Bedbugs!?

[Sophia S]

I am reading John Brierly's guide to the camino where it is mentioned that bedbugs are 'still causing problems in a few pilgrim hostels' (pg.16)
Has anyone come across this problem on their journey?

 

[VNwalking]

Many of us have, and many haven't.
If you put 'bedbugs' in the search box, you'll be able to find the threads about it.

 

[C clearly]

I am reading John Brierly's guide to the camino where it is mentioned that bedbugs are 'still causing problems in a few pilgrim hostels' (pg.16)
Has anyone come across this problem on their journey?

I can see this is your first post on the forum (actually it is obvious because bedbugs are a subject of daily discussion here.) Welcome! As mentioned above, there is a search function (top right of the screen). Enter "bedbugs" and you will learn more than you ever wanted!

Bedbugs are not uncommon on the Camino - in albergues, hostales and hotels. I have personal experience with them. However, most people do not seem to get bitten. Many people don't react even if they are bitten.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Always!

 

[SYates]

Lol and welcome to the forum - you stepped right into a minefield there! Some of us (me included) take bed bugs seriously, others deny their existence on the Camino(s). Good luck finding the middle ground! Buen Camino, SY
PS I personally don't care much about meeting them on the way - but I really, really don't want to take them home!

 

[domigee]

Has anyone come across this problem on their journey?

I have walked 4 caminos (camino francés and Via de la Plata) and I have only been bitten once by bed bugs, very close to Santiago. Unfortunately, I discovered I am one of the few people who react badly to the bites so it cut that Camino short - I flew back home instead of carrying on to Fisterra and Muxía.
They are there, I have seen them again since (and left!) and saw other pilgrims bitten.
Read all the threads about it - it does help to be informed! - and especially the bit about not bringing them home.
My (one) bad experience hasn't put me off, it is one of those things! but I am definitely very careful now.
Buen camino

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Met them once, personally, out of 6 Caminos. Saw people affected by them on 50% of my Caminos.

Walking in an albergue and looking for bed stains will only tell you about past infestations. Assuming an alert on this forum will mean bugs when you walk will also not work as bbugs come with each daily new wave of walkers and go with each fuming.

Read on the Forum about how to protect yourself and gear: spraying, not putting your backpack on the ground or bed, alerting hospitaleros the second you notice you may have been bitten, making sure you don't bring them home.

 

[james walter purdum iv]

walked and stayed in all the municipals...no bedbugs..lucky maybe

 

[Sue M]

No bugs in albergues but in a relatively posh hotel. I'm a light sleeper and felt them crawl over me - shot out of bed, got a few bites, couldn't find anyone to ask for another room and ended up sleeping on the hard floor in the corridor. Not a pleasant night. Several of the hostels between Le Puy and Conques had been infested but defumigated and OK. I've been told the top London hotels also get them, so if e.g. The Ritz is closed for "renovation" you know why!

 

[PDO]

Met them once, personally, out of 6 Caminos. Saw people affected by them on 50% of my Caminos.

Walking in an albergue and looking for bed stains will only tell you about past infestations. Assuming an alert on this forum will mean bugs when you walk will also not work as bbugs come with each daily new wave of walkers and go with each fuming.

Read on the Forum about how to protect yourself and gear: spraying, not putting your backpack on the ground or bed, alerting hospitaleros the second you notice you may have been bitten, making sure you don't bring them home.

Just curious as we start our Camino in a week: if you dont put your backpack on the floor or bed ( I think common sense says not to put your dirty pack on the bed) where do you put it? Thank you1

 

[SYates]

The floor is usually fine, just keep it away from the wall and don't put it under the bed. Ideal is on a chair ;-) Buen Camino, SY

 

[PDO]

The floor is usually fine, just keep it away from the wall and don't put it under the bed. Ideal is on a chair ;-) Buen Camino, SY

Thank you for that info! We start the VDLP on 9/11... On 9/8, We arrive in Seville for 2 days of jet lag catchup and seeing Seville then bus to Merida on 9/10 and start walking the next day! Thank you for all your wise council...your posts and answers have been invaluable and of course I'm just now reading through your book again before we go! Muchas gracious!

