Bed bugs
Proactive treatment
I’ve treated our sleep sheets, sleeping bags and packs with Permethrin to stop bed bugs – I used Equip Debugger purchased from Paddy Palin in Sydney.
Permethrin is a synthetic insecticide and repellent derived from Pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum) that does not break down in sunlight like pyrethrum does.
Preventative measures
Some tips from fellow travellers to avoid bed bugs are
- Use an insect spray that contains pyrethrins such as Skoot to lightly spray over your bed when you get to your albergue. Wait ten minutes and look for signs of bed bugs – they will skedaddle away from the mattress after you spray it.
- Check for other signs of bed bugs like blood spots.
- Always let the hospitalario know if you spot bed bugs. They will be keen to treat the mattress.
- Never put your pack on the bed. This helps to stop the transmission/transport of bed bugs.
Treatment
If you are unlucky enough to get bed bugs then wash everything and hot tumble dry.
A Kinder Way 
I always liken this fear of bugs to choosing the colour of your car. Before delivery it is HUGELY relevant and can even change your entire decisionmaking. After you have had the car for a while it becomes largely irrelevant. It is just ‘your car’. Same with bedbugs. Once you’re on the Camino they are largely of no concern at all. If, in fact you do encounter them, you just deal with it and move on.
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