Unpleasant question: bed bugs in library books?

[Susan]

I just read that bed bugs can live in library books (or any books for that matter). Has anyone ever heard of this? I'm such an avid reader that I rely completely on the library and swaptree.com to get my books - otherwise I couldn't afford my "habit." I'm a bit stunned at this revelation and I fear that I now must give up both means to get my books. What do you guys think? Am I being ridiculous? I live in NYC and the situation is bad here so why take the risk???

[Bhumi]

Hmmm. I haven't heard of so-called "book" bugs, but bed bugs do exist, so maybe they're in books too. I don't know...

[Carol]

eeewwww I hope not.

[Peregrine]

Maybe ask your local health authority?

[Suzanne]

NOT SOMETHING ELSE TO FREAK OUT ABOUT???

I passed my limit long ago...
Carol, LOL!

[Tracey]

I think it is a load of old ****ocks.

[Carol]

According to Entomology Dept. , bed bugs can and do live in any small protected space. They can even live in your toilets, furniture(wood) ect.

[Tracey]

Then why are they called bed bugs?

[Susan]

they live in these other spaces but visit your bed at night to feed. lovely isn't it?

[Tracey]

Too much information!

[[ JT ]]

Perhaps storing books in your freezer for a bit of time after receiving them would help? I've heard of this for killing other bugs... would it work for bed bugs is the question!

EDIT: In the freezer in a zip lock bag, I mean!

[Susan]

yeah - i actually saw that suggestion on a website. But (squimish people close your eyes) the thought of bed bugs in my freezer is just too gross to entertain.

[Suzanne]

Carol, NO More research!!! Please...

[Carol]

yuckety yuk yuk

[Melissa]

I may never sleep, read, eat, or poop again...

[Carol]

Nah just the cold weather making skin dry, bugs don't survive the cold. except lice in the arctic realm.

[Jackie]

Oh that's just gross, but I think possible. On the plus side, I've been checking out library books for years and years and have never had a problem...so I doubt anyone else would. *goes off to knock on some wood* lol.

[Carol]

Oil your skin down and drink lots of water. That is what I order.

[Carol]

You could always wear a hazmat suit. Those little suckers wouldn't last long in there. Of course you wouldn't either.

[Bhumi]

Because hazmat suits are oh-so-common, right? :)

[Carol]

wrap yourself in saran wrap same thing hahahahaha

[Liz]

I've never heard that, but it's an unpleasant thought! Oh well, at least they're not arctic lice. Maybe we all need separate freezers to ensure that there are no bugs in our books?

[El]

I will say that silverfish really screw books up if they get into them. But that's a different story...

[Carol]

Termites love books as much as we do. They just eat up the pages. Pun intended.

[Cindy]

Then there's the criminals who cut gun-shaped holes in big books to hide their heat.

[Carol]

Or people who make safes out of books to hide valuables. hehe

[[ JT ]]

El wrote: "I will say that silverfish really screw books up if they get into them. But that's a different story..."

Unrelated to the original discussion, but I have heard that cloves are a natural silverfish repellant. Anyone have experience with this? :)

I was considering buying some clove to put in the corners of bookshelves, but I thought perhaps this was a bit of overkill. haha.

[Carol]

There are silverfish baits. I think Home Depot has them. It gets rid of them pronto.

[Suzanne]

Kaliki, Just when I think I might end it all ... there you are and I AM rolling on the floor LOL!

Carol, you're getting away with much too much!!! ha!

But thank God for Cindy, whose shot of reality brings us ALL down to Earth...

C-Scream out loud funny!!!!!

[Melissa]

Suzanne, you should meet my family. There are 6 of us, all with the exact same sense of humor.

[Suzanne]

I know where I'm going for the Holidays!!!

[Carol]

Kaliki wrote: "Suzanne, you should meet my family. There are 6 of us, all with the exact same sense of humor. "

Make room for 5 more hahahahaha

[Suzanne]

YAY!

and a Pug!!!

[Carol]

Did I tell you the story about my aunt's two pets?

She had a pug and a pig, and they both chased cars and the mail man. The mailman would not deliver the mail to her house.

