Buyer Beware, Books Bought At Chappaqua Library's Used Book Sale Could Be Carrying Bed Bugs

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- You may want to avoid curling up in bed with any books that you bought at Chappaqua Library's used book sale.

A single bed bug was found hanging on a stage curtain in the auditorium that hosted the sale. During the event, the room was crawling with buyers and fears persist that a bug may have hitched a ride on one of the $17,000 worth of used books that were sold.

"We don't want to sweep it under the rug," assistant library director Martha Alcott told CBS 2's Dave Carlin on Thursday night.

Other areas of the library were given the all-clear, but some families said they weren't taking any chances.

"We put all the books that we got into this big bag," said 7-year-old Niamh Lee.

Most Chappaqua Library patrons consider themselves bookworms, but they said they aren't willing to scratch and suffer for their reading habits.

The library has offered a solution that could give concerned buyers peace-of-mind. On Saturday anybody who bought books during the sale can bring them to the parking lot across the street for treatment, Carlin reported.

"You're going to bring them in boxes or bags and they'll collect the books and they'll treat them and you can pick them up later," Alcott said.

Pest management expert James P. McHale offered his own solution.

"Look through the books when you get them, fan them," he said. "Freezing them for three hours will kill them at all stages of bedbug life."

Patrons told CBS 2 that they were pleased with the library's response.

"I'm not worried. I'll be back next year if they have it again," Chappaqua resident Cathy Burns said.

The library promised that in the future the sale area and all sale items will be checked for bed bugs before hand.

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