 

[SYates]

In my experience bed bugs are less a problem on the VdlP than on the CF, that doesn't mean they don't exist, but that your chances are better in avoiding them. Have also a look at my thread here https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...es-via-de-la-plata-february-abril-2016.38377/
for some fairly recent VdlP tips ;-) Buen Camino, SY

 

[PDO]

In my experience bed bugs are less a problem on the VdlP than on the CF, that doesn't mean they don't exist, but that your chances are better in avoiding them. Have also a look at my thread here https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...es-via-de-la-plata-february-abril-2016.38377/
for some fairly recent VdlP tips ;-) Buen Camino, SY

Yes we have read it and was super helpful... We have the April 2016 Kelly book and hope we find our way with that and the arrows... No GPS...Thank you & peace , Pam

 

[Anemone del Camino]

My appologies, when I wrote don't put your bag on the floor I meant ground first and foremost as to not pick up little insects. But in the albergues hopefully you will have lockers available, but those are fairly recent, even in more commonly walked Caminos. As for chairs, we had an interesting discussion about these a few minths ago and came to the conclusion that the polite thing is to leave it empty so the person on the top bunk can use it to get up and down.

 

[PDO]

Yes we have read it and was super helpful... We have the April 2016 Kelly book and hope we find our way with that and the arrows... No GPS...Thank you & peace , Pam

One last question... It may need to be moved to another thread but on the VDLP to Santiago via Sanabres route, September finishing end of October... I have decided on one pair zip off pants , so I have shorts and when cooler , Long pants and a pair of very lightwt hiking pants, (really a summer weight) to wear after hiking, bed where some women I see are bringing yoga pants but these also
I could hike in... They are both water restart but not waterproof... My husband thinks no way should I bring rain pants in addition... What do you think? My pack is around 14 lb. thank you!

 

[SYates]

One last question... It may need to be moved to another thread but on the VDLP to Santiago via Sanabres route, September finishing end of October... I have decided on one pair zip off pants , so I have shorts and when cooler , Long pants and a pair of very lightwt hiking pants, (really a summer weight) to wear after hiking, bed where some women I see are bringing yoga pants but these also
I could hike in... They are both water restart but not waterproof... My husband thinks no way should I bring rain pants in addition... What do you think? My pack is around 14 lb. thank you!

Why not start a new thread with your full packing list? Makes it easier for you and us ;-) Buen Camino, SY

 

[PDO]

Why not start a new thread with your full packing list? Makes it easier for you and us ;-) Buen Camino, SY

Great

 

[C clearly]

Just curious as we start our Camino in a week: if you dont put your backpack on the floor or bed ( I think common sense says not to put your dirty pack on the bed) where do you put it? Thank you1

Take a large airtight bag and place your backpack into it, on the floor of the albergue. I use a large roll-top dry bag, but a plastic garbage bag would do. In particular, you want your pack protected at night when the bedbugs like to come out of hiding.

 

[Victoria65]

I am reading John Brierly's guide to the camino where it is mentioned that bedbugs are 'still causing problems in a few pilgrim hostels' (pg.16)
Has anyone come across this problem on their journey?

Yes!!! I am one of the unfortunate ones whom the bedbugs come looking for. Most people do NOT get bitten or even react if they are bitten. However, just because you don't get bitten doesn't mean those little critters won't hitch a ride with you to the next Albergue. That's how they spread so quickly. Putting your mochila on the bed is a big no! The "hitchhikers" climb off your bag and snuggle into their new bed and quietly wait for the next victim. If you see them (can be hard to see) or get bitten, please, please report this!! Sometimes you'll hear warnings by other Peregrinos to stay clear of some hostel ahead. Best to pay attention.

