Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

[Gareth Thomas]

This information is current and to alert pilgrims further back down the Camino Frances to a bed bug situation in Hontanas.

There are three pilgrims here at Boadilla this evening who have all come from the Hontanas Municipal hostal with multiple bed bug bites, and there is a definite bed bug risk there. NOTE: the other hostal in Hontanas is the Puntido and that is NOT the place where the bed bugs are reported.

Gareth

PS - what is the best way to alert the authorities to this situation? Is there a standard procedure? THE PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM THIS ARE AFRAID IF THEY MENTION IT HERE THEY WILL BE TURNED OUT, SO DARENOT SPEAK TO THE HOSPITALERO. That doesn´t help, does it?

[sillydoll]

I'll send a message to the Pilgrim's Office - that might help.

[WolverineDG]

Tell them to wash everything they have, including the inside & outsides of their packs. If the albergue has a washing machine & dryer, it's worth the investment to get all that done in one fell swoop. Then when they get home, dump everything in the freezer for about 2-3 weeks before taking it out again. (seriously)

On my last camino, I had to check into a hotel & wash everything by hand, then stay an extra day while everything dried in an attempt to ditch another pilgrim who loved to follow me everyday & dump her pack next to mine so she could share the wealth, so to speak...need I say she was covered in bites????

Kelly

[Gareth Thomas]

I'll send a message to the Pilgrim's Office - that might help.

Many thanks. I stayed late this morning at the Boadilla refugio, so I was last to leave and spoke to the hospitalero. He was very grateful for the information and said they had had a similar situation once before and had to close to treat their beds. That also involved Hontanas. He will speak with the lady who runs he refugio in Hontanas, who may be completely unaware of the situation in her refugio.

(The thing is, the hospitaleros quite often only turn up to close the refugio long after people have gone, so they get no feedback from pilgrims in the morning in some places.)

Meanwhile, do not use the Refugio Municipio in Hontanas. I met another pilgrim as I arrived here in Fromista who also stayed at the Hontanas refugio. He was waiting for the Farmacia here to open, as he was so badly bitten (all over) that he was in a very poor state and was thinking of quitting the Camino.

Gareth

[sillydoll]

These pilgrims reported bed bugs at a private albergue in Estella

http://buzzinflies.blogspot.com/2008/08/4-days-in.html

[Gareth Thomas]

These pilgrims reported bed bugs at a private albergue in Estella

http://buzzinflies.blogspot.com/2008/08/4-days-in.html

I'm a little puzzled by this account, Sil. Was it a private albergue? They say municipal, but the interesting bit is the sighting of the beasts!

"...considering the time and the place (municipal hostel, no other beds available) we killed as many as we could (great fun) and tried to get back to sleep."

Killed as many as they could? How did they see them? These are microscopic creatures, yes? Are they talking about something else? E.g. fleas. In my experience, when you wake up in the night during a bed bug attack, even if you remove yourself from the dark of the dormitory and try to deal with the matter in the full light of the bathroom, you cannot see the culprits! What are they talking about?

Gareth

[amancio]

I think bed bugs are not microscopic at all, they are bigger than fleas, like 3 or 4 times bigger.

[viajero]

Bedbugs are not microscopic. Fortunately I did not encounter them on the Camino but have on other travels. You can see them. I was told while traveling in SE Asia that people think they live in the mattresses but really tend to be found on the framework (especially wood) of the bed itself and crawl up only to find victims.

[Bridget and Peter]

What I recall from my gap year in India, thirty something years ago, when I got bed bugs in my bedding roll on a train journey, I could can easily spot them in the bedding - round when swollen with my blood - but I don't think you'd find them on your body if you rushed off to the bathroom to look. And presumably by the time you are itching (reaction to the anti-clotting agent they inject so their meal doesn't clot)the biter (blighter?) is off sleeping off his/her yummy meal.

That reminds me of an old joke:
Daddy, Daddy, what's a vampire?
Be quiet, dear, and finish your soup before it clots

[kubapigora]

This information is current, and please inform as many people as you can (on other forums).

I have passed Granon 4 days ago and San Juan de Ortega 3 days ago. Trehe are many, many people with multiple bed bug bites on the way. I am a victim of it as well. Today I have landed in Centro medico and received injection as well as some creams for itching and tablets for those bites. I am quite sick at the moment because of that.

I repeat- there is a huge bed bug problem in San Juan de Ortega!!! and there are a lot of people carrying bugd further up the route.
I will try to visit this forum tomorrow for an update.

Kuba Pigora

[Javier Martin]

The worse problem is how to clean ALL the albergues.

Cleaning ALL the camino the same day? it's clear that BUGS travel inside the backpags. Can you clean it at the same time, too? It's really necessary to do that. And, what about the private albergues? And the Hostals, pensions and hotels? When it's the best momento during the year to do that? Who has to pay for it? Because this is a problem since two or, may be, three years ago. how the bugs survive during the winter? and where?

I'm lucky, I've never founded it.

Buen and please! clean Camino,

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

[ivar]

The worse problem is how to clean ALL the albergues.

