According to Kentucky.com on July 21, 2011, bed bugs did not take a vacation this summertime as a graduate student recently found the creepy crawlers lurking in parts of the University of Kentucky. Reports are that the student found “a couple of bed bugs” and what appeared to be some bed bug eggs in a lounge area in the Student Center which contains upholstered chairs and loveseats…the perfect spots for the bloodsuckers to lay in wait for their next blood meal. Since the discovery of the nocturnal nibblers, as a precaution, another student lounge was also closed as well.
By all accounts, the University jumped into fast action by hiring a pest control expert with experience in bed bug eradication. The decision was made to provide heat treatment services to elevate the room’s temperature to 135 degrees to kill all of the bed bugs and their eggs. Great news! You can read the article here.
Poof…bed bugs gone from the University of Kentucky…or so they thought! According to the Kentucky Kernel, on July 29, 2011, more bed bugs were found at the University of Kentucky campus library on the day that the Student Center was being treated. Officials believe that the bugs collected at the library were “drop-offs” from bed bugs collected from other locations. They don’t believe that the library is infested with bed bugs so they won’t be providing heat treatment. They will instead be spot treating the library in hopes of killing any bed bugs that might be lurking. You may read the article here.
The trouble with bed bugs is that they are masters at hitchhiking from place to place. Their tiny stature allows them the opportunity to hide in all types of belongings, including shoes, clothing, purses, laptop bags, backpacks, etc. Libraries are always at serious risk of huge bed bug infestation problems because books provide amble hiding places for bed bugs and their eggs. It would be very easy for bed bugs to lurk in the bindings, pages, bookshelves, and furniture existing mostly undetected until the infestation is completely out-of-control.
Libraries should be monitored for bed bugs carefully. Many libraries choose to use bed bug sniffing dogs, bed bug traps, and bed bug monitors as control measures. A licensed pest control professional is a must with any bed bug infestation problem!