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I suppose I could also take all the contents and just dump them in a large dryer at a laundromat just to be sure (my pack won’t fit in my home dryer).
So based on what I have read on the other thread linked here, the heat needs to get to 140. Is the temperature of a backpack sitting in a black plastic bag in 95 degree direct sunlight likely to get that high?
And according to the following article@trecile is beating me out to good answers a fair bit lately. I would put a thermometer in the bag for fun too. But to get to your question I saw a TV reporter yesterday tell about an experiment to show how dangerous the heat the US has been getting lately. It was 90 degrees and a thermometer was put in a car and within an hour it registered 130. And that is without the black.
Oh yes. And you also have the black color absorbing more heat, I would consider it to get in the range of that 172 mark that @trecile mentions if left in a place in contact with the direct sun with those 95+°F daysThanks, everyone.
So based on what I have read on the other thread linked here, the heat needs to get to 140. Is the temperature of a backpack sitting in a black plastic bag in 95 degree direct sunlight likely to get that high?
I agree. It's not the washing that kills them. It's the high temp drying for at least a half an hour. I've put my merino, down and silk in a hot dryer with no I'll effects.If you put your DRY gear into a dryer on high it will achieve the heat you need far more quickly and avoid damage. My tech clothing and merino all survived this work no bother. Don't wet it first! You can wash it later, when you've killed any bugs and eggs
Just think what you could acheive if you face your car into the sun on an asphalt parking lot and then put the black bag with your stuff on the dashboard. It wouldn't be safe to open the door again until 3:00 in the morning.Oh yes. And you also have the black color absorbing more heat, I would consider it to get in the range of that 172 mark that @trecile mentions if left in a place in contact with the direct sun with those 95+°F days
I generally give my merino wool garments two months. It doesn't seem to do them any harm.New studies indicate putting your stuff in the freezer may not do the job. Some freezers are not cold enough, and it takes several days.
https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/wild-things/bedbugs-survive-cold-not-too-long
That makes bed bugs like mosquitoes then. When I cut way way back on sugar and carbs the mosquitoes stopped liking (will fly a mile to find) me. Now they go for DH instead!I must be a bed bug magnet,
My friend just got back from Columbia, where she got bitten by bedbugs. She put all her stuff into sealed bags inside the pack and the pack into a plastic sack. At customs, she told staff. They kept pack and contents and they kept all for 2 days and fumigated it. She could pick her stuff up 48 hours later, all treated. Way to go!I must be a bed bug magnet, because I think this is the fourth or fifth time I have been bitten. As I was changing into my clothes to leave San Martin Pinario and head for home, I saw some of the telltale marks. Several groups of three or more red bites, on shoulders, lower back, tummy. I took a shower, put on clean clothes, packed everything else in my pack. I checked the bed in San Martin, took off the sheets, and saw nothing. When I got to my friends’ home in Madrid later that day, we put the unopened backpack in a big black garbage bag and left it outside. We carefully washed all of the clothes I was wearing. The next day a few more bites appeared, but I assume that was a delayed reaction, because we inspected the bed carefully and found nothing (others have slept in that room since with no problems). I flew home with the pack, still in the garbage bag, wrapped up in clear plastic. Luckily no one in TSA wanted to open it. The pack is still in my garage unopened since Santiago. No more bites have appeared. I’m assuming I was bitten a day or two before arriving in Santiago.
I remember that some forum members have suggested that leaving a pack outside in a black garbage bag at high enough heat will kill any eggs or bugs that are there. Will the current heat wave crossing the midwest be hot enough to do that? Temperatures are expected to hit high 90s today (high 30s C), and I have put the bag out in the sun with the hopes that it will do the job if there is anything alive in there. Should that be sufficient?
Sorry to add another thread about bed bugs, but I have searched for some of the great advice given here over the years and can’t find it. Also any critique of the process I used would be welcome, since I am sure this won’t be the last time!
Yes 60 degrees C it must be. Why not put a thermometer into the bag?Thanks, everyone.
