[Michlib-l] Bed Bug Prevention

Tue Oct 31 11:23:31 EDT 2023

I've done hotel room bedbug checks-- use the IR flashlight, don't unpack
and keep suitcases zipped. etc. So far so good-- have you ever had to  move
your room?

On Tue, Oct 31, 2023 at 11:10 AM Cynthia Stanczak <
director at albionlibrary.org> wrote:

> Most of our furniture is from the 1960s-1990s.  All of the fabric
> upholstered chairs and cushions got hit in the inspections over and over
> again, and were frankly a bear to keep clean.  We have our carpets cleaned
> (trying to put off the replacement as long as we can) twice each year, and
> had the chairs shampooed when they were here, but it was a losing battle.
> All of our other chairs are wooden, or wood and 1970's pleather (?).  We've
> had only one hit on any of them in the last five years.  I don't know if
> it's related or not, but we clean them maybe once a year with Murphy's Oil
> Soap?  Maybe they don't like that, but it's working for us with the
> furniture we have.  The Orkin bedbug treatment techs have told us that they
> see a lot of bedbugs in fabric upholstered chairs, loveseats, couches,
> hotel headboards, etc.  We were happy to have them gone, though we'll have
> to replace them with something easier to maintain later.
>
> One good thing that comes out of all of this is that I now suspect every
> surface in every theater, waiting room, and hotel room, and I know how to
> check.  I will flip a hotel room and get out my flashlight before my
> suitcase even comes in the door.  I will take the sheets off the edges of
> the mattress and the headboard off the wall, if I need to, but I sleep
> easier.  Knowledge is power, I guess.
>
> Cynthia Stanczak, MLS (she/her)
> Library Director
> Albion District Library
> 501 S. Superior St.
> Albion, MI  49224
> (517) 629-3993
>
> Albion District Library: Transforming Minds, Changing Lives.
> Proudly serving our community since 1919.
> Online at www.albionlibrary.org, or find us on Facebook!
>
> *My working day may not be your working day. Please do not feel obligated
> to reply to this email outside of your normal working hours.*
>
>
> On Tue, Oct 31, 2023 at 10:46 AM Jean Fellows <progcoord at gladl.org> wrote:
>
>> Thank you for all the great information Cynthia-- you really have it
>> covered! Love calling the zapper "The Bakery".
>>
>> I  toured the Advanced Learning Library in Witcha, Kansas during the ARSL
>> convention. They have 14'x20'-ish *room* devoted to bedbug treatment--
>> including an oven/kiln that looks like a bank vault. They didn't share as
>> much helpful information as you did though-- mostly "here's our stuff and
>> where we cook materials and ick".
>>
>> I never thought about our upholstered furniture as harboring bedbugs.
>> Just cloth, or vinyl too?
>>
>> On Tue, Oct 31, 2023 at 10:01 AM Cynthia Stanczak via Michlib-l <
>> michlib-l at mcls.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Hello, all!
>>>
>>> Bedbugs suck, and this has been a bad year for them.  I shared our
>>> procedures and equipment lists back in 2020, but they haven't changed much
>>> and still work really well for us. There's no true prevention, because
>>> bedbugs are hardy and well-adapted to their biological niche, but there's
>>> also an amazing sense of relief and empowerment that comes from knowing
>>> you've been inspected and knowing how to address it for the safety of your
>>> staff and patrons.  Bedbugs are a public health concern and must be
>>> addressed as such.  They are also potentially a PR nightmare for a
>>> library.  I don't know about your community, but gossip and old stories
>>> rule in our small town and get shared for years, and no institution needs
>>> that.
>>>
>>> Our canine inspection company is K9 Bedbug Hunters. The dogs are eager
>>> and well-trained and managed. You can tell that they really enjoy their
>>> work. Owner's name is Sara Rodeheaver. The business phone is 269-317-4970.
>>> You can also reach her at k9bedbughunter at gmail.com.  They currently
>>> have 4 trained dogs and usually bring two to a job, so that they can
>>> confirm hits or switch out the dogs for fresh noses when inspecting large
>>> spaces.
>>> We found them through Orkin, and have 6 canine inspections per year,
>>> with chemical treatments by Orkin, if necessary.  However, we haven't
>>> needed to have chemical treatment since we got rid of the last of our
>>> fabric upholstered furniture.
>>>
>>> Any materials that are on a shelf with an inspection hit, as well as the
>>> shelves above (because bedbug scent falls), are removed and baked in our
>>> heat treatment unit (we use ZappBug).  The metal shelves are wiped down in
>>> 90-91% rubbing alcohol and allowed to dry.  When the heat cycle is done and
>>> the items have cooled, each is inspected for signs of bugs or blood stains,
