Burbank’s Buena Vista Library has been declared free of bed bugs after extensive work to have them removed.
According to Elizabeth Goldman, Library Services Director for the City of Burbank, the library was declared completely free of any signs of bed bugs following an inspection by the bug-sniffing dog on Thursday, September 21. The Public Works Department was also credited for their assistance in resolving the situation.
Inspectors brought in a specially trained dog to search through the library and nothing was found in the latest search.
Bed Bugs were reported at the library beginning last Fall, when an employee first reported them. Another report came from a customer last May. Library officials and the Public Works Department worked while the Buena Vista branch was closed at night to exterminate the bugs.
The library put the following on their website:
Several locations within the Library have been treated on two occasions after bug-sniffing dogs detected the presence of bed bugs. At least two follow-up treatments will be scheduled.
All treatments will take place during closed hours, and the Library will be safe for use during regularly scheduled hours. If you would like information on the specific products being used in bed bug abatement, please ask at any service desk.
Bed bugs are everywhere (hotels, public transit, doctor’s offices, hospitals, nursing homes, movie theaters), and libraries are probably less likely to have issues with bed bugs than any of the aforementioned locations.
Bed bugs are not a problem related to people experiencing homelessness; they are a traveling population problem. It is just as likely (if not more so) for a traveler to bring bed bugs home with them from a trip than it is for a person experiencing homelessness to be the source of the introduction.
Bed bugs do not carry or transmit diseases. Extensive research has been done on this, and there is no evidence that bed bugs transmit diseases from one host to the next.
Bed bugs are a nuisance but are not dangerous. While some people react more strongly to insect bites than others, a bed bug bite will cause no more than minor itching for a few days.
Both Burbank Public Library and Public Work Department staff are receiving additional training in identifying bed bugs to ensure fast containment and treatment in any future incidents.
Photo Courtesy City of Burbank 
Photo Courtesy City of Burbank
