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Yes, I try not to get bitten, but have been twice. It doesnt dampen my enthusiasm for the Camino at all. But it makes me treat my pack thoroughly so any stragglers die on the very long flight back.
Hmm. IF BED BUGS feed on US, is there anything that feeds on THEM? Time we pilgies went over to the offensive sez me!
This is what I am most concerned about, bringing them home. I know people who have spent thousands of dollars to get rid of them, plus the hassle of buying new furniture, etc…I have been bitten at least three times over the years, but luckily my only reaction is a lot of raised red spots. I do the typical de-bugging routine when I am bit on the camino, but whether I think I’ve been bitten or not, I always do the same thing when I get home.
Well, as hospitaleros we have seen them in summer and also found them in December. Fewer issues in the winter, but fewer pilgrims, fewer albergues open with fewer bunk rooms used so maybe less of a chance then.
I think that there are definitely fewer at the start of the "pilgrim season" especially in places that close down in the winter. We are the ones who are transporting them along the Camino so more pilgrims = more bed bugs.
Not everyone reacts to bedbugs (I do and have) which is how the little vermin travel too,— with unsuspecting transporters.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, it is invaluable particularly around Merino wool when wet, I will keep you all posted
Thankyou, I am very excited and want to bless the bedbugs too, I’m sure they exist for a reason.
We have walked 3 fall caminos. When we get home we leave our packs in the garage all winter!!! Then they come into the laundry room to be laundered and dried at high heat.
At the end of my Camino I found a laundromat with a commercial dryer and blasted everything including my pack. Heat kills them.
Nothing will stop them. You're right. May give people peace of mind having their packs up off the floor?
To add a rider to that, to be 100% sure, you could leave the stuff in the black plastic bag 2 weeks, then do it again because their eggs take around that long to hatch.
Because, contrary to popular belief, they don't necessarily live in the bed or the bedding. They live in the various nooks and crannies in the room e.g. under windowsills and in between floorboards. That is why you often see them splatted on the wall and that is why older buildings tend to be more prone to persistent infestations. The floor is a particularly bad place to leave a backpack if there are bedbugs around.
Oh, that's good to know. A lot of my clothing is merino and I was worried about this.
Pretreating the outside of your backpack, your shoes, and sleeping bag with Permethrin will help prevent those unwanted hitchhikers. I also use a pack liner- a plastic trash compactor will work for this. And, when setting my pack down on the floor for the night, I set it inside a large plastic bag. I perfected this system after an unpleasant bedbug encounter and it has worked for me for many Caminos since. Upon return home, I’ve heard of folks enclosing the full backpack inside a black plastic bag and leaving it in the sun for a few days. I’ve never done this so cannot speak to whether it is effective. Bedbugs are hardy creatures and hard to kill so prevention is key.
