Being an avid reader, libraries used to be a haven for me. It was a place to find solace among the massive amount of interesting books. Now my visits to our local library are a bit skewed and not quite as pleasant. The realization that I just might find more than my favorite book at the library is a bit unnerving. Last week I picked up a book to check out. As I stood at the counter going page by page looking over the book before checking it out, a kind librarian said “can I help you find something in there?” I smiled and said “if I find what I am looking for, you will probably run!” She looked puzzled until I whispered “I’m looking for bed bugs.” Then she gasped! True story.
The fact that you just might find more than your favorite book when you make a trip to your library is a frightening thought. Many people read in bed, often falling asleep while they read. Bed bugs like beds, and sleeping people. Bed bugs like slim places to hide, especially after they have received a blood meal. A book that is lying on a bed is the perfect place for a lazy bed bug to snuggle up until the next time its tummy rumbles. Unsuspecting people could easily return the library books, with the bed bugs tightly nestled away and there you have it, a bed bug now lives at the library. If it is a female, it will begin to lay its eggs. If it is a male, it will soon be hungry and hitchhiking.
This can happen at any moment in time, with any book, at any library in the United Sates. Is there any wonder why I am worried about picking up a bed bug infested book at the library?