So based on what I have read on the other thread linked here, the heat needs to get to 140. Is the temperature of a backpack sitting in a black plastic bag in 95 degree direct sunlight likely to get that high? I suppose I could also take all the contents and just dump them in a large dryer at a laundromat just to be sure (my pack won’t fit in my home dryer).
And also based on what I read, checking the bed is not a good way to be sure there are no bugs since they don’t hide out in the bed. But if I didn’t see any brown/blood spots, is that a good indicator that there were no bed bugs?
I know there are many bed-bug-weary forum members, so please avert your eyes from this thread.
For those who have experienced first hand the uncomfortable skin reaction from bed bug bites (redness, swelling, itchy feeling), are you also sensitive or more reactive than the people around you to mosquito bites or other insect bites?
I'm wondering if most people who get bitten by bedbugs don't even notice it?
And also based on what I read, checking the bed is not a good way to be sure there are no bugs since they don’t hide out in the bed.
Never spray permethrin indoors around other people!!I remember @Anniesantiago, once advising spraying Permethrin around suspect areas too, as it would ‘mobilise’ any that were hiding away.
I must be a bed bug magnet, because I think this is the fourth or fifth time I have been bitten. As I was changing into my clothes to leave San Martin Pinario and head for home, I saw some of the telltale marks. Several groups of three or more red bites, on shoulders, lower back, tummy. I took a shower, put on clean clothes, packed everything else in my pack. I checked the bed in San Martin, took off the sheets, and saw nothing. When I got to my friends’ home in Madrid later that day, we put the unopened backpack in a big black garbage bag and left it outside. We carefully washed all of the clothes I was wearing. The next day a few more bites appeared, but I assume that was a delayed reaction, because we inspected the bed carefully and found nothing (others have slept in that room since with no problems). I flew home with the pack, still in the garbage bag, wrapped up in clear plastic. Luckily no one in TSA wanted to open it. The pack is still in my garage unopened since Santiago. No more bites have appeared. I’m assuming I was bitten a day or two before arriving in Santiago.
I remember that some forum members have suggested that leaving a pack outside in a black garbage bag at high enough heat will kill any eggs or bugs that are there. Will the current heat wave crossing the midwest be hot enough to do that? Temperatures are expected to hit high 90s today (high 30s C), and I have put the bag out in the sun with the hopes that it will do the job if there is anything alive in there. Should that be sufficient?
Sorry to add another thread about bed bugs, but I have searched for some of the great advice given here over the years and can’t find it. Also any critique of the process I used would be welcome, since I am sure this won’t be the last time!
Never spray permethrin indoors around other people!!
Not to speak for @AnniesantiagoI remember @Anniesantiago, once advising spraying Permethrin around suspect areas too, as it would ‘mobilise’ any that were hiding away.
When living in the north Queensland I was told to have lots of vitamin B foods, to keep the sandflies and mosquitoes away as insects are averse to bodies (high in vitamin B) who eat a banana a day, washed down with a barocco.To be honest, it would never occur to me to use any spray in an albuerge.
Did you read my most recent post, @C clearly?
I have just done a bit of research into permethrin/pyrethryn/pyrethrum.
I’m not sure I’ve ever come across permethrin as such.
I’ve used Nelson’s Pyrethrum liquid (it’s not in homeopathic form) on stings, and have pyrethrin, which is a derivative of the plant. Both are safe to use on the skin, in small quantities.
Permethrin is a synthetic form of the naturally occurring insecticide, pyrethrum, which comes from Chrysanthemums.
Even pyrethrins are toxic for aquatic organisms.
The main point of my original post was to point out that close inspection of mattresses is helpful.
And now my brain hurts ...
Anyone who has read my previous posts would know that I have never advocated spraying anything which might adversely affect anyone else ... quite the contrary, in fact.
@Anniesantiago ... my apologies if I have cast aspersions on your good name.
