The Toronto Public Library has had 12 confirmed instances of bed bugs this year so far, blogTO has learned.

As bed bugs remain a concern in Toronto, especially with possible recent sightings elsewhere in the city, searching inside your books might be the next place you keep an eye out for these critters.

After taking out a book from the St. James Town Branch last weekend with her boyfriend, a 26-year-old Toronto resident told blogTO they found a bed bug inside.

"We both really panicked," she said, noting the couple flushed the bug to dispose of it. "Before flushing it though, I really wanted to make sure that it really was a bed bug."

"I had a close look and it really was a bed bug," she said.

After informing the library of what had happened, the couple was told to return the book so procedures could be followed, according to the resident, who resides in the same neighbourhood as the St. James Town Branch.

Though she regrets not taking a photo of the incident, "at that moment, I just wanted to get rid of it immediately," she said.

With the couple in the middle of packing up their apartment to move next week, they're doing an extra-thorough look through everything to make sure there aren't any critters hiding away.

"I cannot imagine entering a new apartment with bed bugs," she said. "Now when we're packing, we're taking a close look at everything."

Though bed bug incidents at libraries in Toronto have already surpassed the double digits in 2023, there has been a decrease from the 20 confirmed cases that occurred last year, Ana-Maria Critchley, Communications and Stakeholder Relations Manager for TPL, told blogTO.

Though most suspected cases of bed bugs at libraries tend to be false alarms, treatment programs are immediately put into place if a case is confirmed, Critchley said.

Public libraries are "generally poor environments" for bed bugs, according to Critchley, however, "it's important to acknowledge that bed bugs can be an issue in any urban setting, affecting public spaces."

"While the incidence of bed bugs at TPL is extremely low, we recognize the importance of treating each incident promptly and effectively. We have a pest control protocol based on best practices, developed in consultation with Toronto Public Health and certified pest control firms," said Critchley.

If a library customer thinks they may have found a bed bug in a library branch, they should let a staff member know, Critchley said. If possible, attempting to seal the bug in a bag is also helpful.

"We'll enact our pest control protocol right away," said Critchley.

In March, for the fourth year in a row, Toronto ranked number one on a list released by pest control company Orkin Canada of the top 25 Canadian cities with the worst bed bug infestations.

The average size of a bed bug is four to five millimetres long, according to Orkin Canada and they have an oval shaped, flat, and red to dark brown appearance.

They can lay one to five eggs a day, with females laying 200 to 500 eggs throughout their lives, which can be anywhere from four months to almost a year.

Bed bugs can survive for months at a time without a meal and hot spots for them include mattresses, behind baseboards, in the seams or behind the cushions of sofas and chairs, underneath picture frames, and in the fold of curtains.

"Contrary to popular belief, bed bugs are visible to the naked eye, but are excellent at hiding," Dr. Alice Sinia, a Ph.D. Entomologist at Orkin Canada said in the March report.

"Bed bugs are extremely resilient, making them difficult to control."