Trampers taking to the Kepler Track in Fiordland over summer are being told to be on the lookout for more bed bugs after they were found in one of the huts earlier this year.
Live and dead bugs were found at Luxmore Hut earlier in the season and it is described as an "ongoing issue", although numbers of the insects have fallen thanks to treatments since October.
Bed bugs feed on the blood of sleeping people and animals at night. They like to hide in dry, dark places during the day.
There had been a bump in the road bed bug-wise in November when Fiordland experienced warmer weather, but Department of Conservation (DOC) rangers are now finding one to two bed bugs every second day, as opposed to 50 to 60 a day.
DOC ranger Grant Tremain said they believed the bed bugs had "hitchhiked" in with a tramper.
He explained: "Bed bugs are transported by people and in their gear. Once a female bed bug has fed (bitten someone) they can lay their eggs.
"Unfortunately bed bugs are hardy creatures and can hide under minuscule amounts of dirt or dust during an insecticide treatment and their eggs do not seem to be affected by insecticide sprays.
"For this reason a treatment plan to continually target the life cycle of adult bed bugs must be applied over a number of months."
Tremain said it did not have verified sightings of bed bugs in the Kepler's other two huts — Iris Burn and Moturau.
DOC thought there may have been bugs at Iris Burn, but two of three specimens taken from the hut had been identified as a beetle.
They are very similar in size to a bed bug, but they have wings and are black in colour, Tremain said.
The third specimen was squished and therefore unidentifiable. However, it was similar in colour to the other two beetles.
An email had been sent to those with Kepler Track bookings anyway, to help everyone stay vigilant.
All three huts were treated for bed bugs on Friday.
Despite this, Tremain said a very small number of people had cancelled their stay. They had been offered a full refund.
Apart from Luxmore, bed bugs had not been found in any other Great Walks huts recently, he said.
North Arm Hut on the Rakiura Track had been relined and treated after the "toughest bed bugs known to mankind" decided to make themselves at home in March.
Three huts on the Whanganui Journey track had also been fumigated in April after reports of the insects.
Tremain said it turned out to be a "false alarm" — no bed bugs.
To avoid carrying bed bugs between huts or to another hut, trampers are being encouraged to clean their gear this summer.
"In our experience bed bugs do not tolerate extreme cold or hot temperatures well," Tremain said.
Sleeping bags can be put in a black rubbish bag and go in a chest freezer or in direct sunlight for 24 hours if they aren't washable. They then will need to go on an outside washing line to air.
While in the outdoors — and especially before entering huts — trampers can also:
- store gear in large plastic bags
- shake out sleeping bag before and after using it
- leave unused tramping gear outside of the hut if possible
- check gear again after returning home
Tremain noted leaving gear outside Luxmore Hut was not possible as "kea would have a field day".
Leaving gear in the kitchen area was also a big risk with the gas cooking facilities and the fire exits.
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