When living in the north Queensland I was told to have lots of vitamin B foods, to keep the sandflies and mosquitoes away as insects are averse to bodies (high in vitamin B) who eat a banana a day, washed down with a barocco.
Love
I must be a bed bug magnet, because I think this is the fourth or fifth time I have been bitten. As I was changing into my clothes to leave San Martin Pinario and head for home, I saw some of the telltale marks. Several groups of three or more red bites, on shoulders, lower back, tummy. I took a shower, put on clean clothes, packed everything else in my pack. I checked the bed in San Martin, took off the sheets, and saw nothing. When I got to my friends’ home in Madrid later that day, we put the unopened backpack in a big black garbage bag and left it outside. We carefully washed all of the clothes I was wearing. The next day a few more bites appeared, but I assume that was a delayed reaction, because we inspected the bed carefully and found nothing (others have slept in that room since with no problems). I flew home with the pack, still in the garbage bag, wrapped up in clear plastic. Luckily no one in TSA wanted to open it. The pack is still in my garage unopened since Santiago. No more bites have appeared. I’m assuming I was bitten a day or two before arriving in Santiago.
I remember that some forum members have suggested that leaving a pack outside in a black garbage bag at high enough heat will kill any eggs or bugs that are there. Will the current heat wave crossing the midwest be hot enough to do that? Temperatures are expected to hit high 90s today (high 30s C), and I have put the bag out in the sun with the hopes that it will do the job if there is anything alive in there. Should that be sufficient?
Sorry to add another thread about bed bugs, but I have searched for some of the great advice given here over the years and can’t find it. Also any critique of the process I used would be welcome, since I am sure this won’t be the last time!
Yes I did. I was not suggesting that you were doing anything right or wrong. I was simply saying what I remembered. I thought it was a useful clarification.Did you read my most recent post, @C clearly?
I've been lucky, so far, as I've only discovered it once, and that was because I saw and squashed the blood-filled bugs.I'm wondering if most people who get bitten by bedbugs don't even notice it?
Yes I did. I was not suggesting that you were doing anything right or wrong. I was simply saying what I remembered. I thought it was a useful clarification.
I thank you, @C clearly , for prompting me to clear my own rather muddy thinking on the matter!
Yes berocco...thanksDid you mean a berocca?
I’ve never been palatable to biting insects .... perhaps because I eat B rich foods? And supplemented (in cycles) when I was veggie.
Don’t they like Potassium either?
Does this mean Marmite/Vegemite lovers are less likely to be bitten?
I always thought it was the garlic ...(and onions) (and leeks)
I wonder if sulphur rich foods help too ...?
I remember putting my arm outside a tent one morning, and seeing it turn black ... instantly
Midges ... but not one bite!
(I was advised to market my sweat ... backpackers, eh? No ‘couth’ ...)
But .... bed bugs just don’t care ..... must be omnivores, I guess ...
GR65I must be a bed bug magnet, because I think this is the fourth or fifth time I have been bitten. As I was changing into my clothes to leave San Martin Pinario and head for home, I saw some of the telltale marks. Several groups of three or more red bites, on shoulders, lower back, tummy. I took a shower, put on clean clothes, packed everything else in my pack. I checked the bed in San Martin, took off the sheets, and saw nothing. When I got to my friends’ home in Madrid later that day, we put the unopened backpack in a big black garbage bag and left it outside. We carefully washed all of the clothes I was wearing. The next day a few more bites appeared, but I assume that was a delayed reaction, because we inspected the bed carefully and found nothing (others have slept in that room since with no problems). I flew home with the pack, still in the garbage bag, wrapped up in clear plastic. Luckily no one in TSA wanted to open it. The pack is still in my garage unopened since Santiago. No more bites have appeared. I’m assuming I was bitten a day or two before arriving in Santiago.
I remember that some forum members have suggested that leaving a pack outside in a black garbage bag at high enough heat will kill any eggs or bugs that are there. Will the current heat wave crossing the midwest be hot enough to do that? Temperatures are expected to hit high 90s today (high 30s C), and I have put the bag out in the sun with the hopes that it will do the job if there is anything alive in there. Should that be sufficient?
