Bedbugs (chinches) in Cadavedo Aug 13 2016

[Maxine Kuo]

Hello all,
I just stayed in the municipal albergue in Cadavedo on 13/8/2016, and there were many, MANY bedbugs. The beds in the room on the left had it the worst, those people were covered in bites. They hid during the day and when we left at 6 am the next morning, they were all over the walls and pillows, walking around full of blood. Also, there were MANY mosquitos too, many people were covered with those bites as well. Beware!!! Find another place or take a taxi to the next town even though it's far away!
(I heard that another albergue in town had an infestation as well, and two girls had to go to the hospital. Check your mattresses in Cadavedo!)

 

[Dave]

Sorry to hear about this, Maxine! For what it's worth, there were two new private albergue options in Cadavedo/Villademoros this year. Casa Carín has apartments and a small albergue set up in an hórreo. I stayed there, as I arrived late and everything in the center of town (to the extent that Cadavedo has a center) was booked up. It's about 1km after town, but signposted off of the Camino. Albergue Casa Ignacio is a bit further out, but very convenient for those taking the mountain approach to Cadavedo.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

It takes about a week for bed bug eggs to hatch, so the quantity you encountered indicates that they have been around for awhile. That means that pilgrims have been transporting the bugs and the eggs to other locations, perhaps without knowing it. It is almost past the right time to single out a particular albergue; bed bugs are likely to be in all the downstream places! Use universal precautions so that you don't take the eggs or bugs home. Good luck with them!

 

[Pias]

It takes about a week for bed bug eggs to hatch, so the quantity you encountered indicates that they have been around for awhile. That means that pilgrims have been transporting the bugs and the eggs to other locations, perhaps without knowing it. It is almost past the right time to single out a particular albergue; bed bugs are likely to be in all the downstream places! Use universal precautions so that you don't take the eggs or bugs home. Good luck with them!

Can you till me what universal precautions are? Is there something i can use to spray me with?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Is there something i can use to spray me with?

You can spray your equipment with permethrin. I suggest just your backpack, sleeping bag, pillow case, and sheets. When you get home, treat your pack as infected or you may introduce bed bugs to your home! For treating your skin, DEET and picaridin have been shown to be effective as repellents. Homeopathic remedies may have some psychological appeal, but none of them have been proven effective except by the people that make a profit selling them to you...

 

[Maxine Kuo]

Thanks Dave! We were there on a holiday weekend, as well as the town's celebratory weekend so there were about 20 of us without a place to stay, Casa Carín was long booked up. Bunch of people slept outside, they got off well

 

[SYates]

Have a look at this resource I wrote earlier this year: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/de-bed-bugging-your-camino-gear.483/

Resistance to Permethrin is on the increase world wide, so it is not a cure/prevent it all. Buen Camino sin chinches, SY

 

[wcsjms]

Is this along the Camino de Norte' ?

 

[Maxine Kuo]

Is this along the Camino de Norte' ?

Yes, the Camino del Norte!

 

[craigmiller]

Can you till me what universal precautions are? Is there something i can use to spray me with?

Using zip-lock sealable bags to stow your gear will help you avoid infestations. Isolate your sleeping gear in a separate bag, so that the bugs you pick up while sleeping can be dealt with before they spread. If you get bites, then there is always the risk that you are harboring bed bugs. The simplest way of eliminating them is with heat - clothes driers work well. Be sure to do your backpack - it contains lots of places for bugs to hide. Turn up the heat to >60C for ½ hr. to kill both the bugs and their eggs. (Note - putting your stuff out in the sun in a black bag is unlikely to be effective). When you arrive home quarantine your stuff until you can treat it all in a clothes drier. For items that you cannot put in a drier, a freezer is useful. Four days at temperatures constantly below -18C/0F will kill the bugs and their eggs.