothes and towel. 6. Use the plastic bag to separate your belongings from your backpack, because you will probably never find a dryer in France or Spain large enough for your backpack. Be sure to close the plastic bag very tightly every time after opening it. 7. Inspect your guidebook, etc., to try to eliminate any pests hiding there, but store them outside the plastic bag just to be safe. No need to wash down (feather) sleeping bags; you can run them through a hot dryer only. 30 minutes at the highest heat appears to be the magic number. These actions work even if it's raining outside and there's no sun to heat your belongings, but you do need to pay for two separate runs in the dryer. By the end of the Camino I was running my sleeping bag and pajamas through the dryer every morning every time I came across one, just prophylactically. When people ask what the worst part of my Camino was, I tell them bed bugs. But I learned how to deal with them and they didn't wreck an otherwise amazing experience.

This seems to me to be sensible advice if you get bitten. I have a friend who manages a caravan park and he says 30 minutes in the hottest cycle of the clothes dryer is the recommendation.
The advice regarding your guide book is valid - apparently some libraries are experiencing infestations.... And I have a friend who ran into bedbugs on the Camino (in a hotel, not an albergue) took great care to eliminate them with clothes washing, hot dryer, etc - only to have one fall out of her wallet when she was booking in at the next place - mortifying. So your passport, wallet, mobile phone, camera - can all become little taxis for ze little bugs.

 

[Luka]

@anna, it wasn't San Javier, but the albergue at the beginning of town.

Thanks for the advice! Washing my clothes at 90 would ruin them though (wool). I heard something about putting them in the freezer? The red spots have almost gone and it looks like I haven't been bitten last night.

 

[Kanga]

@anna, it wasn't San Javier, but the albergue at the beginning of town.

Thanks for the advice! Washing my clothes at 90 would ruin them though (wool). I heard something about putting them in the freezer? The red spots have almost gone and it looks like I haven't been bitten last night.

With wool, dry clean them. Or try putting them in a hot dryer before you wash them, i.e. while they are dry. Try something that doesn't matter first but I think they should be OK. Then wash as normal. The feezer does work but you have to leave the article in a domestic freezer for at least 24 hours which is tricky on Camino. Wool is such a good insulator and the cold has to completely penetrate it.

 

[craigmiller]

It was probably Astorga. One of the Albergues has a sort of bad reputation! Anne

Which one ?

 

[annakappa]

Which one ?

Sorry, I can't write that in the Forum. I can only mention that one of the two Albergues there has wood floors, the other ceramic. Go figure! Anne

 

[Jochen_Schmidtke]

Sorry, I can't write that in the Forum. I can only mention that one of the two Albergues there has wood floors, the other ceramic. Go figure! Anne

Hi Folks.
Even luxory hotels have problems with these nasty animals.
Have a look here.
I wish all pilgrims a buen and bug free Camino
Jochen

 

[annakappa]

Hi Folks.
Even luxory hotels have problems with these nasty animals.
Have a look here.

In fact they are also in hotels nowadays! Hospitalero friends of ours who serve most years in Rabanal, one year went on to Santiago, stayed in a good hotel and were bitten by bedbugs! Anne

 

[Piccata]

@anna,

Thanks for the advice! Washing my clothes at 90 would ruin them though (wool). I heard something about putting them in the freezer? The red spots have almost gone and it looks like I haven't been bitten last night.

You may have dodged the bullet! Excellent! For future reference, both my SmartWool socks and my Icebreaker shirts were fine with this treatment--a tiny bit smaller, but that was it. Quality wool stuff does pay off in the long run.

 

[Kanga]

@anna, it wasn't San Javier, but the albergue at the beginning of town.

Thanks for the advice! Washing my clothes at 90 would ruin them though (wool). I heard something about putting them in the freezer? The red spots have almost gone and it looks like I haven't been bitten last night.

Luka, if you have been bitten then it is almost certain you will be carrying now. If you won't or can't use a hot dryer, can you get a black plastic garbage bag, put everything loosely inside, seal, and leave in a hot sunny place for a few hours. It is not foolproof but better than nothing.

 

[annakappa]

@anna, it wasn't San Javier, but the albergue at the beginning of town.

Thanks for the advice! Washing my clothes at 90 would ruin them though (wool). I heard something about putting them in the freezer? The red spots have almost gone and it looks like I haven't been bitten last night.

That's a surprise! So, in that case, Astorga has a problem! Anne

 

[Jennifer Juniper]

I found permethrin in a Canadian Walmart.