Sorry to add another thread about bed bugs, but I have searched for some of the great advice given here over the years and can’t find it. Also any critique of the process I used would be welcome, since I am sure this won’t be the last time!
This is something I wish I had known before my first camino. Such good advise! All that unnecessary washing before the heating bit.If you put your DRY gear into a dryer on high it will achieve the heat you need far more quickly and avoid damage. My tech clothing and merino all survived this work no bother. Don't wet it first! You can wash it later, when you've killed any bugs and eggs
Yes, some people are VERY sensitive to the bed bug (and other) bites...others are not. My son/wife contracted a terrible bedbug issue in the city they lived in after storing a mattress in a storage unit. His wife began to have a terrible rash (she thought) and saw an allergist/dermatologist, took massive antihistamines, etc. ONe day, her mom, a nurse, took a look and pronounced the rash as insect bites. My son, who had done the Camino previously (with no bbugs that he knew of) immediately began to search beds, bookshelves, etc., and found (to their horror) a massive infestation. They'd shared the same bed, clothing, packs, etc., and he had not one single bite issue. They were told that 1)people who had had many mosquito bites as children can become somewhat immune, and that 2)some people just don't react to the bites. And so began a massive campaign that took months (between two apartments) of exterminators, etc. etc. Needless to say, she is still absolutely terrified of bedbugs.I agree. It's not the washing that kills them. It's the high temp drying for at least a half an hour. I've put my merino, down and silk in a hot dryer with no I'll effects.
I got savaged on The Francigena two months ago I had about 100 bitesI must be a bed bug magnet, because I think this is the fourth or fifth time I have been bitten. As I was changing into my clothes to leave San Martin Pinario and head for home, I saw some of the telltale marks. Several groups of three or more red bites, on shoulders, lower back, tummy. I took a shower, put on clean clothes, packed everything else in my pack. I checked the bed in San Martin, took off the sheets, and saw nothing. When I got to my friends’ home in Madrid later that day, we put the unopened backpack in a big black garbage bag and left it outside. We carefully washed all of the clothes I was wearing. The next day a few more bites appeared, but I assume that was a delayed reaction, because we inspected the bed carefully and found nothing (others have slept in that room since with no problems). I flew home with the pack, still in the garbage bag, wrapped up in clear plastic. Luckily no one in TSA wanted to open it. The pack is still in my garage unopened since Santiago. No more bites have appeared. I’m assuming I was bitten a day or two before arriving in Santiago.
I remember that some forum members have suggested that leaving a pack outside in a black garbage bag at high enough heat will kill any eggs or bugs that are there. Will the current heat wave crossing the midwest be hot enough to do that? Temperatures are expected to hit high 90s today (high 30s C), and I have put the bag out in the sun with the hopes that it will do the job if there is anything alive in there. Should that be sufficient?
Sorry to add another thread about bed bugs, but I have searched for some of the great advice given here over the years and can’t find it. Also any critique of the process I used would be welcome, since I am sure this won’t be the last time!
Really sorry to hear about this happening to you.Note from OP. I have removed references to places because I have no idea where I was bitten. I posted only to find out how best to deal with the situation once home.
I must be a bed bug magnet, because I think this is the fourth or fifth time I have been bitten. As I was changing into my clothes to leave Santiago and head for home, I saw some of the telltale marks. Several groups of three or more red bites, on shoulders, lower back, tummy. I took a shower, put on clean clothes, packed everything else in my pack. I checked the bed, took off the sheets, and saw nothing.
I flew home with the pack checked, still in the garbage bag Luckily no one in TSA wanted to open it. The pack is still in my garage unopened since Santiago.
My question is about my pack.
