Questioning the wisdom of bringing mosquito netting

[amyshmn]

Hello,
I'll be on the Camino from late September thru early November. I've been getting ready with daily hikes, yesterday's resulting in 20+ mosquito bites. There's just something about me which attracts them. I've read posts from people noting that the auberge windows are sometimes left open, and I'm concerned about being a midnight snack for the mosquitos. Are mosquitos a concern for that time of year? I don't want to sleep with bug spray on my skin, so the netting seems like a good alternative. I've looked at mosquito nets and found this one which I'm considering (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KKB2OS/?tag=casaivar02-20) but I'm not sure if the auberge beds have bed posts or something for me to tie off the 4-corners of the netting. I welcome everyone's thoughts. Thank you!!

 

[andycohn]

I've done four caminos during that time period, and while I'm also prone to get bitten by mosquitos, I've never gotten bitten on a camino in Spain. Nor have I heard of anyone having mosquito problems during that time period.

Don't pack your fears! Leave it home.

 

[C clearly]

I have walked in October-November several times and have never noticed a mosquito.

 

[David]

I have been going to Camino since 2005 and not once have I been bitten by a mosquito - France now, that is another matter

 

[ranthr]

Bring a small headnet to put over your head if needed. This can do against flies in daytime if you meet hords of them as well as mosquitos or bedbugs during the night. Cover the rest of your body in your sleepingbag. It´s often cold nights in the albergues at that time of the year.

 

[henrythedog]

Hello,
I'll be on the Camino from late September thru early November. I've been getting ready with daily hikes, yesterday's resulting in 20+ mosquito bites. There's just something about me which attracts them. I've read posts from people noting that the auberge windows are sometimes left open, and I'm concerned about being a midnight snack for the mosquitos. Are mosquitos a concern for that time of year? I don't want to sleep with bug spray on my skin, so the netting seems like a good alternative. I've looked at mosquito nets and found this one which I'm considering (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KKB2OS/?tag=casaivar02-20) but I'm not sure if the auberge beds have bed posts or something for me to tie off the 4-corners of the netting. I welcome everyone's thoughts. Thank you!!

Not necessary in my experience. I often react to mozzie bites nor have never had an issue in northern Spain.

Coastal north Portugal on the other hand …

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

You will not need the netting.

20+!!

I spray Peg with DEET before our walks and then watch the cloud of mosquitoes around her (but not biting). I carry the DEET with me, just in case, but I haven't been using it. I just swat the occasional mosquito that strays from Peg.

 

[philmickm]

Hi, I walked the CF in Aug/Sep 2018 and don’t recall any mosquito issue at all.
(1 bed bug sighted though)
Buen Camino,
Phil

 

[amyshmn]

Thank you everyone for sharing your experience! I'll skip the mosquito netting.

 

[RJM]

Don't bring the mosquito netting.

 

[Marbe2]

I may have gotten a mosquito bite early in Sep…but not many, Assuming you are on the CF and not in the South of Spain, nights will get quite cold and the mosquito population won’t be your main predator. If you are not knowledgeable about recognizing, and protecting yourself from Bed Bugs, Doing such research on the search engine here might bear more fruit for your journey!

 

[sternenstrasse]

Mosquitos! I'd have rather been bitten by them than by bed bugs, to be honest!

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

I just bought some yesterday. I am a magnet for mosquito's

 

[good_old_shoes]

I am a mosquito magnet and never had a problem on any Camino so far, spring and summer. But you might want to think about the bed bugs... I just made a bed bug net tent for my next Camino. It's like a tiny tent to put up in a lower bunk and can be hung from the upper one. Different to a normal mosquito net it can be zipped up completely and has a very tight netting, the kind you'd use against Scottish midges. If you want to bring anything, something like that might be the way to go!

 

[jsalt]

I just made a bed bug net tent for my next Camino.

Wow, a Bed Bug Net Tent – could you post a picture? I think you could be onto something big here .

 

[Anamiri]

Hello,
I'll be on the Camino from late September thru early November. I've been getting ready with daily hikes, yesterday's resulting in 20+ mosquito bites. There's just something about me which attracts them. I've read posts from people noting that the auberge windows are sometimes left open, and I'm concerned about being a midnight snack for the mosquitos. Are mosquitos a concern for that time of year? I don't want to sleep with bug spray on my skin, so the netting seems like a good alternative. I've looked at mosquito nets and found this one which I'm considering (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KKB2OS/?tag=casaivar02-20) but I'm not sure if the auberge beds have bed posts or something for me to tie off the 4-corners of the netting. I welcome everyone's thoughts. Thank you!!

I've encountered flies and bed bugs - but not mosquitos

 

[ranthr]

There were a lot of mosquitos at the albergue at Embalse de Encantara when I stayed there on my VdLP. Many people were bitten and thought they had been bitten by bedbugs, but since I live in the north of Norway with lot of mosquitos during summer, I heard the sound of them, put my bedbugsheet over my head and wasnot bitten. But they were mosquitos!

