Bed Bugs April 2018

[Ray T]

My son was bitten by bed bugs last week. We are tracing it back and it is possibly San Saturnino in Ventosa la Rioja or Albergue Victoria in Cirueña.

Anyone else have this problem? It might help narrow it down if someone else has also dealt with it. We have cleaned everything and treated the bites.

 

[MikeyC]

My son was bitten by bed bugs last week. We are tracing it back and it is possibly San Saturnino in Ventosa la Rioja or Albergue Victoria in Cirueña.

Anyone else have this problem? It might help narrow it down if someone else has also dealt with it. We have cleaned everything and treated the bites.

Reaction times to bites varies from person to person and can take 10 days or so for some whereas it is immediately for others. It is not easy to pinpoint when bites occurred unless you can see the little nasties or other evidence.
Sorry to hear about your son being bitten. It can be unpleasant.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I am assuming he reported this to the hospitalera/o so s/he could take care of the problem?
I know that the lady at San Saturnino is vigilant and if she was told, will take steps to correct it.
I'm sorry your son was bitten.
Please be sure you don't carry the bugs along the Camino.

 

[zolarose]

It can be disheartening to deal with bedbugs. I've been there. It can be hard to pinpoint the location.

The only reason I know exactly where I was bitten is because it was a beautiful private room in Sahagún at Madres Benedictinas. When I awoke in the morning the bed was swarming with them! I'll never forget it. (and I don't use the word "swarm" carelessly here. I mean swarms of them!)

It was the only time I didn't check a bed before staying someplace. The sheets were crisp and white. The private room was so perfect. I was lulled into complacency, I guess. My fault.

Funny add-on: One of my fellow pilgrims stayed in the dorm bed downstairs that night. No chinches at all! Go figure!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Yikes!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

My son was bitten by bed bugs last week. We are tracing it back and it is possibly San Saturnino in Ventosa la Rioja or Albergue Victoria in Cirueña.

Anyone else have this problem? It might help narrow it down if someone else has also dealt with it. We have cleaned everything and treated the bites.

I stayed at Albergue Victoria in April 2017 in a room with 2 sets of bunks. Very clean and no problems, but I do treat my bag, pack and a special sheet I bring with permathrin.

 

[RJM]

As it is impossible to determine the exact source of the bedbug bite, or whatever type of bite it may be, I would say it is unfair to mention suspected albergues by name as it is pure speculation. There are viewers on here who will take the rumour as gospel.
My best advice is treat the bites, check your gear and move on.

 

[Anamiri]

Unfortunately it can take a while to realise you have been bitten, and may have already walked away from the albergue. I sleep in the clothes I walk in the next day.
I was bitten in Finisterre after we have finished our Camino and having a few days relaxation on the coast in an expensive apartment. I wasn't using my (treated) sleeping bag as there were lovely white sheets.
It was mid afternoon, before I realised that the itchiness on my hip was caused by bites. I'd been rubbing it all day, thinking it was a label or seam or something, finally when I looked, I had bites all over me. Rows of bites all over my arms, legs and body. The only place I wasnt bitten was on my face. After swimming they became very apparent. I live on antihistamines, so I think that reduced my reaction as I normally dont tolerate bites etc at all.
If I had been on the Camino, I would have been 20kms down the road.

 

[t2andreo]

Get to a Pharmacy. Tell the pharmacist. Show the bites. Obtain an antihistamine, oral and / or topical to reduce the itching symptoms.

Then you must figure out how to disinfect your gear so you do not spread the infection as you continue. The two best field-expedient ways to kill cinches is to place everything in a big black trash bag and let it ‘cook’ in the sun.

The other way is to wash everything that can go in a washing machine at the maximum hot temperature. The second method is sketchy in Spain as dryers / secadoras are rare, and expensive as electricity is among the highest taxed commodities in Spain.

Good luck!

 

[Aussie Cossie Tanya]

My son was bitten by bed bugs last week. We are tracing it back and it is possibly San Saturnino in Ventosa la Rioja or Albergue Victoria in Cirueña.

Anyone else have this problem? It might help narrow it down if someone else has also dealt with it. We have cleaned everything and treated the bites.

I dealt with it on 3 seperate occasions on my recent Camino Frances. Informed all potential places etc.

As I previously posted I am extremely allergic to their bites and took ALL known and some probably unknown precautions. Makes me wonder if they are not more of a problem then people think. My daughter and my travel friends didn't have similar reactions and thus didn't think anymore or it. They were UNDISBUTED beg bug bites. What I did find as a treatment (desperate situations call for desperate measures and the reactions nearly finished my camino) was the use of Voltaren cream/gel that was all I had and IT WORKED AMAZING..Relieved the bites (40 odd) and reduced healing time like no other treatment I have ever been prescribed. Probably medically questionable, but I was so desperate for relief.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I have used Voltaren for muscle aches on the Camino a few times and now just tonight heard of it used for vasculitis and now for treatment of bedbugs. It must be a miracle cream!