The only helpful suggestion I have ever heard is the use of a silk liner. Supposedly they can't get through this. True or not, I am diligent about it and was free of bed bug bites on my last Camino! I did however get bit at an air BNB in Paris and again at a four star hotel in Lisboa. They either like you or they don't.

 

[C clearly]

Yes!!! I am one of the unfortunate ones whom the bedbugs come looking for. Most people do NOT get bitten or even react if they are bitten. However, just because you don't get bitten doesn't mean those little critters won't hitch a ride with you to the next Albergue...
They either like you or they don't.

Yes, I am one of those people too!

It is true that bedbugs can't get "through" a silk liner, but they can't get through other normal fabrics either. Keeping your skin covered prevents them from biting those areas. Instead they find exposed areas - face, hands, etc. and/or enter your sleeping bag from the open areas. Using inspect repellent probably helps.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

a silk liner. Supposedly they can't get through this.

They cannot get through most fabrics. The crawl over and around. Untreated silk probably just gives them a good toehold. Permethrin treated silk can kill them. Sleep with your arms and feet inside your treated bag, and you will be doing about all you can. Treat exposed skin with DEET, and you will be doing all you can.

 

[C clearly]

They cannot get through most fabrics. The crawl over and around. Untreated silk probably just gives them a good toehold. Permethrin treated silk can kill them. Sleep with your arms and feet inside your treated bag, and you will be doing about all you can. Treat exposed skin with DEET, and you will be doing all you can.

I couldn't agree more. We posted at the same time!

Silk is a great fabric. I have just made myself a silk fitted sheet to take on my next camino. However, I chose silk because the large piece weighs only 90 g, and I think it will be a nice absorbent vehicle for insect repellent!

 

[abzambroza]

I think definitely got some bites which I would put down to bed bugs on my recent camino. I used a pack liner inside my backpack, which I always sealed with one of those food clips you get from IKEA, and I mostly kept the pack away from the bed and didn't lean it against it if I could arrange it. As one hospitalero said to me: nowadays it's not that hostels that have bed bugs but the pilgrims that spread them. I had a couple of albergues that asked me to put my pack in black plastic bag prophylactically, and who were very good at helping pilgrims that were unsure if they might have been exposed to rid themselves of them (empty all your pack carefully, wash what you can, and hang everything in the midday/afternoon heat to kill them).

I think one of the places that had them was actually a hostal (rooms above a bar) in Castrojeriz. There was one other albergue I suspected but wasn't entirely sure about... That one was meticulously clean, and definitely washed all sheets every day so it may have been mosquito bites.

 

[C clearly]

I used a pack liner inside my backpack, which I always sealed with one of those food clips you get from IKEA, and I mostly kept the pack away from the bed and didn't lean it against it if I could arrange it.

Better to put the backpack inside the "pack liner" and then close it. Bedbugs are as likely to be living in crevices in the wall and floor, as in the bed, especially since most albergue beds are encased in vinyl.

 

[abzambroza]

Better to put the backpack inside the "pack liner" and then close it. Bedbugs are as likely to be living in crevices in the wall and floor, as in the bed, especially since most albergue beds are encased in vinyl.

..not all of them are using vinyl encased mattresses. Only about half of them, in my experience, if that! But I think I agree that perhaps taking an external bag to put your pack in would be a good idea. I used my internal liner partially as protection against the rain (which never happened, in my case ).

 

[Gail A.]

To avoid bed bugs, I bought two of these flat "bed bug sheets":
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VY18MY/?tag=casaivar02-20
They are lightweight and made of a very fine mesh, that is already treated with permethrin. Some people take one just to use as an under sheet on albergue beds, but I sewed two of them together to create an enclosed rectangular sack. I did this by laying one on top of the other, then sewing them together down one side, across the bottom and part way up the other side. (I put a zipper in to finish closing off that third side, but you could just attach some strings to be able to tie the rest of that side closed). In albergues, I unroll my sleeping bag inside of this mesh sack so it is completely encased in the sack. The mesh sack is long enough that I can even pull it up over my head when I get into my sleeping bag, so that it acts like a protective mosquito netting. If it gets warm during the night and I have to push my sleeping bag off of part of my body, I am still completely covered by the mesh sack, keeping any bed bugs from getting on me or my sleeping bag.

