Trish Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Our library closed last week, for a few days to treat for bed bugs. They said, that the bugs were only on the chairs, but......it completely grosses me out. I don't want to go back, but buying all the books we would check out is going to get very expensive. What would you do? Acknowledging that "these are the bedbugs you know" (and that they've ostensibly treated for) vs the ones "you don't know" that could be anywhere....still, I would be reluctant. Many library users are regulars. So, whoever brought the bedbugs in to begin with is likely still doing so! The comparison is not free library vs buying books. The comparison is, buying books vs having your home treated for bedbugs. You *might* get away with a relatively inexpensive treatment. You also might get stuck with one of the ones that cost several thousand dollars. My pest guy (we live in FL, haha, so we have a "pest guy" that comes quarterly) was describing a home he had treated for bedbugs. They had treated a couple of times and were going back a third time. (all very expensive) They were at a loss to understand why the re-infestations were happening, especially after the second more intensive treatment. They had the couple make a list of where they went regularly. The one location that stood out was the place that the husband went for dialysis. Turns out, the place had bedbugs, and THAT had to be treated. I would pay a lot of money for books before I'd risk bedbugs, but everyone's risk threshhold is different. Maybe you could just get the books and leave them to roast in a hot car for an afternoon before bringing them into the house. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allearia Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I think it looks like bedbugs will be what finally pushes us over the edge into using ereaders almost exclusively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I have 11 books on hold at the library at this very moment. I am currently re-thinking my entire life. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Bedbugs are so expensive to get rid of, they really scare me. My dh travels a lot and always checks the bedbug reports, as a matter of fact, he just rebooked his hotel because the one his coworker wanted to stay at a hotel that had bedbugs in the recent past, and coworker thinks dh is weird for doing so. We'll be weird and not have to spend all of our disposable income on bedbugs, thankyouverymuch. But, I had never thought about them at libraries! We love our library and today is our library day. Ugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Bedbugs are so expensive to get rid of, they really scare me. My dh travels a lot and always checks the bedbug reports, as a matter of fact, he just rebooked his hotel because the one his coworker wanted to stay at a hotel that had bedbugs in the recent past, and coworker thinks dh is weird for doing so. We'll be weird and not have to spend all of our disposable income on bedbugs, thankyouverymuch. But, I had never thought about them at libraries! We love our library and today is our library day. Ugh. Just a public service reminder to those using hotels, before bringing in any luggage, pull out the bedding on the beds and check the SEAMS of the mattresses. That's one of the main places you would find bedbugs hiding. I check every time I travel, every hotel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songsparrow Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 According to Wikipedia's article on Bed Bugs: "An hour at a temperature of 45 °C (113 °F) or over, or two hours at less than −17 °C (1 °F) will kill them[22]" The cite given is to a Jan 2012 journal article. So if that is accurate, it would be effective to heat or freeze the books. I'd probably heat or freeze them for well more than one/two hours, though, since it would take a while for the hot or freezing temps to penetrate all the way through the layers of the book. Which method - heat or cold - would be likely to be less damaging to the books themselves, I wonder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trudence1 Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Leaving them in the car long enough for the car for over an hour WILL kill them. Of course, this only works on HOT days in the summer. It is one of the things that I did with our larger bedding, since I didn't want to risk spreading it by using a laundry mat...our home units aren't large enough. If things are put in a black plastic bags you have to leave them long enough to be sure that the middle of the mass is being heated to a high enough temperature for the right amount of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 This thread is a giant buzz kill. Going to curl up in that fetal position now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 How big are these things? Can they be seen with the naked eye (yes, I know I could google, but then I'd have to look at them)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 This thread is a giant buzz kill. Going to curl up in that fetal position now. LOL, this is funny given your screenname. