Bed Bugs Now Creeping Into Our Libraries

Bed bug alerts are nothing new for hotel guests -- but libraries are now looking out for the insidious pests.

A bed bug-sniffing dog was brought to the Lower Macungie Public Library recently after bed bugs were found in DVDs returned through the library's book drop.

Library staff tightly bagged and discarded the DVDs and the pieces of rug that lined the bookdrop. The library was then closed until an inspection by an Ehrlich exterminator.

Director Kathee Rhodes wanted to go even further to ensure the library was pest free, so she called in Dino, the bed bug-sniffing beagle from Good Night, Sleep Tight to give the final word.

Dino was very interested in one sofa and --  though an inspection revealed no bugs in it -- the sofa was removed, Rhodes told Patch.

Bed bug infiltrations have been reported in libraries from Connecticut to Oklahoma to California.

Bed bugs have been described as "perfect parasites" by Patch blogger Marten Edwards.

"Bed bugs painlessly suck our blood while we are sleeping and creep away immediately after they are finished with their meal," Edwards wrote in a June 2012 blog post.