[Melissa]

OMG!! Is that true??! I just got the best visual .. and now I'm the one rolling on the floor!!

Come one, come all, including the pets! My husband will be grateful. He grew up in a very small (1 brother) quiet family .. and while he loves my siblings, when we're all together we drive him completely nuts!

[Carol]

OMG!! Is that true??! I just got the best visual .. and now I'm the one rolling on the floor!!


That is an absolutely true story. My Aunt was a fun lady, she kept our family in stitches.

[Melissa]

I love it! Do tell, what were their names - the pug and the pig?

[Carol]

Pugsly and pigsly. I did not say she was original in her thinking. hahahahahaahaha

[Suzanne]

OMG! I believe it!!! Stella, an appropriately named Pug, stands in the front yard and, if you even dare to drive down her street...never mind her driveway... well, you're in for it, that's all I have to say!!!

She hurls herself up on the throats of the big dogs and tries to sever their aortas ... she only has goblin teeth, so no such luck, but it is a good visual while she manages to hold on!

[Carol]

Yea pugs are a creed unto themselves. They are pretty funny.

[Jeremiah]

Well, we seem to have changed subjects but according to Wikipedia's Bedbug article:

Extreme temperatures

The use of a fabric steamer on the infestations will kill the eggs and the bugs instantly.[citation needed:] The bed bugs cannot handle the intense heat and are killed in a couple of seconds. Since steam will penetrate the pores of a mattress, it can reach deep into the corners of beds.[citation needed:]

The thermal death point for the common bedbug (C. lectularius) is 45°C (113°F), and all stages of life are killed by 7 minutes of exposure to 46°C (115°F).[41:] However, to ensure that bedbugs do not survive by hiding in locations that do not quite reach the thermal death point, the US Department of Defense recommends using a temperature of at least 49°C (120°F), at 20-30% relative humidity, for at least 20 minutes.[42:] Enclosing a mattress in a black plastic bag and placing it in the sun on a hot day is not considered an effective method of killing bedbugs, due to the difficulty of maintaining a high temperature across the entire surface area of the mattress.[43:]

There is uncertainty as to how long bedbugs can survive cold temperatures. Below 16.1°C (61°F), adults enter semi-hibernation and can survive longer.[44:] Bedbugs can survive for at least five days at -10°C (14°F) but will die after 15 minutes of exposure to -32°C (-25.6°F)[45:] It is believed that storing infested items below -19°C (0°F) for at least four days will be successful. Carbon dioxide deployed in the form of "snow" may kill bedbugs by rapid freezing.[42:]

[Jeremiah]

Of course, I'm not sure how well the book would do after all that.

[Carol]

Gives a new meaning to fast freeze

[Cindy]

I'll have to test out the freezing plan with The Iceman Cometh.

Or if you want me to first infest your copy of Going Rogue An American Life with whatever bugs you choose, I'd be happy to oblige and document. All in the name of science, of course.

[Carol]

Ice Station Zebra is another good book to try out in the name of science

[Melissa]

Cindy wrote: "I'll have to test out the freezing plan with The Iceman Cometh.

Or if you want me to first infest your copy of Going Rogue An American Life with whatever bugs you ch..."

LOL!

[Cindy]

Good one, carol! The idea of saving a book by using extreme cold is kind of an anti-Fahrenheit-451.

[Carol]

Cindy wrote: "Good one, carol! The idea of saving a book by using extreme cold is kind of an anti-Fahrenheit-451."

LOL

[Erin]

I also rely almost completely on my local public library to support my reading habit... I do have a sister, however, who refuses to check out any books from the library on the premise that "you know people read those in the bathroom, don't you?...... ;0 Sometimes ignorance truly is bliss.

[Paul]

From what I understand bedbuds are attracted to warmth i.e. human warmth and like tics feed off our blood and they stay in wood or the edges of mattresses (NEVER buy USED mattresses!!!)

Silverfish can get into books though

and yes there is really are "bookworms" not really worms but some kind of lice I'm not sure if they like the paper or the glue but they usually are found in really old, antique books.