I also carry a large plastic trash bag in the outer pocket of my backpack. When I arrive at an albergue, I immediately put my entire backpack inside the trash bag and keep it there the whole time. Anything I take out of my backpack gets put back into the trash bag, so that all of my stuff is kept together and protected from bed bugs all night.

 

[HalfDomeOrBust]

To avoid bed bugs, I bought two of these flat "bed bug sheets":
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VY18MY/?tag=casaivar02-20
They are lightweight and made of a very fine mesh, that is already treated with permethrin. Some people take one just to use as an under sheet on albergue beds, but I sewed two of them together to create an enclosed rectangular sack. I did this by laying one on top of the other, then sewing them together down one side, across the bottom and part way up the other side. (I put a zipper in to finish closing off that third side, but you could just attach some strings to be able to tie the rest of that side closed). In albergues, I unroll my sleeping bag inside of this mesh sack so it is completely encased in the sack. The mesh sack is long enough that I can even pull it up over my head when I get into my sleeping bag, so that it acts like a protective mosquito netting. If it gets warm during the night and I have to push my sleeping bag off of part of my body, I am still completely covered by the mesh sack, keeping any bed bugs from getting on me or my sleeping bag.

I also carry a large plastic trash bag in the outer pocket of my backpack. When I arrive at an albergue, I immediately put my entire backpack inside the trash bag and keep it there the whole time. Anything I take out of my backpack gets put back into the trash bag, so that all of my stuff is kept together and protected from bed bugs all night.

You have some good ideas there gail!! Thank you. Ed

 

[Sevilay]

We are in Villadangos del Paramo in San Pancracio and we founf bed bugs.. now we cant sleep sitting outside at 00:00 and try to think what to do after going 33 kms! any suggestions???

I am reading John Brierly's guide to the camino where it is mentioned that bedbugs are 'still causing problems in a few pilgrim hostels' (pg.16)
Has anyone come across this problem on their journey?

 

[SYates]

Poor you! I saw that to late, what did you do in the end? Buen Camino sin mas chinches, SY

 

[Sevilay]

We went outside the albergue and tried to sleep on chair but we couldnt . Than we started walking at 5:00 because it was too cold, and found another albergue after 6 kms and slept there like 3 hours... than we continued to astorga. But it was really really bad....

Poor you! I saw that to late, what did you do in the end? Buen Camino sin mas chinches, SY

 

[SYates]

Sorry to hear that but hoping you escaped the bugs! Have you informed the hospitaler@s? Buen Camino, SY

 

[Wenders]

I am reading John Brierly's guide to the camino where it is mentioned that bedbugs are 'still causing problems in a few pilgrim hostels' (pg.16)
Has anyone come across this problem on their journey?

 

[Wenders]

I thought I would share some information about my recent experience with bed bugs on the camino frances in case it helps another pilgrim. I had the misfortune to sleep on a bed with bedbugs my 4th day into the Camino.
I could smell them when I arrived in the room and it was very strong when I lay down. I was in a private guest house in a double room. The other bed did not have them and the other person did not smell the "musty basement " smell that I smelled so strongly .
I could feel them in the night but thought it was "in my head "so i didn't get out of bed.
I discovered some of the welts in the shower at the end of the next day. I had them from my head to my feet. They were present and itchy for about 10 days . Different spots appeared at different times in the first 48 hours so I thought I was being reinfected after I had treated my gear. This wasn't true.
I had sprayed my pack and sleeping bag with permethryn but this didnt help because it was so hot I had to unzip my bag. A mosquito net would not help as they crawl in from the mattress below.
If it smells musty, leave. If it smells like the owner has just sprayed leave. It's not worth it to be polite and stay