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 This thread is a giant buzz kill. Going to curl up in that fetal position now. Yeah. My son works at the public library. He's there right now. I'm wondering whether to let him in the house when he comes home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Just a public service reminder to those using hotels, before bringing in any luggage, pull out the bedding on the beds and check the SEAMS of the mattresses. That's one of the main places you would find bedbugs hiding. I check every time I travel, every hotel. Good tip! Yes, my husband does this too. He also puts his clothes directly in the washing machine when he gets home and puts his suitcase in a black trash bag and places it in the garage. It doesn't come in the house. I know that bedbugs can still live in a trash bag and can live without food for a long time, but it makes me feel better, psychologically, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Okay, seriously, confess. What does the general public need to know about chairs in the library? Apparently many people find libraries quite arousing. When I was in college, there were several cases of public indecency at the library each year and that's just the people who got caught. Now that there are computers with internet access in most libraries, I have heard that some men come in to use the computers and access x rated sites and they are doing more than just viewing them. I really haven't heard of another public place that has this sort of thing going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Another PS announcement: bedbugs can survive washers. The very hot dryer should be first for possibly infested clothes. They can "crawl out of" washers. See! Bed bugs are a giant pain. They have also ruined going to movies for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 From what I understand, the eggs and very young bed bugs are hard to visually spot check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Correction....I think sanitizing heat in the washer would work too, but I think is more damaging than dryer heat on dry clothes (more damaging to the clothes.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Last one.... http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2014/05/27/Researchers-create-easy-cheap-way-to-trap-bed-bugs/1391401220088/?spt=sec&or=hn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trudence1 Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 How big are these things? Can they be seen with the naked eye (yes, I know I could google, but then I'd have to look at them)? Yes, these things are visible to the naked eye, especially the older adults. That being said, I had checked my bed myself two times before I had a professional come in. I had somehow missed them :crying:. A side note- not everyone is allergic to these critters. That is how they got a "good" foothold in our house before I knew something was up. NONE of the males in my house react to them at all. DH and I slept in the same bed, and he never showed evidence of a bite. The boys' bed was the worst, and they also never had a visible reaction to their bites, and we're pretty sure that is the room in which they somehow originated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 According to Wikipedia's article on Bed Bugs: "An hour at a temperature of 45 °C (113 °F) or over, or two hours at less than −17 °C (1 °F) will kill them[22]" The cite given is to a Jan 2012 journal article. So if that is accurate, it would be effective to heat or freeze the books. I'd probably heat or freeze them for well more than one/two hours, though, since it would take a while for the hot or freezing temps to penetrate all the way through the layers of the book. Which method - heat or cold - would be likely to be less damaging to the books themselves, I wonder? Lol, I actually know this. I bet cold is less damaging. DH is a librarian at a major research library, like the kind that has a couple Guttenburgs and an original Gettsyburg Address etc, plus millions and millions of actual books in underground storage etc. As you can imagine fire is a major concern for libraries. His library has a protocol for dealing with water damaged books in the case of fire. The institution owns these big bins, like the size of a dumpster. They have many of them. And in the case of fire and sprinklers going off the books get loaded into these large bins and then the bins sort of compact the books to squeeze them and then they get very cold. The idea is to squish the books as close as possible to the original dimensions and then sort of freeze dry them. Then specialists come in to asses and attempt to restore the books. There are companies that deal with things like water damage for libraries or other large institutions. But they let the books sit in the very dry cold for maybe even weeks to allow the water to evaporate. Heat can have its uses, such as attempting to get rid of book molds, but it often leaves the book more vulnerable. It makes bindings crack and pages brittle. Libraries that can afford to try to keep their general surroundings cool and dry at all times. Heat and moisture are the enemies of books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Lol, I actually know this. I bet cold is less damaging. DH is a librarian at a major research library, like the kind that has a couple Guttenburgs and an original Gettsyburg Address etc, plus millions and millions of actual books in underground storage etc. As you can imagine fire is a major concern for libraries. His library has a protocol for dealing with water damaged books in the case of fire. The institution owns these big bins, like the size of a dumpster. They have many of them. And in the case of fire and sprinklers going off the books get loaded into these large bins and then the bins sort of compact the books to squeeze them and then they get very cold. The idea is to squish the books as close as possible to the original dimensions and then sort of freeze dry them. Then specialists come in to asses and attempt to restore the books. There are companies that deal with things like water damage for libraries or other large institutions. But they let the books sit in the very dry cold for maybe even weeks to allow the water to evaporate. Heat can have its uses, such as attempting to get rid of book molds, but it often leaves the book more vulnerable. It makes bindings crack and pages brittle. Libraries that can afford to try to keep their general surroundings cool and dry at all times. Heat and moisture are the enemies of books. Ooh, exciting! We learned about those big thingies in library school. No libraries that big around here to take a field trip to though, so I didn't see one. But, yes, cold is preferable to heat as far as the poor books are concerned. Not sure about bug removal effectiveness. That wasn't part of my schooling. Perhaps if I'd been in the public libraries track? