Bed bugs are the last thing the average traveler in Greece wants to think about, but right now, bed bugs are definitely all over the place, even if they aren’t in every bed. Personally, I am happy to report that I have never encountered a bed bug in Greece, and I have stayed in many different hotels of very different quality and services. I have spent a fair amount of time dealing with mosquitoes in some regions of Greece, but so far my Greek travels have been bed bug free. It is coming to its end?
Are bed bugs invading Greece, or are they about to do so?
Are there bed bugs in Greece?
As a robust insect that also likes to travel, bed bugs are almost everywhere in the world. They definitely exist in Greece and were documented in ancient times by Pliny and Aristotle.
Are bed bugs a problem in Greek hotels?
There are scattered reports of bed bugs in Greek hotels, but it is far from being an ‘epidemic’. The odds are excellent that your trip to Greece will be completely bed bug free.
Where bed bugs live
Bed bugs hide under mattresses and around and under beds. As we often drop our luggage on the bed or on the floor, bed bugs can find easy access to our bags and then to any other place, city, town or country, that we have come to. As the global problem increases, bed bugs can be found more widely in Greece.
Nothing to do with cleaning – Oh, really?
While the current “comfort” of bed bug “experts” is that bed bug presence has nothing to do with the cleanliness of a particular hotel, that is not strictly true. The continuous presence of bedbugs definitely has something to do with the responsiveness of a hotel to problems reported by guests, and that’s true luxury hotels, bed and breakfasts and inns worldwide. Continuous and vigorous cleaning can reduce bed bug populations, even if they may initially stubbornly resist total eradication. And most hoteliers won’t hesitate to use pesticides, even the most dangerous ones.
I would be more concerned about the lingering pesticide smell in a closed hotel room than the possible complications of a bed bug bite.
Are they honestly reported in the reviews?
The other problem with bed bugs is that they are a killer of the competition: if a “guest” posts a review on a travel site, even vaguely suggesting the presence of bed bugs, it is likely to have an impact on bookings that can benefit the traveler. hotel across the country. street … who could have made the post in the first place. So take bed bug warnings with a grain of salt.
Hotel check-in strategy to avoid bed bugs
Are you really worried about bed bugs? Your best option, although you may have an elevated eye at check-in, is to declare that you are highly allergic to bed bug bites and ask if they are present at the hotel. This will always get a denial – but if it is not a known problem at that hotel, it will likely put you in a room where you are believed to be absent.
The conspiracy theory
Bed bugs are often said to have been kept in check by the toxic pesticide DDT, which has been cited as one of the major factors in declining bird populations around the world, including the California condor and many others. Could all this attention be part of an effort to “get back” DDT and other similar pesticides for wider use?
Are you sharing your frequent flyer miles too?
Do you find bed bugs in almost every hotel you stay in around the world? That’s a sign that you may need to thoroughly check your own luggage, and do it again in a week or so in case your luggage is contaminated with eggs.