Also the night before I was infected , the rumour in the hostel I stayed in was that pilgrims were turned away that day because they previously stayed in hostals that had bed bugs. I was advised not to use the camino passport because it was a record of where i had stayed that may cause me to be unable to book into auberges down the trail. So when I was infected I was afraid to ask for help. I bused to the nearest city with laundry facilities, booked into a hotel , stripped off, showered and sent all my belongings to the laundromat for high heat wash and dry. I threw out my pack and bought a new one and i trashed my passport.

When i finished this I emailed the owner of the hostal where I was infected but I was too afraid I would not be able to get future accommodations to mention it to anyone else. I left a note as I left at the hotel where I disinfected myself and my pack and clothes. I felt terribly guilty for staying there at all and hope I was thorough and careful in managing my gear so they didnt spread.

The cleaning took a good day to complete. And a fair bit of $$ because i purchased a new pack and booked into a hotel to clean up .

I dont believe the information I heard about being denied access was true. I think the Hostal owners would have helped me, not turned me away. It was difficult to deal with this in secret. It helped a lot to have this forum to read more about managing the situation. (Thank you)

I arrived home yesterday and am purging and cleaning my gear again , worried that I'll infect my beautiful home. This experience negatively coloured my Camino. There were brilliant moments walking and meeting people but overriding the great stuff is the management and worry of the bedbug situation. I didnt sleep well after this even after 25 km days of walking. I had phantom itches going on. This can happen anywhere in the world I know. But the chances on the Camino Frances are quite high. As weeks progressed I met people regularly asking the auberge staff where they could find a dryer, or spraying down their beds when they arrived, or scratching throughout dinner.

So I advise to take note of smells, inspect the mattress carefully at the seams even though you'll look a bit odd to the other guests, if it feels like you are being bitten you probably are, and ask for help when you need it.

Buen Camino

 

[trecile]

I thought I would share some information about my recent experience with bed bugs on the camino frances in case it helps another pilgrim. I had the misfortune to sleep on a bed with bedbugs my 4th day into the Camino.
I could smell them when I arrived in the room and it was very strong when I lay down. I was in a private guest house in a double room. The other bed did not have them and the other person did not smell the "musty basement " smell that I smelled so strongly .
I could feel them in the night but thought it was "in my head "so i didn't get out of bed.
I discovered some of the welts in the shower at the end of the next day. I had them from my head to my feet. They were present and itchy for about 10 days . Different spots appeared at different times in the first 48 hours so I thought I was being reinfected after I had treated my gear. This wasn't true.
I had sprayed my pack and sleeping bag with permethryn but this didnt help because it was so hot I had to unzip my bag. A mosquito net would not help as they crawl in from the mattress below.
If it smells musty, leave. If it smells like the owner has just sprayed leave. It's not worth it to be polite and stay

Also the night before I was infected , the rumour in the hostel I stayed in was that pilgrims were turned away that day because they previously stayed in hostals that had bed bugs. I was advised not to use the camino passport because it was a record of where i had stayed that may cause me to be unable to book into auberges down the trail. So when I was infected I was afraid to ask for help. I bused to the nearest city with laundry facilities, booked into a hotel , stripped off, showered and sent all my belongings to the laundromat for high heat wash and dry. I threw out my pack and bought a new one and i trashed my passport.

When i finished this I emailed the owner of the hostal where I was infected but I was too afraid I would not be able to get future accommodations to mention it to anyone else. I left a note as I left at the hotel where I disinfected myself and my pack and clothes. I felt terribly guilty for staying there at all and hope I was thorough and careful in managing my gear so they didnt spread.

The cleaning took a good day to complete. And a fair bit of $$ because i purchased a new pack and booked into a hotel to clean up .