I remember that some forum members have suggested that leaving a pack outside in a black garbage bag at high enough heat will kill any eggs or bugs that are there. Will the current heat wave crossing the midwest be hot enough to do that? Temperatures are expected to hit high 90s today (high 30s C), and I have put the bag out in the sun with the hopes that it will do the job if there is anything alive in there. Should that be sufficient?
Sorry to add another thread about bed bugs, but I have searched for some of the great advice given here over the years and can’t find it.
What happens when someone else staying has brought them with them though, hard to prevent when you can't control others.I have posted this once before, but the advice is so good I think it bears repeating. Avoidance is the best defense, and it is actually quite simple.
"The wise traveller is recommended to send his servant ahead to enquire whether there be no fleas, nor bugs, nor other vermin .......". Apparently is those days you had to enquire about rats and mice as well.
This comes from a French phrasebook for English pilgrims in the late 14th century, and is quoted in the excellent book "Pilgrimage" by Jonathan Sumption.
I had a bedbug encounter last year on the Norte. Worst case, they got into my sleeping bag because I was being bitten the following night. Simple solution: put everything (bag, pack, clothes, stuff sacks, etc. into a dryer at the highest heat setting for 30 minutes. Did the trick. Don’t worry about the synthetic fabric warnings. Nothing was damaged and I’m still using all the gear a year later. Hot washing will NOT kill bedbugs.Note from OP. I have removed references to places because I have no idea where I was bitten. I posted only to find out how best to deal with the situation once home.
I must be a bed bug magnet, because I think this is the fourth or fifth time I have been bitten. As I was changing into my clothes to leave Santiago and head for home, I saw some of the telltale marks. Several groups of three or more red bites, on shoulders, lower back, tummy. I took a shower, put on clean clothes, packed everything else in my pack. I checked the bed, took off the sheets, and saw nothing.
I flew home with the pack checked, still in the garbage bag Luckily no one in TSA wanted to open it. The pack is still in my garage unopened since Santiago.
My question is about my pack.
I remember that some forum members have suggested that leaving a pack outside in a black garbage bag at high enough heat will kill any eggs or bugs that are there. Will the current heat wave crossing the midwest be hot enough to do that? Temperatures are expected to hit high 90s today (high 30s C), and I have put the bag out in the sun with the hopes that it will do the job if there is anything alive in there. Should that be sufficient?
Sorry to add another thread about bed bugs, but I have searched for some of the great advice given here over the years and can’t find it.
It will get them wet and dizzy though so at least you'll get some revenge.Hot washing will NOT kill bedbugs.
I have never thought that hot washing will kill bedbugs, but it will remove stains and sweat and smell prior to hot drying, which WILL kill them.Hot washing will NOT kill bedbugs.
Yes I would agree living in Ireland I used permethrin get it on e-bay make up a spray I sprayed all my clothes before leaving including back back sleeping bag no probs so far keep fingers crossed for 2021i also kept the back pack of the floor and away from the bed you can also line your back pack with plastic bags and seal when walking to kill any strays Buen Camino allI have only been bitten once on camino and also found the bites while staying in San Martin Pinario at the end of my camino. I informed them and they gave me another room. I saw no new bites, nor evidence of bedbugs. I tried unsuccessfully to contact the place where I stayed the previous night. When I got home I went through my usual procedure: dump my pack and all my clothes in the bathtub and sort things: woolen garments into plastic bags and into the freezer for a two months' stay, all other clothing and sleeping bag on hot wash then a long, hot dry. Spray the backpack thoroughly with the bedbug killer that I used before I left, while sealing it in a plastic bag. I do not have a place to put a bag in the sun and I am content to use the insecticide. I also sprayed my boots with it. I did not get bugs in my apartment nor did I see any sign of dead bugs anywhere. I shall do this also on future caminos, as I think that it is a pretty good procedure to avoid taking bed bugs home. Next time, I may also put all the odds and ends (except for the electronics) into the bag which I am spraying. I would not put my backpack into a hot dryer, as it is new and is likely to be ruined by the heat, judging by earlier posts.
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