Bed bugs

[srtoothpaste]

Just a quick note, don't be like me and assume you have lots of mosquito bites and wait a few days. thereby becoming a spreader due to niavity. I like many thought they needed to be three bites in a row but if you find you have a cluster of bites it's probably beg bugs. And they can be anywhere on your body. Mine did not itch

 

[trecile]

Thank you for the reminder. The fact that they don't itch would make me suspicious, as mosquito bites always make me itch. I trust that you have now de-bedbugged your things.

 

[Lihaseso]

Thank you for the reminder. The fact that they don't itch would make me suspicious, as mosquito bites always make me itch. I trust that you have now de-bedbugged your things.

How does one de-bug?

 

[trecile]

How does one de-bug?

Basically put everything that can take the heat in a hot dryer for half an hour.

There are multiple bedbug threads on the forum with more detailed instructions, and likely someone will come along and write more complete instructions in this thread.

 

[srtoothpaste]

You wash everything at 60 degrees including your backpack and shoes and then put in the dryer for 30+ minutes.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Using the dryer only is sufficient.

 

[trecile]

You wash everything at 60 degrees including your backpack and shoes and then put in the dryer for 30+ minutes.

Washing in hot isn't important or desirable for many fabrics. Better to put dry clothes in a hot dryer for half an hour, then wash and dry as normal for anything that needs to be cleaned.

 

[BillW]

These avoidance techniques may be obvious, but I'll mention them just in case...

• Keep your bags as far from bed as you can. In a private room, storing it in the shower is the safest (although I understand that sounds crazy).
• Have a large trash bag, and store your backpack and gear inside while at the lodging.
• Isolate all your sleeping gear (pajamas, sheets, sleeping bag) within your pack. Store them in a sealed plastic bag, and if possible, a physically divided section of your backpack.

I got bed bugs two nights on my Le Puy to Santiago Camino (70 nights). No one else I know got them. Just my luck.

That said, even though I'm really sensitive to all bug bites (including bed bugs), it was a little annoying but not terrible. I used anti-itch creme and took anti-histamines, and it wasn't that bad.

I think people are more fearful of bed bugs than they need to be. I've been bitten by them four times in my life (twice at American hotels), and twice on the Camino, and it's really no worse than mosquitos, if you are careful not to carry them with you.

 

[BrianLCrabtree]

Using the dryer only is sufficient.

Since so many posts mention putting items in the dryer for a half-hour, it is reasonable to assume that the hard plastic clips and plastic coated zipper pull tags on backpacks don't melt? Just asking ...

 

[trecile]

Since so many posts mention putting items in the dryer for a half-hour, it is reasonable to assume that the hard plastic clips and plastic coated zipper pull tags on backpacks don't melt? Just asking ...

Not in my experience, though I did put a hat in the dryer that came out rather doll sized and misshapen.

 

[gailsweb]

Hopefully its sunny today - anything that can’t go in dryer can go in a black garbage bag and be left in the sun to cook for a few hours - alternatively you could spray into the bag and leave it for an hour or two

 

[Pathfinder075]

I put all my stuff through essentially a boil wash (or near enough). If my hands can't tolerate the heat, then some small bug is definitely going to be dead.

Or garbage bag, remove everything from your rucksack and put it all in the bag and empty some spray can fly killer into it. Seal up and leave for an hour. Same result.

Or everything into a garbage bag and leave in direct sun for a couple of hours.

When I got bitten, I also didn't realise for a couple of days. By the time I did realise I had probably 50-100 bites across my torso. Synalar Forte (from a Spanish chemist) and copious amounts of Cetirizine sorted the bites out.

 

[C clearly]

You wash everything at 60 degrees including your backpack and shoes and then put in the dryer for 30+ minutes.

This would be effective in killing the bedbugs. However, for some items it would not be practical. I ruined the curvature of a backpack by putting it in a tumble dryer. Some items cannot be washed.

Careful inspection, isolation, and dry heat can be useful. Be sensible!