 

[Luka]

That's a surprise! So, in that case, Astorga has a problem! Anne

It might have been Foncebadon. I read a comment on the eroski site about bedbugs in the same albergue.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The difficulty in naming names is occasional uncertainty about which albergue is being accused, or even where it is. Some locations may be casual about infestations, but they got the bugs from somewhere further up the line, and they know that they are likely to get an infestation again regardless of how energetically they pursue the current one. Some locations do everything they can, but still have bugs imported by pilgrims.

It makes sense for a pilgrim to avoid an albergue with a known problem. It is part of a solution to prevent moving the problem elsewhere. Accurate reporting is necessary, though, to prevent harm to reputations.

 

[vgen5122]

What also works is to put your clothes into a black garbage-plastic bag, close it well and expose it to the sun for 2-3 hours; bugs will be exterminated by the heat, no chemicals required.
A seasoned Irish peregrino recommended to additionally drink a bottle of wine (or was it two?) during the process; this would not only disinfect the bite-wounds from the inside but also inebriate the bugs to oblivion.

I agree. We used permethrin on the backpacks and kept our clothes inside in plastic bags. We had no hitchhikers when we got home and no bed bug problem throughout our Camino. We stayed at albergues, both public and private and also one hotel. Buen Camino.

 

[Tommy Barr]

The real question is the degree to which the bed bug is pyrethroid resistant. Resistant populations take longer to die (if at all) which means they can still cross the sheet and bite. This is not just anecdotal stories; resistance is regularly tested scientifically, and a Google search will readily identify many such studies, However, as most populations have not yet developed resistance, permethrin (and similarly proven insecticides) are likely to be highly effective, though not guaranteed.

I have walked the Frances from St John, from Le Puy to Santiago and from Le Puy via the Norte/Primitivo to Santiago always staying in gite d'etapes and albergues and have never been bitten and only twice have I seen any one that was definitely bitten by bed bugs. I have received bad mosquito and horsefly bites in France. I suspect the near paranoia about bed bugs encourages some folk to mistake other insect bites for bed bugs as there is no reliable method for the layman to determine what is a bed bug bite and what is a bite from another insect.

 

[annakappa]

I have walked the Frances from St John, from Le Puy to Santiago and from Le Puy via the Norte/Primitivo to Santiago always staying in gite d'etapes and albergues and have never been bitten and only twice have I seen any one that was definitely bitten by bed bugs. I have received bad mosquito and horsefly bites in France. I suspect the near paranoia about bed bugs encourages some folk to mistake other insect bites for bed bugs as there is no reliable method for the layman to determine what is a bed bug bite and what is a bite from another insect.

I completely agree with you, Tommy. Unless they are not the classical 3 in a row bites ( breakfast, lunch and dinner), they could be mosquito, spider, ants or other insect bite. Anne

 

[Arn]

Gosh... after the above...I am totally worn out. The topic is germane to any location and personal history aside...not relevant until "you" are bit.
The body naturally produces pheromones which are said to allow a species to communicate with others and, possibly, say "here I am" in hopes of a great night. Now, if you are getting bitten and you use no "fool proof method" to restrain the bed bugs...what exactly are your pheromones communicating to them? And, if you are not being bitten, does that say something about your social life in general.
Just trying to lighten things up a bit.

 

[Dutch]

Sometimes it's nice to be socially bitten

 

[JoeNYC]

Sometimes it's nice to be socially bitten

I prefer smitten over bitten.

 

[MindyMoo]

Hi!
Heading out in September, and just wanted to know if bed bugs are an issue this year? I've read that treating your stuff with Permethrin works well at keeping the little suckers at bay, anyone try this and succeed? Also lavender oil for your skin? I really don't want to bring these little guys home with me. Any tips and advice is really welcomed! Also been thinking about just staying in hotels instead of the albergues, will that make any difference? Thanks so much!
Annarosa

Has anyone treated a down sleeping bag with Permethrin and if so did it affect your bag?

 

[Dutch]

Did it several times on several bags already without any problems

Has anyone treated a down sleeping bag with Permethrin and if so did it affect your bag?

Did it several times on several (expensive) down sleepingbags already without any problems. Just saying "expensive" so you understand i am really carefull with them.