>>> and, if clear, marked discreetly on the inside cover with the treatment
>>> date, and returned to circulation.  We note which areas were hits, and any
>>> items returned by patrons in the following 6 weeks that would be shelved in
>>> that area are checked for that discreet mark and date.  If missing, those
>>> items are sent directly to "the bakery" ('cause no one wants to start
>>> itching when we say 'bedbug') for treatment, inspection, and then
>>> reshelving.  We also check every item when going out and every item coming
>>> back, including from MelCat. Anything suspicious is sent to the bakery.  It
>>> also works for fleas and lice, if those are concerns.
>>>
>>> My bedbug procedures, and quarantine and treatment equipment lists are
>>> available to anyone who might want them (attached).  We funded our
>>> equipment purchase through a grant from our library co-op.  The whole topic
>>> makes me and my staff itch, and it's always a weird moment in training for
>>> new people, when they learn that bedbugs and bookworms are real.  That
>>> said, we're more comfortable with confirmed hits that can be immediately
>>> addressed and resolved, than a general uneasiness of not knowing what we
>>> might be taking home.  If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer and
>>> you can reach me by phone or email.  We've been inspected 6 times/yr for
>>> the last 5 years, and while we have something hit almost every time, the
>>> scale of the hits have steadily decreased and are usually easily addressed
>>> in a single day.
>>>
>>> Cynthia Stanczak, MLS (she/her)
>>> Library Director
>>> Albion District Library
>>> 501 S. Superior St.
>>> Albion, MI  49224
>>> (517) 629-3993
>>>
>>> Albion District Library: Transforming Minds, Changing Lives.
>>> Proudly serving our community since 1919.
>>> Online at www.albionlibrary.org, or find us on Facebook!
>>>
>>> *My working day may not be your working day. Please do not feel
>>> obligated to reply to this email outside of your normal working hours.*
>>>
>>>
>>> On Fri, Oct 27, 2023 at 2:19 PM Kimberly Feltner via Michlib-l <
>>> michlib-l at mcls.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>> What is your library doing, if anything, for the prevention of Bed
>>>> Bugs?
>>>>
>>>> After talking to several pest companies today and being told different
>>>> things from each, I would like to know if anyone in library land has a
>>>> solid action plan for the* prevention* of Bed Bugs.
>>>>
>>>> Thank you!
>>>> Kimberly
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Kimberly Feltner
>>>> Assistant Director
>>>> Branch District Library
>>>> 10 E. Chicago St.
>>>> Coldwater, MI 49036
>>>> Phone: (517) 278-2341 ext. 123
>>>> Fax: (517) 278-2342
>>>> http://www.BranchDistrictLibrary.org
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Michlib-l mailing list
>>>> Michlib-l at mcls.org
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>>>>
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>>> Michlib-l at mcls.org
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>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Jean Fellows
>> (she/hers)
>> Programming Coordinator
>> Grand Ledge Area District Library
>> 131 E. Jefferson St.,
>> Grand Ledge, MI 48837
>> 517-627-7014
>>
>> *The Grand Ledge Area District Library is situated on ancestral,
>> traditional and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabeg – Three Fires
>> Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi peoples-- land ceded in the
>> 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. For more information, see the article from Central
>> Michigan University
>> Library:https://blogs.cmich.edu/library/2019/11/26/the-1819-treaty-of-saginaw/#:~:text=In%20the%201819%20treaty%2C%20the,living%20on%20the%20ceded%20territory.
>> <https://blogs.cmich.edu/library/2019/11/26/the-1819-treaty-of-saginaw/#:~:text=In%20the%201819%20treaty%2C%20the,living%20on%20the%20ceded%20territory.>*
>>
>>

-- 
Jean Fellows
(she/hers)
Programming Coordinator
Grand Ledge Area District Library
131 E. Jefferson St.,
Grand Ledge, MI 48837
517-627-7014

*The Grand Ledge Area District Library is situated on ancestral,
traditional and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabeg – Three Fires
Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi peoples-- land ceded in the
1819 Treaty of Saginaw. For more information, see the article from Central
Michigan University
Library:https://blogs.cmich.edu/library/2019/11/26/the-1819-treaty-of-saginaw/#:~:text=In%20the%201819%20treaty%2C%20the,living%20on%20the%20ceded%20territory.
<https://blogs.cmich.edu/library/2019/11/26/the-1819-treaty-of-saginaw/#:~:text=In%20the%201819%20treaty%2C%20the,living%20on%20the%20ceded%20territory.>*
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