With bed bugs proving to be an ever-increasing issue, pest professionals are always looking to expand their toolboxes in the fight against the hitchhiking bloodsuckers. New technology and research are helping in this quest, but did you know that Man’s Best Friend can also help? Dogs are quickly becoming the go-to source for bed bug detection.
Canine noses are very sensitive to the scent of bed bugs, and can thus sniff out the pests quicker than a human could find them by visually searching. These dogs go through vigorous training and a strict certification process to become official bed bug sniffing dogs. One of the ways NPMA is making this option more accessible to pest professionals is to hold a training and education events for its members. Recently, it hosted a national Canine Conference, where hundreds of professionals and more than 50 dogs came to learn about best practices and enter the certification process.
Getting certified is no joke. Dogs go through extensive training and to pass the test they need to be able to sniff out hidden bed bugs. At the NPMA’s National Canine Conference, dogs went into four different hotel rooms to search for the blood-sucking pests. Two rooms had bed bugs (securely sealed in vials) hidden in them and two rooms had no bed bugs. The dogs not only had to find the hidden bed bugs in the two “infested” rooms, but they also had to confirm which two rooms did not have bugs.
Passing similar tests are key to getting the industry-recognized certification. To view some of the action of the National Canine Conference, check out the BBC’s coverage here.