I dont believe the information I heard about being denied access was true. I think the Hostal owners would have helped me, not turned me away. It was difficult to deal with this in secret. It helped a lot to have this forum to read more about managing the situation. (Thank you)

I arrived home yesterday and am purging and cleaning my gear again , worried that I'll infect my beautiful home. This experience negatively coloured my Camino. There were brilliant moments walking and meeting people but overriding the great stuff is the management and worry of the bedbug situation. I didnt sleep well after this even after 25 km days of walking. I had phantom itches going on. This can happen anywhere in the world I know. But the chances on the Camino Frances are quite high. As weeks progressed I met people regularly asking the auberge staff where they could find a dryer, or spraying down their beds when they arrived, or scratching throughout dinner.

So I advise to take note of smells, inspect the mattress carefully at the seams even though you'll look a bit odd to the other guests, if it feels like you are being bitten you probably are, and ask for help when you need it.

Buen Camino

I didn't realize that it was possible to smell bed bugs.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

I didn't realize that it was possible to smell bed bugs.

while it probably takes a pretty large infestation, bedbugs produce pheromones (especially when disturbed), and do deposit feces. some report this as a musty smell, or coriander. I don't know that I would be able to detect it, I do know there are dogs that are trained to do so...and I wouldn't disbelieve some humans are good at it. I don't know how you would tell musty odor from mold/mildew apart from it, but I also don't know I'd want to stay in a place that smelled really moldy because of the mold...

 

[Sevilay]

I am reading John Brierly's guide to the camino where it is mentioned that bedbugs are 'still causing problems in a few pilgrim hostels' (pg.16)
Has anyone come across this problem on their journey?

Yes! I did the Camino Frances in September and i saw so many people with bites and they said they were bed bugs. Also one night i had them in my room which i left immediately and slept outside..

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I am so sorry people told you you would be persona non grata because you had begbugs or came from a place suspected of them. Who needs that added stress!

Someone on the Forum posted a hear ago or so about bringing a light mattress cover sprayed with permethryn. I bough some tule for this purpose and now wrap my mattress in it before putting on anything else on it. This may help others in the future.

Again, so sorry for the physical discomfort and mental anguish you sufferd on your Camino and thank you for posting here now that you are home.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

So pilgrims don't feel alone, from the Orkin pest control people (Portland, Oregon was last on the list):

The list is based on treatment data from the metro areas where Orkin performed the most bed bug treatments from December 1, 2015 – November 30, 2016. This ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments.

1. Baltimore (+9)
2. Washington, D.C. (+1)
3. Chicago (-2)
4. New York
5. Columbus, Ohio
6. Los Angeles (-4)
7. Detroit
8. Cincinnati
9. Philadelphia (-3)
10. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose (+4)

 

[C clearly]

So pilgrims don't feel alone, from the Orkin pest control people (Portland, Oregon was last on the list):

The list is based on treatment data from the metro areas where Orkin performed the most bed bug treatments from December 1, 2015 – November 30, 2016. This ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments.

1. Baltimore (+9)
2. Washington, D.C. (+1)
3. Chicago (-2)
4. New York
5. Columbus, Ohio
6. Los Angeles (-4)
7. Detroit
8. Cincinnati
9. Philadelphia (-3)
10. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose (+4)

What are the numbers in brackets? The change in ranking? That's not very informative unless we know what the ranking is based on - annual treatment events by one company, treatments per city, treatments per capita, bedbugs per capita, hotels reported, etc.

 

[DwayneBingham]

Yes, I agree with VNwalking. There are many who are facing the problem with bed bugs that too at many places all over, you can see there are people who are facing this problem in many city and states. My friend once was staying in a hotel which was infested with bedbugs. She came to know about them by the red bumps on her body. She told the manager about it and left the hotel there then. So before you look for a hotel to stay; check whether the hotel hires some professional pest controllers for the inspection on the regular basis or not. One can look at http://www.yalepest.com/cheshire-pest-exterminators/ for some more information here online.