Dog Detectives Can Help Rid Your Home of Bed Bugs

Bedbugs are a notoriously difficult pest to get rid of. They breed extremely rapidly, are immune to some of the pesticides used by pest controllers, and are extremely hard to detect. However, the tide may be turning in the war against bedbugs in the form of the pest controllers' latest secret weapon: trained sniffer dogs.

But how could sniffer dogs help your pest control contractor eradicate bedbugs from your home? Read on to find out more.

A nose for accuracy

One major problem faced by pest controllers is that it's incredibly difficult to eliminate every single bedbug in a home. Because of the rapid rate at which they reproduce, it takes just a few overlooked pests, or a clutch of tiny eggs, to quickly kick-off a whole new infestation.

Trained dogs can accurately pinpoint bedbug hiding places in a fraction of the time it would take a human inspector to screen a whole building. They miss nothing. The slightest trace of pest activity is detected, regardless of how well the bedbugs have concealed themselves. This amazing ability means that the pest controller can quickly and efficiently treat every single bedbug-infested area, without missing a single bug.

No room for human error

Adult bedbugs are usually large enough to be spotted by the naked eye, if they're active. However, immature insects are simply too small to see, unless they're placed under a microscope. 

Specially-trained dogs don't have to see the insects; they work purely on scent. This means that any bedbug, regardless of its stage of development, can be detected easily by a dog. They can even sniff-out the microscopic eggs!

Sniffer dogs can remove the element of human oversight during an inspection. This makes treatment much more effective, potentially saving the householder the trauma and expense of repeated infestations, and subsequent pest controller visits.

Infestations can only be caused by live bugs. Sometimes, pest controllers will treat a home if there is evidence of previous bedbug activity, but this is a waste of time and money if there aren't any active bugs left. However, the dogs are trained only to detect live insects and eggs that are viable. They won't zone-in on bedbugs that are already dead. 

Specially trained sniffer dogs are the most effective way of locating active infestations of bedbugs in the home. They work much more quickly and accurately than human inspectors alone, and could ultimately save you a lot of hassle and money on repeated treatments. If you think you have a bedbug problem in your home or business premises, have a chat with your pest controller for advice.