A hiker's question
Hello, I am going to undertake the GR20 in Corsica in 2 weeks. I am strongly advised to treat all clothing, duvet, bag with a bedbug repellent. What treatment do you recommend before my departure and should I bring a spray to treat on site. Thank you in advance.
The expert's answer
Hiking, with multiple stages, is probably the riskiest activity for bedbug contamination. The most telling example is "the paths of Compostela".
To avoid being bitten and bringing bedbugs home:
You will need 3 products and 2 plastic bags.
- The first product is the BSI STOP Insects in a 200 ml travel size to spray beds in case of doubt and your belongings, especially at the end of the journey so as not to bring the infestation back into your apartment.
- The second product is the anti-bedbug tablet. I suggest you place it in a washcloth that you can close with a few stitches to prevent it from coming out. You will place this glove filled with its tablet in your bag, with the clothes. Take care to separate it from the food. Your bag and its contents will be protected throughout the day. When you arrive at the next shelter, you can slip this glove into the bottom of the bed to be protected all night.
- The third product is the 8-Hour Insect Free Body Repellent . In addition to protecting you from mosquitoes during the day, it will help keep bed bugs away at night.
Bed Bug Free Travel KIT
The 2 plastic bags:
A large plastic bag will be your dressing room. Avoid placing your clothes on beds or in wardrobes. When you arrive, place your backpack and all your belongings in this bag and close it. Place this bag on a chair. If you can, place this chair in the bathroom, bedbugs hate water.
A medium sized bag to store your shoes in.
If you think you have been in contact with bedbugs During your trip, at the end of the journey and before returning home, take the time to methodically inspect all your belongings and everything you are carrying. Spray BSI STOP Insects in and on your backpack, suitcase, shoes, clothes you are wearing, inside pockets, collar cuffs and seams.
For a modest fee, these best practices will protect you from bites and keep you from bringing bedbugs home.
When you arrive home.
Do as in the last refuge: place all your belongings in the large plastic bag before washing everything at 60° or treating with BSI STOP Insect or Kapo anti-bedbug shock in 400 ml or by freezing for 72 hours at -20° anything that cannot be washed.
For greater effectiveness , equip yourself with a heated anti-bedbug tent . This is by far the best solution for eradicating bedbugs.
When you return from your trip, put all your belongings in it: bags, suitcases, clothes, books, shoes. Close the tent and let it heat for 4 hours. 100% of bedbugs will be killed, at all stages of their development, adults, eggs, larvae. It is fast, and without insecticides . It folds and unfolds in the blink of an eye, always ready to use.
I wish you all a great vacation, unforgettable hikes and no bedbugs in your luggage.
To learn all about bedbugs: how to get rid of bed bugs without getting poisoned