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trudence1 Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 For what it is worth, I was told a regular freezer, like what we have in our kitchens, will not get cold enough, but that a deep freeze could. I don't know if that is true as I have never tried freezing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Ooh, exciting! We learned about those big thingies in library school. No libraries that big around here to take a field trip to though, so I didn't see one. But, yes, cold is preferable to heat as far as the poor books are concerned. Not sure about bug removal effectiveness. That wasn't part of my schooling. Perhaps if I'd been in the public libraries track? The bins squishing the books and cold storage is literally the ONLY interesting thing dh has ever told me about his job. It's not even part of his job though. He just sees them do 'fire drills' on occasion. They practice getting books off the shelves and into the bins in the cold storage as fast as possible. I have a friend who works in rare books as a preservationist. I'll ask her what they do about book pests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 They have to heat treat all of the books, as well as the carpets, fabrics, bookshelves, etc. I would probably wait 6 months before venturing back. I would also be checking my couches, beds, and books if I had taken books out there recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Now I have one more thing to fear...oy! And I thought our lice outbreak last year was the worst it could get. DD brought home bedbugs. Lice was a picnic, even if I ended up shaving my head. A picnic compared to bed bugs. Even with professional help. They are evil little buggers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In2why Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 No. Most pesticides do not work. I know how to check hotel beds and I ALWAYS keep my suitcases in my very hot car with the Windows up so anything I might have missed is killed by the heat. If bedbugs invade your home then it results in replacing all furniture, bedding, and carpeting. A thousand times worse than lice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In2why Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Just a public service reminder to those using hotels, before bringing in any luggage, pull out the bedding on the beds and check the SEAMS of the mattresses. That's one of the main places you would find bedbugs hiding. I check every time I travel, every hotel. Yep. Take a flashlight and look for spots or shedding skins. We check every single place we stay. We had a friend get bed bugs and it cost thousands of dollars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigomama Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share Posted May 31, 2014 Well, I told DH after this thread, I most certainly will not be going back to the library. Thanks for all who have responded. His hearing the horror stories some of you have endured with bedbugs, has helped him to agree to let me buy all our books this year :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luanne Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Having dealt with bedbugs in our own home, not in a million years. It would be way cheaper to just buy the books and resell them than to deal with bedbugs in your home. It isn't worth taking a chance on... believe me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Oh, dear. This thread is pretty eye-opening ~ and I'd prefer to have not had my eyes opened. Oy! I assumed bed bugs (don't they have a real name, btw?) were the sort of thing one might encounter at a flea-bag motel. Never occurred to me that a library might be infested with them. Ack! That so makes my skin crawl! But then, so does the thought of chemical treatment. Two very major strikes there, and my initial thought is that I'd not step foot in the place again. But. The reality for us is that our library is integral to our life. Our county has one of the best catalogs in the country, and our particular branch is a wonderful gathering place. It's literally and figuratively in the heart of our community. We're there all the time ~ not just when we "need" to do a library run, but in conjunction with all kinds of errands. I simply can't imagine life without our library! So. What would I do? Boy, I'm rarely at a loss for words but I just plain don't know. So sorry for anyone who has to face this dilemma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I work in our little town library very part-time. I love that little library like you wouldn't believe. If I found out it had bed bugs, I'd never go there again unless they set a torch to it and fried every last one of those disgusting little suckers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 To answer the op...I would go back, but probably be very very careful about sitting anywhere or setting anything down. But now I am wondering if you are from where I think you are....because if you are, I miss it. :) ETA---posted before I thought of the bugs getting into the books...that would change my answer to no. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Our library had bedbugs last year. They handled it well but keep finding books being returned with issues. I now buy books and freeze them after they arrive in the mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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