Warning for travellers in Bali as Aussies return with mystery scars that take ‘years to heal’

Australians going on holiday to Bali have been warned to watch out for a venomous beetle that leaves travelers with scars that ‘take years to heal’.

A woman posted a photo of three painful burns she suffered on a recent trip to the popular holiday destination and asked for advice on how to treat them.

The painful bites are caused by rove beetles, known locally as Tomcats, which contain venom that is poisonous to humans and causes nasty burn-like blisters.

“I would like to know the experience of other people who have been burned by a hangover bug in Bali and whether their burn has healed completely?” the woman asked members of the Australian Facebook group “Bali Bogans.”

The woman explained that she had been bitten more than two weeks ago and that even the burn remedy she used on the affected area only made it worse.

“Even though the burn has mostly flaked off, I still have burnt skin underneath,” she wrote.

“I’d like to know something to put on it to help because all I’d normally use on a burn is just to make it flare up again!”

Members advised the woman to use vitamin E oil and aloe vera to soothe the burns, while others shared their own horror stories in the comments.

One woman said it took “a few years” for her scars to heal, while another said they called their burn their “Bali tattoo.”

‘Seven weeks and counting. Mine was pretty bad. Now it looks like a bruise,” another shared.

‘No treatment after the inflammation has gone. Heal slowly.’

“You just helped me figure out how I got my burns in Bali six weeks ago,” said another.

NSW Health said rove beetles could be found in eastern parts of Australia and Indonesia and lived near “drainage pipes and watercourses.”

Light beetles don’t bite or sting, but their blood contains a strong poison called pederin, which can cause skin and eye irritations.

If the beetle is crushed, the toxin is released and absorbed through the skin and can cause conjunctivitis, severe dermatitis and severe skin irritation.

It is recommended to wash the skin soon after contact with soapy water and not to touch the beetles when they are removed from the skin.

They warn that the area can remain blistered, irritated and painful for ten days.

It comes as Australians revealed what they loved most about Bali, including the low prices, the friendliness of the Balinese and beautiful beaches.

Many people online lamented the fact that Australian beach communities have too many bureaucratic restrictions and called for the council’s rules to be relaxed.

‘There is a lot of bureaucracy in Australia. That’s why I love Bali, back to basics and common sense’, a man agrees.

Bali is the second most popular tourist destination for Australians, just behind New Zealand but well ahead of the United States in third place.

But Bali is probably more popular for its ultra-affordable lifestyle, cheap flights and accommodation and its beaches: things that NZ holidays don’t have in their favor.

Between 1.2 million and 1.4 million Australians visited Bali in 2019, and Balinese authorities are optimistic that this number could be matched in 2022 as the island fully reopens after Covid.