Yikes, 40 bites...sounds like a nightmare!

 

[TaraWalks]

Hi, sorry to hear about your bites. I can totally relate.

I finished my second Camino mid April and yes, I too had this problem. I even did a cooler weather camino this time in the hope that I wouldn't get bitten!

All up I was bitten on four different occasions, once in the first albergue we stayed in - (no names mentioned) the other three times were in pensions and hotels as we decided that we may be less likely to encounter them. I react terribly to the bites too. All up each time I only received 1-10 bites, the worst being the 10 I got in a private room in Carrion de Los Condes. The rest were all 1-3 bites. On my first CF I received way more bites when I stayed in albergues, way more often and in much higher quantities - probably because it was high season and people just don't realise they carry them.

And this was after I:

1. pretreated all of my gear with permethrin
2. Thoroughly checked the room and beds
3. kept my clothes, sleep wear and sleeping bag all separated in different dry bags/zip locks so there was no cross contamination
4. dry bagged my pack and kept it in the bathroom and,
5. Did regular hot washes and dryer attacks.

In many ways it nearly ended my camino from the stress but I got through it. I made sure to go to commercial laundromats in the larger cities and throw everything I could (including my pack) into the dryer (for my own sanity) - it's a little misshapen but still bug free as i sit here in my Airbnb in Berlin.

I agree that they are most likely a bigger issue than most people think. Believe me I have done a lot of research on this from sheer chinche PTSD!

 

[Saint Mike II]

As it is impossible to determine the exact source of the bedbug bite, or whatever type of bite it may be, I would say it is unfair to mention suspected albergues by name as it is pure speculation. There are viewers on here who will take the rumour as gospel.
My best advice is treat the bites, check your gear and move on.

I don't agree. Our OP has stated how they are able to pin down either of these two locations.

Last year my "pilgrim daughter" experienced the joys of bed bugs and we were able to accurately identify the albergue concerned. How? Well it was immediately after she stayed in a smaller private hotel (but she still conducted her usual search). We traced it to a blanket as that was the only part of the bedding she did not thoroughly inspect. I occupied the bunk next to her but not being restricted by her local regulations I had very thoroughly treated by sleeping bag/liner/backpack. Having gone through the psychological trauma of washing literally everything we had I definitely would not wish these little things on anyone!!!

 

[Saint Mike II]

Get to a Pharmacy. Tell the pharmacist. Show the bites. Obtain an antihistamine, oral and / or topical to reduce the itching symptoms.

The other way is to wash everything that can go in a washing machine at the maximum hot temperature. The second method is sketchy in Spain as dryers / secadoras are rare, and expensive as electricity is among the highest taxed commodities in Spain.

Hola - as I said we had the joy of these buggers - the big albergue in Astroga (Sievas de Maria) does have two dries that operate up to 60' C and they also have a range of hot washers. The other reason I recommend this establishment - they were totally understanding of our situation, even gave us a room with just two bunks.

 

[RJM]

I don't agree. Our OP has stated how they are able to pin down either of these two locations.

Last year my "pilgrim daughter" experienced the joys of bed bugs and we were able to accurately identify the albergue concerned. How? Well it was immediately after she stayed in a smaller private hotel (but she still conducted her usual search). We traced it to a blanket as that was the only part of the bedding she did not thoroughly inspect. I occupied the bunk next to her but not being restricted by her local regulations I had very thoroughly treated by sleeping bag/liner/backpack. Having gone through the psychological trauma of washing literally everything we had I definitely would not wish these little things on anyone!!!

I still stand by my opinion that it is wrong to point a finger at a particular albergue unless you can show 100% proof, which I doubt anyone can. Even the OP says in the second sentence they did not know for sure: "We are tracing it back and it is possibly San Saturnino in Ventosa la Rioja or Albergue Victoria in Cirueña."
A possibility is hardly pinning anything down. Again, not fair.
cheers

 

[seashell]

We checked in to a private room in an albergue this afternoon and for some reason I decided to check the bed for bugs , I’ve never done it before! Anyway, there were bugs, one the size of an apple pip, another which I killed by squeezing and it left blood on the bed sheet. I’d videod the culprit and showed the hospitalieros. She immediately gave us another room. When we returned from our meal the corridor outside the room was smelling strongly of insecticide. I wasn’t happy about the chemicals or the bed bug experience so asked for a refund. They were very apologetic and helped us find another place. So, two points here:
1: always check the beds and
2: don’t be afraid to move to another place, if possible.