 

[MindyMoo]

Thank you Dutch, your reassurance is much appreciated. I understand the 'expensive' part and I now feel confident to do it. Cheers

 

[Tia Valeria]

I completely agree with you, Tommy. Unless they are not the classical 3 in a row bites ( breakfast, lunch and dinner), they could be mosquito, spider, ants or other insect bite. Anne

And fleas like 3 in a row too........... just to cloud the issue. (Noted from time overseas where we actually caught the little horrors. A damp bar of soap makes an effective trap )

 

[annakappa]

And fleas like 3 in a row too........... just to cloud the issue. (Noted from time overseas where we actually caught the little horrors. A damp bar of soap makes an effective trap )

Ohhh, I didn't know about the fleas! What do we do with the damp bar of soap? Anne

 

[Tia Valeria]

Ohhh, I didn't know about the fleas! What do we do with the damp bar of soap? Anne

The soap needs to be sticky enough on one side to dab over the flea before it hops away. It sticks in the soap and can then be washed off down the drain. You can catch several that way at a time if need be . (Life in winter in the tropics after the rains had failed. The locals were complaining bitterly, even those living in villages by the river had the little hoppers. We caught 7 one day............before we got into bed. Then there were the vinchucas, but we relied on mosquito nets for them.)

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Hi!
Heading out in September, and just wanted to know if bed bugs are an issue this year? I've read that treating your stuff with Permethrin works well at keeping the little suckers at bay, anyone try this and succeed? Also lavender oil for your skin? I really don't want to bring these little guys home with me. Any tips and advice is really welcomed! Also been thinking about just staying in hotels instead of the albergues, will that make any difference? Thanks so much!
Annarosa

Before leaving home I leave a set of changing clothes either in my car or with the person who will be picking me up at the airport. I then change clothes at the airport and stuff backpack and possibly contaminated clothes in a garbage back. Before getting home I stop at a laudry shop that will wash what is in the garbage bag. What they cannot wash (boots, backpack with metal harness, etc.) comes home with me and spends a quiet 3 weeks in the freezer! It apparently takes 3 weeks in the freezer to kill these little buggers. Paranoid? Perhaps. But also not rich enough to have my house professionally cleared of these little creatures. Saw some in an albergue on someone else' bed: I had a sprayed liner. But got bitten in Santiago, in a lovely hotel.

 

[Helen walking]

I don't use a pyrethrum treated sheet, not because there is a problem with it but I haven't needed it. Instead I use the AnnieSantiago method - lightly spray the mattress with pyrethrum spray as soon as I arrive at the albergue. Stand back and watch for ten minutes. The bugs don't like it and will crawl out and be visible. If there are any I report to the hospitalero and let them take action - if no action go elsewhere. It's probably not foolproof but I've found bugs three or four times this way and never been bitten.

It sounds to me like good advice to spray the albergue mattress on arrival and to watch that no bedbugs emerge. I will be starting my Camino mid-September and am very excited but also grossed out at the thought of bedbugs. So I am wondering about carrying spray. Is it readily available in pharmacias in Spain? and how long would a cannister last - should I carry more than one if they are small? Any does anyone know the names of the spray to ask for it in Spanish or French? I speak both languages but have never had to learn this word before now. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

It sounds to me like good advice to spray the albergue mattress on arrival and to watch that no bedbugs emerge.

You will be spraying private property in a communal area. I suggest you ask the hospitalero before doing anything that adds toxins to his place. Other pilgrims may be allergic to what you spray, so perhaps you also should canvas their opinion. You certainly have the right to protect yourself, but not to the detriment of others. If everyone sprayed that mattress you contemplate spraying, it is hard to imagine how toxic it would be by now.

 

[annakappa]

The word for bed bug in Spanish is chinche. Anne

 

[Kanga]

You will be spraying private property in a communal area. I suggest you ask the hospitalero before doing anything that adds toxins to his place. Other pilgrims may be allergic to what you spray, so perhaps you also should canvas their opinion. You certainly have the right to protect yourself, but not to the detriment of others. If everyone sprayed that mattress you contemplate spraying, it is hard to imagine how toxic it would be by now.

Falcon - I've used this method for years and never had a complaint - I use the personal insect repellants that are safe to spray directly on children's skin (i.e. toddlers) and it's a light spray - specifically because I'm going to be lying on that bed and I don't want toxic chemicals on me. AnnieSantiago is herself very sensitive to chemicals and it is her method.

 

[naplesdon]

After a number of times walking on the Camino, I have never encountered a bedbug. There were some people I was walking with who claimed they were bitten on their night at Granon , but I stayed there the same night and was I bite free. Okay, so I rarely shower and drink a liberal quantity of vino tinto, so maybe that is the best prophylactic for warding off bug bites.

 

[Mark Lee]

After a number of times walking on the Camino, I have never encountered a bedbug. There were some people I was walking with who claimed they were bitten on their night at Granon , but I stayed there the same night and was I bite free. Okay, so I rarely shower and drink a liberal quantity of vino tinto, so maybe that is the best prophylactic for warding off bug bites.

