Menlo Park third Bay Area library closed due to bedbugs
MENLO PARK, Calif (KGO) -- On the Peninsula, it seems bedbugs have found a home in yet another library. The Menlo Park Library was closed Wednesday after a library staffer found one bedbug on a chair Tuesday night. A bedbug sniffing dog was brought in Wednesday to check for more.
This is the third library in three weeks to report a bedbug infestation. Some are wondering if the homeless might be bringing the bugs in. However, library officials say there is no way to know for sure, but one local bed bug inspector sure thinks so.
Many people tried to return their books on Wednesday only to find a lock on the drop box and a sign saying they're dealing with bedbugs.
Molly the bed bug hunter is very busy. She can smell more than 50 bed bug and egg odors and gets to chew on her favorite tennis ball when she hits pay dirt.
Handler Ryan Haislip from CimexTek says her accuracy is "really high. She's at 98 percent."
Haislip says we're living through a bed bug explosion in the Bay Area. At CimexTek, he and the 3-year-old Jack Russell-Fox Terrier mix aren't just visiting homes they're visiting public places such as: restaurants, coffee shops, movie theaters and hospital waiting rooms.
READ MORE: Berkeley library closed after bedbugs found in computer, reading areas
At the Menlo Park Library, they found bedbugs in the public seating area. They removed the chair where they were seen and are treating it.
Here's what you can do -- adult bedbugs are about the size of an apple seed. Haislip says inspect your books since they can hide in the spine and the inside seams. Also, look for bugs and black smudges, that's their waste matter.
VIDEO: Palo Alto Library closed after bedbugs found on chairs
Assistant director of the Palo Alto Library Eric Howard says if you have a book to return, "Just put it in in a plastic bag, wrap it up and bring it to us."
In Palo Alto, they re-checked the Mitchell branch Wednesday and it is all clear. Still, there may be many more long days ahead for dogs like Molly.
Click here for more stories on bedbug infestations found in the Bay Area.
