At a public library in Santa Monica, employees and patrons found bed bugs on tables and returned books. Bed bugs are blood-sucking insects that feed on humans. The public started pressuring library management to address the issue and to be more transparent about it. They wanted the library to eradicate the bed bugs as soon as possible. Unlike many other pests, bed bugs are the most difficult pest to control in buildings and difficult to eradicate, especially in this situation where there are many opportunities for re-infestation as the public uses the library. Furthermore, some of the pesticides used in bed bug management can create a major hazard to visitors by exposing them to toxic chemicals and that is why every single bed bug eradication effort should be based on understanding the pros and cons of each management practice.
The library management hired a canine bed bug detection company to pinpoint infested areas of the library. The detection company used sniffing dogs that are specially trained for bed bug detection. The dogs found three library chairs with bed bugs, which the library staff removed to prevent further spread throughout the library. Although the infested chairs were removed, the library management wanted to know if there were any undetected or newly introduced bed bugs in the library and how to manage and prevent new infestations. To address these issues, Mr. Karl Broskotter, a sustainable procurement advisor at the Santa Monica’s Office of Sustainability and the Environment, connected the public library staff with Area IPM Advisor Siavash Taravati.
Taravati and Broskotter met with the library staff and taught them about bed bug biology and identification. To find if the library really had undetected bed bugs and measure the extent and size of infestation, Taravati placed 32 active and passive bed bug traps throughout the library. Passive traps do not contain a lure or scent and catch bed bugs that happen to come across the trap. Active traps have a lure or scent to help attract bed bugs to the trap. Traps were placed in different locations such as under the legs of upholstered furniture and tables, between bookshelves, behind indoor plant pots, inside floor vents, and inside the book return room.
Taravati monitored the traps for two months looking for live or dead bed bugs. All the collected insects were examined in the laboratory using a microscope for accurate identification. In total, only a single bed bug was found in the entire library, which is a very low number. Although bed bugs can reproduce and reach very high levels, no pest management is needed for such a small infestation in a public place. Also, bed bugs do not thrive in public places where people do not sleep overnight, because at night is when bed bugs feed on sleeping humans.
Taravati’s intensive monitoring at a public library showed that bed bug numbers were too low to warrant any pesticide applications or to use any other control methods.
Bed bugs are known to move from one place to another on people’s clothing, luggage, and shoes. They are found in apartments, houses, theaters, gyms, and airplanes. It is not surprising that bed bugs move via humans into public buildings such as libraries, which attract many visitors. If concerned about bed bugs, library visitors can help prevent bed bugs from entering the library as well as prevent bed bugs from travelling home with them. Visitors should regularly inspect their clothing and belongings such as backpacks and bags for bed bugs.
Library staff are more knowledgeable about bed bugs and how the library can become infested. They have increased confidence in the use of monitoring traps to continue to look for bed bug infestations. Taravati’s two months of monitoring at the public library showed that their current pest management practices need to have an additional monitoring component in order to satisfy the needs of their visitors. As a result of Taravati’s work the library saved on the cost of bed bug management, eliminated unnecessary pesticide applications, and was able to remain open for the public to use.
Long-Term Impacts
