Andrea Mayfield
it's about the journey.....
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino Frances (May 2015)
Camino Portugues - Porto to Santiago (June 2018)
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Yes. They provided coins for washing clothes.Did you report this to albergue hospitaleros? Hopefully they have slready done what is necessary to correct the problem.
I checked the bed, mattress, pillow etc. And found nothing. It's just a reminder to be EXTRA careful!So this was a week ago? If you reported it, it's likely to be sorted by now. Remember that bed bugs can surface anywhere, anytime.. from Paradors to donativos.
Reporting it to the hospi (at the time) and heat cycling all your stuff is all that's needed.
Washing clothes won’t kill the bugs. You need heat, and it’s actually better to throw the clothes into the dryer directly without washing them first, because they will heat more if they start out dry. 50 degrees C in the dryer for at least 20-30 minutes is what I was taught by a very competent hospitalera.Yes. They provided coins for washing clothes.
Good advice for next timeWashing clothes won’t kill the bugs. You need heat, and it’s actually better to throw the clothes into the dryer directly without washing them first, because they will heat more if they start out dry. 50 degrees C in the dryer for at least 20-30 minutes is what I was taught by a very competent hospitalera.
Even if you had used your treated sleeping bag you could have been bitten.. I made the mistake of sleeping in their sheets and not my treated sleeping bag.
What about the pilgie in the bag?Even if you had used your treated sleeping bag you could have been bitten.
Permethrin does not deter bed bugs nor kill them on contact. They can crawl into your bag and get a quick meal.
It does kill them with prolonged contact over a couple of hours. So if a bed bug did manage to get into your treated sleeping bag, it would probably not make it out alive.
Being a much larger creature, the pilgie is not affected.What about the pilgie in the bag?
Yes and that place is a good spot usually,So this was a week ago? If you reported it, it's likely to be sorted by now. Remember that bed bugs can surface anywhere, anytime.. from Paradors to donativos.
Reporting it to the hospi (at the time) and heat cycling all your stuff is all that's needed.
That is part of the story. The other is that, once dry, permethrin bonds well to fabric and there is little transmission into dry skin. My preference is to treat my sleeping bag liner, which can then be used even in places where blankets are provided without having to unpack my sleeping bag, or when it is sufficiently warm not to want to use a sleeping bag, other than perhaps as a quilt. I also wear untreated underpants or shorts that protect certain moist areas from coming into contact with the treated liner.Being a much larger creature, the pilgie is not affected.
If they do, squeeze them tight, then they wont bite another night! (we hopeA simple rendition of 'good night, sleep tight - don't let the bed bugs bite' always seems to work wonders for me
Bed bugs are transient, they move with Pilgrims. Please don't blame any single place. Let them know, wash and dry your clothes and gear. You have to assume you slept on clean sheets provided but the bed bugs could have been in your own pack. Be Kind, Be Helpful!Albergue Tras do Convento in Samos - across from the monastery - has a bedbug issue. I received countless bites as did other pilgrims on October 30, 2022. I made the mistake of sleeping in their sheets and not my treated sleeping bag. Cortisone to the rescue. No fun....
As @peregrina2000 mentioned above, you don't need to wash your clothes. It's the hot dryer that does the trick.Bed bugs are transient, they move with Pilgrims. Please don't blame any single place. Let them know, wash and dry your clothes and gear.
Washing clothes won’t kill the bugs. You need heat, and it’s actually better to throw the clothes into the dryer directly without washing them first, because they will heat more if they start out dry. 50 degrees C in the dryer for at least 20-30 minutes is what I was taught by a very competent hospitalera.
Ye gods! Is nothing sacred ?That is part of the story. The other is that, once dry, permethrin bonds well to fabric and there is little transmission into dry skin. My preference is to treat my sleeping bag liner, which can then be used even in places where blankets are provided without having to unpack my sleeping bag, or when it is sufficiently warm not to want to use a sleeping bag, other than perhaps as a quilt. I also wear untreated underpants or shorts that protect certain moist areas from coming into contact with the treated liner.
In spite of their name, bedbugs don't necessarily live in the bedding. They tend to inhabit the nooks and crannies of the adjacent building and only come into the bed when it has a nice, warm body in it. Heat kills them - a max heat tumble dryer or failing that, a black plastic bag left out in the sun for the day. They are transmitted by people so if one albergue has them, the chances are that other albergues up and down the line have them too.I checked the bed, mattress, pillow etc. And found nothing. It's just a reminder to be EXTRA careful!
Permethrin doesn't come in small quantities. We usually have enough for two bag liners, two light sleeping bags with enough left over to slosh around the inside and outside of our backpacks.That is part of the story. The other is that, once dry, permethrin bonds well to fabric and there is little transmission into dry skin. My preference is to treat my sleeping bag liner, which can then be used even in places where blankets are provided without having to unpack my sleeping bag, or when it is sufficiently warm not to want to use a sleeping bag, other than perhaps as a quilt. I also wear untreated underpants or shorts that protect certain moist areas from coming into contact with the treated liner.
Thank you for the heads up, Andrea. It's always good to know, and we are grateful that you let us know.Albergue Tras do Convento in Samos - across from the monastery - has a bedbug issue. I received countless bites as did other pilgrims on October 30, 2022. I made the mistake of sleeping in their sheets and not my treated sleeping bag. Cortisone to the rescue. No fun....
