Area affected by beg bugs that was recently closed off at the Des Plaines Public Library.

The Des Plaines Public Librarys recent mishandling of showing one of its trustees the door without providing him decent notification, is not the only problem the facility is facing.

Sometime in September bed bugs were discovered inside the four-story building. About two months later, more of the tiny blood sucking insects were spotted on a different floor of the library prompting a call to a pest control company to do what it can get rid of the nasty problem.

A short time after the library was closed at its regular 5 p.m. time on Saturday, Nov. 23, employees of Orkin swooped in and sprayed sections of the facility. The bill to perform the work was $22,500.

Library Executive Director Jo Bonnell said bed bugs were spotted on two library chairs. The first infestation occurred on the buildings fourth floor and the more serious problem happened on the third floor. How big of an area was infected by the bugs is uncertain. Chairs or other furniture where the insects were believed to have lived were covered with plastic bags and the area cordoned off to prevent public use. A posted sign said, This area is temporarily closed while we make some improvements for you.

When Bonnell was asked whether the bug problem is over, she replied, I dont have any magical powers. What we do is identify the problem. We have an agreement with Orkin to come in and perform pest control every month. Bonnell also explained that library security and maintenance employees are trained to spot the insect problem.

Every day a member of the staff checks the premises for bugs, she added. Were on top of it. We do respond immediately and comprehensively.

Other library officials have told us that getting rid of bed bugs permanently is hard to do. Due to their lasting power and small size they can be tough to spot.

Bed bug sightings in public libraries is not unheard of. Usually, lots of people enter and exit facilities on a continuous basis oftentimes six or seven times a week. The critters have been known to hitch a ride on someones clothing, for example.

According to the American Library Association, there are six steps of bed bug introduction, that include identifying bugs or bug damage, quarantine, inspection and treatment. The insects can be found almost anywhere, including within books, furniture, in small crevices, on bookshelves, and in book drops.

When one of the infected Des Plaines Library chairs was discovered, we were told it was taken outside the library away from patrons. However, a check later on the chair revealed that someone took it.

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Off The Record: Des Plaines Library Pays $22,500 To Take Care Of Bed Bug Problem - Journal & Topics Newspapers Online