Cleaning ALL the camino the same day? it's clear that BUGS travel inside the backpags. Can you clean it at the same time, too? It's really necessary to do that.

If you look at this post you will see that they are thinking of closing all albergues for 15 days (the same 15 days) to clean them up:
el-camino-frances/topic4620.html

It seems like they are working on a plan.

Saludos,
Ivar

[Javier Martin]

I hope it works!!

Buen Camino, clean and safe

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

[kubapigora]

Hi. And here I am- badly bitten again. I have not recovered from the previous bites and i got bites again yesterday in Hospital de Orbigo (that nice municipal with outside space- renowated by germans). Now we have passed Astorga and looking for a doctor in some village (hopefuly will get to one tomorrow in Rabanal). We are really down right now and only hope for a best.
Kuba from Santa Catalina.

[sillydoll]

Kuba, I feel so sorry for you and hope you can find a doctor soon. PLEASE try rubbing on lavender oil. Perhaps if you can buy a large foil safety blanket from an outdoor shop you could wrap it over the mattress to prevent the bugs from crawling onto you.
Suerte peregrino,

[Deirdre]

Hello Kuba,
You probably won't read this before leaving, but you should have no trouble finding medical attention in Astorga... at which you will arrive before Rabanal. We have a saying in America passed down from our colonial days... "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite!" It seems fitting!
Buen Camino,

[Javier Martin]

Hello,

Anyone knows if has been found bugs in Tosantos, after Belorado? Because the kind of room for sleeping, I suppose it's a good place for NOT finding them.

Buen Camino, clen from bugs,

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

[jl]

Hello, the problem is that the bed bugs are not just in the seams of mattresses, but the shelter during the day in the skirting boards, carpet, even the bed frame itself. The good thing about them is though they like to hitch a ride in a bags, they are not necessarily fond of travel. They come and and bite, and then return to their hiding place - which is why one person gets bitten, but not a near neighbour.

If you google bed bugs you will come up with any number of sites that talk of their habits. Another thing to help us a travellers is to air our bags etc in the sun - bed bugs don't like light (and nice hot sunlight even less!) Below is a quote from one such website. In the event of being bitten my doctor reccomended an anti histimine tablet.

regards, Janet

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius or Cimex hemipterus) are oval, wingless insects that are rusty brown in colour and around 4-5 mm long when fully grown. Bed bugs are thin and flattened, allowing them to hide in narrow cracks and crevices. They are blood feeding insects that prefer to bite humans but will also feed on other warm blooded animals. As their name suggests, bed bugs generally feed at night when people are in bed.

Where do bed bugs live?
Bed bugs will hide (and lay eggs) in a variety of household objects close to where humans sleep such as mattresses, bed frames, furniture, behind skirting boards, loose wallpaper and floorboards, and in cracks and crevices of walls. Bed bugs emerge at night to feed, then return to their hiding spot during the day to digest the blood meal. Bed bugs will come out to feed during the day
if they are particularly hungry.

[Dale]

I posted this in another thread on a similar topic thought it might be helpful here too:

Last year, when I was making plans to walk the Camino this past spring, I found an English company on the Internet that sold a net mattress cover impregnated with pyrethroid, to stop bed bugs. I assumed it was similar to a mosquito netting only designed to cover a mattress . Sounded like a good idea but unfortunately I didn't buy one and I just checked the company again and they no longer sell the item. There are several companies selling mattress covers to prevent bed bugs from the mattress from getting on you but they don't talk about anything on them which would actually kill the bugs. This is a link to one of these mattress covers:


http://www.hardtofindsheets.com/bed_bug ... swodVh9oRA

[clare england]

I bought a silk sleeping bag liner,which is impregnated with an anti bug formula. I was out there in May, when bed bugs were not a problem so don't know if it works. Just thinking about returning to Mazarife to complete my camino. so may find out! Clare.

[sillydoll]

This blog owner reported bed bugs in late August - with photographs - in Estella and the 13th century convent in Carrion de los Condes. Yech! Make me itch just looking at them!
http://buzzinflies.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html

[Rebekah Scott]

This week the municipal albergue in Sahagun reports Fleas. Supposedly they are being eradicated this morning (Tues.) or Wednesday, and the albergue will be open as usual throughout.

There are LOTS of fleas around the whole area. Don´t blame your hospitalero.

Reb.

[Nellas]

I just arrived in Santiago today. I also got bitten some times. In Astorga and Molaniseca I killed bedbugs at night, the last place (Arca) I didn´t see any of them, but had bites when I wake up. I used a beg bug sheet, but they stil bit me

[Annette]

...Live from the Camino.... I personally can report... no bedbugs in Hornillos... Castrojeritz... Fromista... Calzadilla de la Cueza... or at least,[b] I have not been bitten...[/b]

People who have travelled the same distances as me... slept the same places seem to be fine too... no bites...

....I have met people though who have suffered frm bad bites... gotten a fever.... and antibiotics.... - so far I am good....

[viajero]

Good news indeed. When traveling in Asia, where I first encountered bedbugs, I met a couple who shared a bed. The husband was covered in bedbug bites, the wife had none. I guess, like mosquitoes, they like some people more than others.