I use Tea Tree oil instead. It seems to work for me, at least it has so far. Of course, I've probably just been lucky.Permethrin doesn't come in small quantities. We usually have enough for two bag liners, two light sleeping bags with enough left over to slosh around the inside and outside of our backpacks.
I use it too, perhaps not as effective as permethrin, but more friendly to the environment and smells fresh. I spray my pack and sleeping bag a couple of times before I travel.I use Tea Tree oil instead. It seems to work for me, at least it has so far. Of course, I've probably just been lucky.
Don't the clothes shrink, though???Washing clothes won’t kill the bugs. You need heat, and it’s actually better to throw the clothes into the dryer directly without washing them first, because they will heat more if they start out dry. 50 degrees C in the dryer for at least 20-30 minutes is what I was taught by a very competent hospitalera.
Clothes are most likely to shrink due to the agitation of delicate fibres while wet, so putting them dry into a drier is less damaging than washing. Also, you don't need an industrial-strength hot drier - a normally hot dryer is fine.Don't the clothes shrink, though???
Depends on the material. Merino will probably shrink so the alternatives are: is the black plastic bag in the sun, wrap them in plastic until you get home then leave them in the freezer for a few weeks, or tumble dry at 45 C for much longer. Other materials should be fine.Don't the clothes shrink, though???
My good quality merino items have not shrunk after numerous hot washings and dryings.Merino will probably shrink
If they do, squeeze them tight, then they wont bite another night! (we hope)
Depends on the material. Merino will probably shrink
Same for me. I have dried merino clothing, silk sleep sack and down blanket on high heat with no problem. The only thing that didn't survive was a sun hat, which I think was made out of nylon.My good quality merino items have not shrunk after numerous hot washings and dryings.
Don't the clothes shrink, though???
I have never had any of my merino shrink when put into the dryer dry. Even on the hottest heat. Wool does shrink (it can actually felt) if put into the dryer wet. So just put it into the dryer first, to kill all the bedbugs and their eggs. If you want to wash it after that, do it in the normal way.Depends on the material. Merino will probably shrink so the alternatives are: is the black plastic bag in the sun, wrap them in plastic until you get home then leave them in the freezer for a few weeks, or tumble dry at 45 C for much longer. Other materials should be fine.
I use Tea Tree oil instead. It seems to work for me, at least it has so far. Of course, I've probably just been lucky.
Essential oils have been shown to be ineffective as insecticides. Using them instead of permethrin is pointless. Unless you are concerned that the bed bugs smell nice while they are feasting on you they are not doing anything to protect you or others from bed bugs.I use it too, perhaps not as effective as permethrin, but more friendly to the environment and smells fresh. I spray my pack and sleeping bag a couple of times before I travel.
My good quality merino items have not shrunk after numerous hot washings and dryings.
I didn't know that. Explains a lot. Apparently, at 45 C it takes at least 90 minutes to kill bedbugs. At 47 C it takes 20 - 30 minutes. However it takes at least 90 minutes at 47+ to kill the eggs. You may find it difficult to get access to a tumble dryer on some caminos in which case the black plastic bag should do the trick, assuming it is sunny and warm. Freezing at below zero C requires three days to dispatch the little blighters, and that is definitely not going to be easy when you are halfway along the Meseta. Buen camino, folks.I have never had any of my merino shrink when put into the dryer dry. Even on the hottest heat. Wool does shrink (it can actually felt) if put into the dryer wet. So just put it into the dryer first, to kill all the bedbugs and their eggs. If you want to wash it after that, do it in the normal way.
Sometimes, I ended up with some doll sized socks (not merino) on my second Camino. Now I tend to check my clothing before I go to make sure it can withstand the heat treatment. I normally wash my clothes by hand and air/sun dry whilst on Camino, so I now put my stuff in a dryer beforehand at home to check.Don't the clothes shrink, though???
So it's nothing like as effective as targeted chemical insecticides designed for the job, sure. But not entirely ineffective.Essential oils have been shown to be ineffective as insecticides.
Why would I be concerned that bed bugs smell nice? And are you suggesting that my choosing not to use chemical insecticides would somehow make me responsible for others getting bedbugs?Using them instead of permethrin is pointless. Unless you are concerned that the bed bugs smell nice while they are feasting on you they are not doing anything to protect you or others from bed bugs.
I just wonder about statements like this. Tea tree oil is a highly toxic chemical compound. To give some indication of its utility as a pesticide to manage bed bugs, I searched the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority website and the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. There were:So it's nothing like as effective as targeted chemical insecticides designed for the job, sure. But not entirely ineffective.
Feeling vindicated is hardly the point. I presume that members who contribute here do so with the intent that others get good quality advice on the various topics we discuss. Where something is clearly wide of that mark, I think it is unfair on the rest of the forum community if it isn't challenged. Sometimes this might be the presentation of alternative perspectives. In others, the facts clearly don't support the suggestions made during a discussion. That needs to be challenged if we are not to mislead other forum members.Thank you for your findings, and I do hope all that effort leaves you feeling suitably vindicated.
But I'll continue to use it as before. It's become part of my prep ritual everytime I go walking. As has doing a quick check of mattress seams etc, before I take a bed..
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