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Since so many posts mention putting items in the dryer for a half-hour, it is reasonable to assume that the hard plastic clips and plastic coated zipper pull tags on backpacks don't melt? Just asking ...

Depends on the heat of the dryer. I have had my very nice down sleeping bag zips melt.

 

[linkster]

Maybe somethings should be sprayed by the hospitalero like: backpacks, shoes etc.

I donated my Keen sandals to a girl whose gym or trail shoes shrunk in the dryer. They were probably too small to start, but there was no way she could wear them after the dryer. My sanadals were way too big, but she wore them and retunred them after buying new shoes.

 

[trecile]

Maybe somethings should be sprayed by the hospitalero like: backpacks, shoes etc.

I had those things sprayed by a hospitalera with something containing DEET. It's not great for plastic products, and it did something to the coating on the fabric inside my backpack.
On a warm day they can be out in a black plastic trash bag and set in the sun for the afternoon. It should get hot enough inside to kill the bugs and their eggs.

 

[Lexicos]

You wash everything at 60 degrees including your backpack and shoes and then put in the dryer for 30+ minutes.

I once put my backpack in the washing machine. It didn’t do it much good. Destroyed it actually. Hopefully there’s some spray on stuff that will kill them.

 

[dbeatriceb]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure— spray your pack, sleeping bag, and shoes with Permethrin prior to departure for the Camino. I do this plus put my pack inside a large plastic bag at night. I also use a pack liner and keep my sleeping bag / sleep clothes separate from the rest of the pack contents. You could still encounter bedbugs but these precautions will go a long way toward avoiding them.

 

[WGroleau]

One action step no one has mentioned so far: Tell the hospitaleros at or before checkin!!!! Only rarely will one with a bad attitude tell you to get lost (I think). Most of us will do what we can to eliminate the problem.

My recommendation for hospitaleros:

• Thank the pilgrim for the information! Hiding it would be bad for everyone.
• Put anything that can handle a 60°C wash into a large plastic bag.
• Put the mochila and the non-washables into another, spray in a dose of insecticide, seal the bag and leave it in the sun.
• Escort the pilgrim to the shower, have him/her hand out the clothes, into the plastic bag with the rest. Provide loaned (or gift them) clean clothes for after.
• Empty the plastic bag into a washing machine and do the aforesaid 60°C wash.
• Seal and discard the bag.

 

[trecile]

Empty the plastic bag into a washing machine and do the aforesaid 60°C wash

A 60° wash is not necessary. It's the hot dryer that does the trick.
I would recommend putting the dry items into a hot dryer for half an hour. This will kill the bugs and their eggs. After that you can wash and dry per label directions if you wish.

 

[Eni]

A 60° wash is not necessary. It's the hot dryer that does the trick.
I would recommend putting the dry items into a hot dryer for half an hour. This will kill the bugs and their eggs. After that you can wash and dry per label directions if you wish.

I m not sure, but I think I got some bedbugs after using the hot dryer...

 

[Ali@59]

Last September i was three albergues in when I started to itch like hell on the nape of the neck and nowhere else, i couldn't see because the bites were under my hair and wasn't wanting to ask anyone to look so anyway i hot tumbled my gear as a precaution but i was still itching in that area for about two months later. Has anybody suffered bedbug bites itching for so long?

 

[trecile]

I m not sure, but I think I got some bedbugs after using the hot dryer...

Are you suggesting that you got bedbugs from the dryer?

 

[Eni]

Are you suggesting that you got bedbugs from the dryer?

YES.

 

[C clearly]

Are you suggesting that you got bedbugs from the dryer?

YES

Extremely unlikely. If true, we can all give up!

Heat - about 55°C for 30 minutes - will kill all stages of bedbugs (i.e. eggs and all).

The only way you would get them from a dryer would be if both you, and the person before you, did not maintain that temperature for that time.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

I m not sure, but I think I got some bedbugs after using the hot dryer...

If the clothes and other items are wet then they will need to be in the dryer for much longer because they won't start to heat up until they are nearly dry.