Same here Don (except for the bit about rare showers, ha ha, although I did drink a lot of vino ). Two Caminos, zero bedbugs.
From what I have been told bedbugs need a place to hide when not crawling about and dining on their hosts. If you stay in an albergue with wooden bunks/beds and mattresses without any type of cover on them (that rubbery/vinyl variety) I imagine your chances of getting bitten increase. The critters hole up inside the mattress or in the cracks and seams of the bed frames.
I stayed in a variety of albergues on both caminos (municipal and private). I made it a point to stay in the ones with covered mattresses and metal bed frames and an overall hygienic quality. If it looked below my standards I would just go find another one and just accept the loss of the five euros or so.

 

[Bozzie]

Hi!
Heading out in September, and just wanted to know if bed bugs are an issue this year? I've read that treating your stuff with Permethrin works well at keeping the little suckers at bay, anyone try this and succeed? Also lavender oil for your skin? I really don't want to bring these little guys home with me. Any tips and advice is really welcomed! Also been thinking about just staying in hotels instead of the albergues, will that make any difference? Thanks so much!
Annarosa

Be sure and go online and watch videos regarding permethrin spraying. Do it outdoors with no wind, do not spray it inside your sleeping bag, nor inside boots/shoes, nor inside your pack. Spray the outsides, though! Don't spray around cats or fish and make sure it's dry before cats "rub" on it. It's lethal when wet to cats.
Falcon said it all...I'm just filling in some details.
Buen Camino!

 

[Mark Lee]

Hi!
Heading out in September, and just wanted to know if bed bugs are an issue this year? I've read that treating your stuff with Permethrin works well at keeping the little suckers at bay, anyone try this and succeed? Also lavender oil for your skin? I really don't want to bring these little guys home with me. Any tips and advice is really welcomed! Also been thinking about just staying in hotels instead of the albergues, will that make any difference? Thanks so much!
Annarosa

That would definitely eliminate any worries about bedbugs. More expensive, but definitely no bedbugs and there are many nice and reasonable hotels/pension houses/hostels on the Camino. Also the smaller, less crowded, but a bit more expensive private albergues are also an option.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

That would definitely eliminate any worries about bedbugs. More expensive, but definitely no bedbugs and there are many nice and reasonable hotels/pension houses/hostels on the Camino.

Half the bed bugs I have actually seen were in hostales/hoteles! They are not immune from the scourge, and you are tempted to use their linens, not your sleep sack, which may have been treated with permethrin. Without the protection, they eat you alive. Do not count on money keeping you safe, though the really high end hoteles may be less infested than lower end accommodations.

Buen camino!

 

[C clearly]

I am glad that I encountered them on my first Camino because it guaranteed that I would not be complacent in the future. There was zero doubt - we saw 2, and managed to catch one and pop it into a glass of water so we could study it while it swam. We had paid about €40 for a comfy bungalow. The manager examined our captured specimen, confirmed the identity, moved us to a different room and gave us coins for the laundry.

Remember that the reaction to a bite can be delayed up to several days and some people never know that they have been bitten.

I may not even bother with a treated sheet in October but you can be sure I will take great care to not bring any home.

Clare

 

[ranthr]

After reading all this, I might have my backpack hanging outside through the whole winter in Norway to feel safe not to bring them into my home!
Luckily I have never seen any bedbugs on the camino. The last years I have treated my pack with permethrin which we can buy in Norway. That's whether I go to a camino or to an airport hotel in Norway. Last night I stayed in a Parador and my backpack stayed the night in a treated big plasticbag there too.
I am surprised about how much mosquitos and other small biting insects there are on the camino Portuguese at the time. Yes, I have been bitten a lot of times, but I am quite sure the bites have come in the wood, or near a rio both day and night. I have used my bedbugsheet over my head and body to keep the mosquitos away some nights.

Helen, you can buy a spray in any supermercado in Spain, probably much cheeper than in the farmacia. I have found one called BIO which looks much like the French CLAKO and the LifeAdventures Permethrinspray that I have used before. It will be OK for treating your backpack and the outside of your clothes. It is a bit big, so I do not want to carry it, but will get one before I go home, spray my things in a black plasticbag out in a park, let the sun work and hope for good luck. Any other anti hormigas spray would do as well I guess.
I think this is a very little contribution to my pollution of the earth a couple of times a year. I could more easily polute less buy changing my daily western set of living.
Wonder about peregrinos some hundred years ago. Did they bother much about bedbugs?

