An look at the inside of Leeds, CU’s business library. (Stephanie Wood/CU Independent)
This story has been updated to reflect the results of Wednesday’s inspection.
The William M. White Library in the Leeds School of Business is partially closed following a confirmed report of bedbugs on Feb. 20.
The school closed the second floor of the library after a student brought a bug to facilities management that they confirmed to be a bedbug, according to an email sent out by the business school around 1 p.m. Tuesday.
The closure comes exactly a year after the first report of bedbugs in Koelbel, the building that houses the Leeds School of Business. The building’s largest classroom, S135, which holds nearly 200 students, was believed to be infected with the bug.
Between Feb. and April 2017, six separate classrooms, including S135, closed for a day or more to receive a bed bug heat treatment. The closures displaced students from classrooms, some having to attend lectures in the downstairs atrium and other public spaces. If you also discover bed bugs in your property, you should immediately contact a pest control company that can provide professional pest control services before the infestation gets worse.
We’ve hired pest and termite control services from Dentec Pest Management to maintain pest-free environments around campus. When issues do arise, they are addressed as swiftly as possible.
Eloise Hruvsovsky, a current Leeds student, said she doesn’t think it’s fair to have to go to class when bedbugs are an issue.
“Everyone who lives in my apartment goes to Leeds,” Hruvsovsky said. “I work in the [business] library all the time. I’m worried about what happens if they spread to our homes.”
On Feb. 21, the university sent a follow-up email reporting that Facility Management’s pest management team found no visual signs of the pests besides the bug captured by the student. However, the scent detection dog did indicate “a possible presence of eggs or insects in the area that was closed.”
The rest of the library, including the east lounges, the Method Roasters Cafe and the printer stations were cleared by the scent detection dog and will remain open.
The north lounge and the Leeds Excel Help Desk will be closed Thursday, Feb. 22 for thermal treatment. The Facility Management team expects that the north lounge will reopen on Friday, Feb. 23.
Both emails notifying of the bedbugs included a link to campus bedbug resources. The website shares information about bedbugs and what to do if a student suspects an issue on campus or at home. The emails also referred students to campus Integrated Pest Manager, Troy Muller, with any questions.
A sign posted in Leeds about the bed bugs. (Stephanie Wood/CU Independent)
Contact CUI Marketing Manager Stephanie Wood at stephanie.a.wood@colorado.edu.