It is much quicker and cheaper to put them in the dryer when they are still dry.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Last September i was three albergues in when I started to itch like hell on the nape of the neck and nowhere else, i couldn't see because the bites were under my hair and wasn't wanting to ask anyone to look so anyway i hot tumbled my gear as a precaution but i was still itching in that area for about two months later. Has anybody suffered bedbug bites itching for so long?

Probably Scabies.

 

[Eni]

Extremely unlikely. If true, we can all give up!

Heat - about 55°C for 30 minutes - will kill all stages of bedbugs (i.e. eggs and all).

The only way you would get them from a dryer would be if both you, and the person before you, did not maintain that temperature for that time.

THis is what I assume- That 10-15 mins was enough for him and actually for me,too. Longer time is more money...

 

[trecile]

If the clothes and other items are wet then they will need to be in the dryer for much longer because they won't start to heat up until they are nearly dry.

It is much quicker and cheaper to put them in the dryer when they are still dry.

Exactly right. For the umpteenth time, put your dry clothes in a hot dryer (55° or more) for half an hour to kill the bedbugs. If the clothing also needs to be washed then do it after the heat treatment.

THis is what I assume- That 10-15 mins was enough for him and actually for me,too. Longer time is more money...

Are you saying that you put wet clothes from the washing machine into the dryer for 10-15 minutes only? The clothes don't get hot enough until they are dry, at which point they need at least an additional 20 minutes at high heat.

 

[AnneMarie1]

Last September i was three albergues in when I started to itch like hell on the nape of the neck and nowhere else, i couldn't see because the bites were under my hair and wasn't wanting to ask anyone to look so anyway i hot tumbled my gear as a precaution but i was still itching in that area for about two months later. Has anybody suffered bedbug bites itching for so long?

That doesn’t sound like bed bugs. The itching can be awful, but usually lasts just a couple unbearable weeks.

 

[SabsP]

Probably Scabies.

That is what I thought but I never heard of patients that only had scabies in the nape of the neck.
Advice : go to a GP or healthpractioner.

Scabies unfortunately is getting more " popular ". Mostly only through intimate skin to skin contact but contact with contaminated textile can happen.

Scabies

Human scabies is a parasitic infestation caused by Sarcoptes scabiei var hominis. The microscopic mite burrows into the skin and lays eggs, eventually triggering a host immune response that leads to intense itching and rash. Scabies infestation may be complicated by bacterial infection, leading...

www.who.int

 

[Ali@59]

Oh crikey, I never even thought about scabies but i sure didn't think bedbug bites would have itched as long and I never went to the doctor to get checked. That's quite an uncomfortable thought if scabies are going around.

 

[SabsP]

Oh crikey, I never even thought about scabies but i sure didn't think bedbug bites would have itched as long and I never went to the doctor to get checked. That's quite an uncomfortable thought if scabies are going around.

I do not say they are going around on the Camino, only that we should be more aware of them in general.
The incubationtime for scabies though can be 4 to 8 weeks before an itch starts.

Most probably your itch will be something else .

Seeing I am not a medical practioner I strongly advice you to see one.

 

[Eni]

Exactly right. For the umpteenth time, put your dry clothes in a hot dryer (55° or more) for half an hour to kill the bedbugs. If the clothing also needs to be washed then do it after the heat treatment.

Are you saying that you put wet clothes from the washing machine into the dryer for 10-15 minutes only? The clothes don't get hot enough until they are dry, at which point they need at least an additional 20 minutes at high heat.

So- you have proven my assumption...

 

[Ali@59]

I do not say they are going around on the Camino, only that we should be more aware of them in general.
The incubationtime for scabies though can be 4 to 8 weeks before an itch starts.

Most probably your itch will be something else .

Seeing I am not an medical practioner I strongly advice you to see one.

