Skålabu has bed bugs – will be closed for Easter – NRK Vestland

The Skålabu Tourist Hut on Skåla Mountain was built in 2016 and is located near the famous Skålatårnet.

Skåla is 1848 meters high, perched above Loen in the Nordfjord and is a delightful hiking destination. Much of the way passes through Jostedalsbreen National Park.

But a few weeks ago, the idyll was broken, when several guests reported that they had been bitten by bed bugs while spending the night there.

– There is nothing special in the house. But some DNT huts have our bed bug problems, and they are very difficult to get rid of, says Johnny Bjørge, head of huts and trails for the Bergen and Hordaland hiking teams, who own the hut.

Was

Fjordingen

who mentioned the case first.

Will freeze them

Bed bugs are,

according to the National Institute of Public Health

, has become more common in Norway in recent years. They are 5-6 millimeters long.

The hiking team has stopped reserving the cabin until Easter next year and will put a lock on the door. Because small insects are hardy and can live for more than a year without food.

– We do not want any accommodation there now, because it can provide food and sustenance for these krapyla. So for the next week I saw a padlock on the door, Bjørge tells NRK.

The goal is to let the temperature drop so low during the winter that the pest dies. Then it must be minus 18 degrees for at least three consecutive days. It can also be softer, down to minus seven degrees. But then the cold period should last three to four weeks, according to the National Institute of Public Health.

Vest Pest Control daily camper Tommy Iversen notes that bed bugs can survive dormant for 485 days in fairly low temperatures.

– But if you manage to get at least 7 degrees below zero in the cabin, the bed bug dies in a few weeks. The important thing is to make sure everything in the cabin is cool, so that bed bugs don’t hide in a cold city, says Iversen.

And on top of a 1,848-meter-high mountain, there should be chances to cope with it during a long winter, the hiking team says.

– We will record the temperature inside the cabin throughout the winter, so that we can see in spring what the cold spells have been up there, says Bjørge.

The bowl tower is still open

The iconic Skålatårnet, which was built in the 19th century, will be open until further notice. But if you want to sleep there, you must be happy in the cold.

– The bowl tower has always been unlocked and always should be. But due to protection regulations, now it is not allowed to use firewood there. And without Skålabu, there are no toilets on the mountain, so we also closed to reserve in the tower. But the door will be open, so that one can get in there if there is a crisis. But it’s not special living there, so to speak, says Bjørge with a small smile.

The objective is that the problem is solved in spring and that the hikers can enjoy the Easter sun from the hut.