Bedbugs take over Montreal’s biggest library

Montreal’s Grande Bibliotheque has been dealing with a bedbug invasion for the past few weeks, but the library’s executive director says she is confident it has a handle on the pest problem. Danielle Chagnon said today the situation was discovered about three weeks ago but is under control.

She says services at the province’s largest library are being maintained as usual. The institution’s 300 fabric lounge chairs were removed and just a small part of the library remains off limits. The tiny, apple seed-shaped bugs are usually active at night, feed on human blood and, although irritating, don’t pose a major health risk.

There are no known cases of them transmitting infectious diseases.

Chagnon says an extermination company was hired quickly and is making frequent inspections of the building.

Harold Leavey, who heads the Maheu Ltee. firm, says bedbugs are becoming more common in major cities all over the country — in particular in places where lots of people congregate such as hospitals or universities.