15 Jun Can Dogs Really Detect Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are tiny, insidious pests and they can be difficult to discover until they become widespread, infesting a home or business. In some cases, the signs of bed bugs may be numerous and quite apparent – including bites to human skin, blood spots on bedding, dark spots on beds or furniture and even foul odors. In other cases, there may not be much evidence at all. In any case, if you suspect that there may be bed bugs in your home you will most likely call an exterminator or a pest control service to investigate and treat your pest problem.
Today, many pest control services use and rely on their trained canine teams to detect bed bugs in any given location; but how effective are these bug sniffing dogs? The fact that dogs have a remarkable sense of smell is indisputable. The U.S. Congress, Office of Technology explains, “Of all the dog’s senses, it is the sense of smell that is the most renowned. Humans have made use of dogs’ olfactory talents in a wide range of endeavors. Dogs sniff for explosives, hunt for contraband such as drugs and weapons and help to track escapees and criminals. They help to search for missing people and help locate earthquake victims in rubble.” (U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment, Technology Against Terrorism: Structuring Security, OTA-ISC-511 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, January 1992). Humans have relied on dogs’ powerful sense of smell for many years.
Dogs can indeed be trained to search, sniff out, and locate bed bugs and many other types of insects. How do you really know if they have truly found any bed bugs? The key to effective detection is in the expertise and partnership of the handler and a well-trained dog. While a well-trained canine detection dog may detect an area of bed bugs, it is up to the technician to further investigate the area to find positive signs (aka: proof) of actual bed bugs. While an article on the subject of bed bugs in The New York Times explains that proof is hard to come by, “Physical evidence is especially hard to see. A newly hatched bedbug is the size of a pen tip, and fecal droppings are the size of an ink dot.” A positive canine detection, followed by a complete and thorough inspection from a certified bed bug specialist, can provide the proof needed to begin a treatment plan.
Beach Pest Control, a licensed and certified pest management company, stands by their pledge, “We do not believe in treating for bed bugs unless we can show you evidence.” They use expertly trained canine detection teams to detect the presence of bed bugs and a team of expert technicians that work to locate physical evidence of bed bugs and/or viable eggs. The dogs are used to direct the handler to further inspect the location of the alert. The owner of Beach Pest explains, “Our trained canines are our best tool in locating the bed bugs and showing us the specific areas to check and our certified experts take it from there.” Using specific forensic tools assisted by canine inspections, the team at Beach Pest is committed to providing visual evidence of bed bug activity before starting any treatment. Once positively detected, the experts at Beach Pest will create a thorough and comprehensive treatment plan that also focuses on long term prevention.
If you suspect that you have a bed bug infestation in your home or place of business, contact the experts at Beach Pest Control at 929-259-0188. Beach Pest is a highly experienced pest control company that is certified as a bed bug specialist by the New York Pest Management Association, and has achieved the highly esteemed Quality Pro Certification.