It's okay, I don't have the itch now it started three days into my camino last September and only a small area on neck but no bites anywhere else on body for rest of the way. I walked the Portuguese coastal in April this year and had no problems at all, thank goodness. Thank you for the advice though, I should have gone to gp at the time

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

This would be effective in killing the bedbugs. However, for some items it would not be practical. I ruined the curvature of a backpack by putting it in a tumble dryer. Some items cannot be washed.

Careful inspection, isolation, and dry heat can be useful. Be sensible!

Also: check your pack… many in the Osprey line have removable frames… not sure about other brands but assume similar.

 

[yawenmo]

Since so many posts mention putting items in the dryer for a half-hour, it is reasonable to assume that the hard plastic clips and plastic coated zipper pull tags on backpacks don't melt? Just asking ...

Don’t set the dryer at the highest temperature. Last year I got bed bugs somewhere before Sarria, but didn’t get the chance to wash and dry my stuff until I was in Arzúa. In the laundromat I stupidly set the temp to the highest. The back plate of my backpack (not sure what it’s called, it’s the plastic plate like thing that keep the bag in the right shape) shrunk and melted, which destroyed my backpack. Also the zippers, the nylon thingy on the bag and on my hat, all melted. My socks from decathlon shrunk in size. I had to hire a taxi to the decathlon right outside of Santiago to replace many of my gears.

 

[BrianLCrabtree]

Don’t set the dryer at the highest temperature. Last year I got bed bugs somewhere before Sarria, but didn’t get the chance to wash and dry my stuff until I was in Arzúa. In the laundromat I stupidly set the temp to the highest. The back plate of my backpack (not sure what it’s called, it’s the plastic plate like thing that keep the bag in the right shape) shrunk and melted, which destroyed my backpack. Also the zippers, the nylon thingy on the bag and on my hat, all melted. My socks from decathlon shrunk in size. I had to hire a taxi to the decathlon right outside of Santiago to replace many of my gears.

Very valuable insight, thank you. My experience on the Primitivo a year ago was that dryers in the albergues are default set to a drying temperature. I just put in in coin tokens and pushed the start button. Your comment makes me think the safer approach for the backpack is the trash bag in the sun.

 

[NorthernLight]

Another option, not easy to do on camino, but perhaps when you get home, is to use a hot iron and iron over the fabric, with particular emphasis on the seams to cook any eggs.

 

[WGroleau]

A 60° wash is not necessary. It's the hot dryer that does the trick.

It's 60°C in either (or both) for sufficient time that does it. But they probably need to be washed anyway, so why not do both?

 

[trecile]

It's 60°C in either (or both) for sufficient time that does it. But they probably need to be washed anyway, so why not do both?

Some fabrics can't handle the hot wash or the hot dryer while they are initially wet.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

But they probably need to be washed anyway, so why not do both

Anything with Down in it and various other fabrics won't survive a hot wash but probably will survive a hot dryer if done correctly.

 

[C clearly]

But they probably need to be washed anyway, so why not do both?

Yes, they could, if the fabrics allow.
However, many people do not seem to realize that they need to keep the clothes in the dryer for an additional 20-30 minutes AFTER they have dried.

 

[WGroleau]

Anything with Down in it and various other fabrics won't survive a hot wash but probably will survive a hot dryer if done correctly.

I've washed my down jacket more than once. A tumble dry un-clumps the feathers and fluffs it up again.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

As for backpacks I see no reason to put them in a washing machine. After returning home
I add soap and a bit of water, scrub with a stiff brush, and hose it down on my driveway. It always comes out fresh and like new. I then let it dry in the sun for a day before putting it in a black garbage bag for another day in the sun "just to be sure".

 

[Kathie63119]

Last September i was three albergues in when I started to itch like hell on the nape of the neck and nowhere else, i couldn't see because the bites were under my hair and wasn't wanting to ask anyone to look so anyway i hot tumbled my gear as a precaution but i was still itching in that area for about two months later. Has anybody suffered bedbug bites itching for so long?

Hmm. Sure they weren’t headlice?

 

[Ali@59]

I've never had headlice but I think treatment would have been needed if it was and it eventually disappeared. Now I'm itching just thinking about it