 

[Hiawatha]

Eating bananas will attract mosquitoes. It sounds a little like a folk tale however it is based on research. Ethylene gas and associated esters from the fruit are irresistible to the biting horrors .
Reduce consumption and you may become less attractive !

 

[backpack45]

I have been going to Camino since 2005 and not once have I been bitten by a mosquito - France now, that is another matter

We have hiked the Vezelay, Arles, and LePuy route (actually from Geneva) and I don't remember even seeing a mosquito there. Did see some on the Norte when we stayed by a lake.

 

[Albertagirl]

I have walked my previous caminos in the fall and never saw a mosquito. But on one fall camino I was swarmed for several days by flies, which crawled over my face. Now I take a head net, very light, to keep any crawling creatures from swarming over my face.

 

[trecile]

Eating bananas will attract mosquitoes. It sounds a little like a folk tale however it is based on research. Ethylene gas and associated esters from the fruit are irresistible to the biting horrors .
Reduce consumption and you may become less attractive !

Hmm, I never eat bananas, but my husband does. Guess who the mosquitoes like? Clue - it's not my husband!

 

[Anniesantiago]

I've walked the Camino since 2006 and the ONLY place mosquitos bit me was on the Portuguese route. They were like buzzards! But not on any of the Spanish routes.

 

[dick bird]

I've used a mosquito net (though not on the camino). You need something to hang it from. This would be difficult in an albergue and well-nigh impossible in a hotel room. At that time of year, there shouldn't be too many mosquitoes and to the best of my knowledge there are no mosquito-borne diseases endemic to Spain.

It may also be that you don't so much attract mosquitoes as react to their bites more than other people, so a product like Stingose or Anthisan might help.

 

[jpflavin1]

Hello,
I'll be on the Camino from late September thru early November. I've been getting ready with daily hikes, yesterday's resulting in 20+ mosquito bites. There's just something about me which attracts them. I've read posts from people noting that the auberge windows are sometimes left open, and I'm concerned about being a midnight snack for the mosquitos. Are mosquitos a concern for that time of year? I don't want to sleep with bug spray on my skin, so the netting seems like a good alternative. I've looked at mosquito nets and found this one which I'm considering (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KKB2OS/?tag=casaivar02-20) but I'm not sure if the auberge beds have bed posts or something for me to tie off the 4-corners of the netting. I welcome everyone's thoughts. Thank you!!

I do not remember mosquitoes being a problem. That said, if bringing a net will make your Camino more comfortable, go for it. The weight will not be a problem. ;-)

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Eating bananas will attract mosquitoes. It sounds a little like a folk tale however it is based on research. Ethylene gas and associated esters from the fruit are irresistible to the biting horrors .
Reduce consumption and you may become less attractive !

According to https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6315685/ the consumption of beer also makes us more attractive to mosquitos, oh dear, no

 

[Walking Lover]

Hello,
I'll be on the Camino from late September thru early November. I've been getting ready with daily hikes, yesterday's resulting in 20+ mosquito bites. There's just something about me which attracts them. I've read posts from people noting that the auberge windows are sometimes left open, and I'm concerned about being a midnight snack for the mosquitos. Are mosquitos a concern for that time of year? I don't want to sleep with bug spray on my skin, so the netting seems like a good alternative. I've looked at mosquito nets and found this one which I'm considering (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KKB2OS/?tag=casaivar02-20) but I'm not sure if the auberge beds have bed posts or something for me to tie off the 4-corners of the netting. I welcome everyone's thoughts. Thank you!!

4 caminos and not one mosquito bite

 

[Kanga]

20 years of walking in Spain and I've never been bitten by a mosquito. Bedbugs, yes, definitely!

 

[good_old_shoes]

@jsalt I don't have a bunk bed at home to hang it from but I'll try to make a photo somehow, later. It's like a small one man tent but mostly netting. Since I have been bitten by bed bugs badly every time I walked the Frances and even needed a doctor because of it, I was looking for a solution for the next time. Saw something like that one day in an albergue and loved the idea. The girl who had it said it worked well. I was jealous, lol! Now I have my own. I plan to also soak it in permethrin before I go and keep it in a seperate air tight bag in the backpack.

 

[good_old_shoes]

@jsalt Here's my bed bug tent, as promised. Improvised to put it up in the garden with two chairs and four tent pegs, no bunk beds here ;-) It's intended to be hung from the upper bunk though, and can be fixed to the mattress with elastics. It's made from an old, non-waterproof, very cheap one person tent. Shortened it and made it more narrow to fit a standard albergue bed, also cut out a lot of fabric and replaced it with very fine insect mesh. Added a side entrance. Not sure about weight, maybe about 400 grams or so?

 

[jsalt]

Here's my bed bug tent, as promised

Fabulous! I think I will try and make something similar from a spare free-standing mosquito net tent that I have (useful in Africa). We are still in lockdown (like the Australians), so it will give me something to do before I can go on my next camino.