 

[Tincatinker]

That would definitely eliminate any worries about bedbugs. More expensive, but definitely no bedbugs and there are many nice and reasonable hotels/pension houses/hostels on the Camino. Also the smaller, less crowded, but a bit more expensive private albergues are also an option.

Mark, have to disagree with you. Bedbugs have no respect for the dollar or the yen. I have a close friend in the pest control business, his "best" customers are the airport transit hotels around Heathrow, Gatwick and Stanstead, plus a long list of central London hotels. Between the bedbugs in the bedrooms and the cockroaches in the kitchens he makes a good living.

 

[Mark Lee]

Mark, have to disagree with you. Bedbugs have no respect for the dollar or the yen. I have a close friend in the pest control business, his "best" customers are the airport transit hotels around Heathrow, Gatwick and Stanstead, plus a long list of central London hotels. Between the bedbugs in the bedrooms and the cockroaches in the kitchens he makes a good living.

Yeah, true that. A bedbug would not discriminate due to economic status of a location. ha ha
Like I said before and I guess I was lucky or the critters don't have a taste for me, but I never encountered any on two Caminos, but I did see pilgrims that did and who showed me the bites. I did not use a sleeping bag on either Camino, and would either sleep on top of the mattress, or use blankets and linens provided by the albergue, hotel or pension house. I guess it's possible an unfortunate pilgrim could pick-up a bedbug inside of his sleeping bag, and that critter hitches a ride for the whole Camino, biting the poor pilgrim every night.
This seems to be a frequently covered topic on this forum and cause for concern. I definitely would not want anybody thinking of walking the Camino to be put off by the prospect of encountering bedbugs.

 

[annakappa]

Let's put it like this: if a bed bug hitches a ride in your backpack, say from a municipal Albergue and the next night you stay in a private Albergue, or even in a hotel or pension and then this little bedbug takes a walk during the night, it just might not return to your backpack, but decides to enjoy it's stay in a " quality" establishment! Then what?
There is no guarantee that paying more will guarantee you to be free of bed bugs. Anne

 

[Former member 2537]

Lots of speculation and personal ideas in this thread about treatment and avoidance. I'd suggest taking a look at:

http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pcbedbugs.htm
http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pdf/BedBugPoster_English2012.pdf

90C is not necessary. It may take 15 days at 32 F to kill bed bug adults and 30 days to kill bed bug eggs that are unprotected, and much longer to kill those that are hidden inside items. Temperatures below freezing will kill quicker, but less is known about killing bed bugs with cold compared with using heat against them.
To varying degrees, bed bugs have been successfully managed using pyrethroids, but more recently with non-pyrethroid pesticides to which bed bugs show little or no resistance. Pyrethroids such as deltamethrin and permethrin have been among the active ingredients most commonly available in pesticides at retail stores. The ongoing use of pyrethroids has undoubtedly contributed to the resistance we see today in some bed bug populations.

 

[jmcarp]

Or you could just spend your life in a totally hard-surfaced room like a hospital operating room which is disinfected daily, sleep on a vinyl-encased, totally-sealed mattress under one-use only sterilized bedding, wear one-use sterilized jumpsuits, eat only food that is freeze-dried then prepared by boiling, and communicate with the outside world only electronically. Doesn't sound like fun to me, but at least I wouldn't be worrying about bedbugs.

 

[Pavels]

impossible to buy bedbug undersheet or pemethryn in my country. Is there a place in SJPP where I could buy it? also, how weather affects activity of bedbugs? Is it safer during October (colder months of the year)

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Most tourist offices in France sell permethrin spray. Try the one in SJPdP. It is not the same as the Pilgrim Office; it is on the busy main street.

14 Place Charles de Gaulle, 64220 Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France
Phone:+33 5 59 37 03 57
Hours: Open today · 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, 2:00 – 6:00 pm

 

[Debster001]

Hi!
Heading out in September, and just wanted to know if bed bugs are an issue this year? I've read that treating your stuff with Permethrin works well at keeping the little suckers at bay, anyone try this and succeed? Also lavender oil for your skin? I really don't want to bring these little guys home with me. Any tips and advice is really welcomed! Also been thinking about just staying in hotels instead of the albergues, will that make any difference? Thanks so much!
Annarosa

Hi there, unfortunately hotels pensions all places can have bed bugs.. My Camino that I returned from today was ruined due to the severity of the bites I received all down one side of my body... Treat everything with permethrin and if you spot any bugs report them immediately.,