I Got Bed Bugs From My Library? It Can Happen.

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are efficient hitchhikers and can be extremely hard to detect. The NBC4 team in Los Angeles recently found documents outlining 84 different times bed bugs were discovered at city libraries since 2014. The bigger reason the public is upset with these reports is that the libraries rarely disclosed these findings to the public, choosing instead to hide the information for fear of bad publicity.

Bad PR aside, it is easy to pick up a bed bug at a public location such as a library. Bed bugs like to hide in tight spaces close to human or animal hosts. The spine of a book on a nightstand next to a bed can be an ideal location for bed bugs to hide as well as lay eggs, which causes a difficult situation for libraries to handle especially when they are serving a community as large as the LA metropolitan area. One bed bug brought to your home can quickly become a large infestation in a matter of months. Other public locations which could pose a higher-than-normal risk of coming into contact with a bed bug include on a bus or subway car, on a restaurant seat, in a hotel room, or even at your child’s school or daycare facility. Anywhere people are frequently coming-and-going increases the likelihood of bed bugs.

Remember, bed bugs aren’t only found in dirty or poor homes. They are attracted to the carbon dioxide we all exhale which makes everyone susceptible to bed bug infestations. If you suspect you have bed bugs in your home, contact a professional exterminator such as No Bull Bed Bug Control and request a free inspection.

*Grover, J. and Corral, A. (2018, February 9). LA’s Bedbug Cover-Up. Retrieved from www.nbclosangeles.com