Bed Bug Detection Dog vs. Human Technician Accuracy

Wondering if you have bed bugs? You can always call a professional company for bed bug detection. Pest control technicians are good at recognizing the signs of bed bugs. However, bed bugs are notoriously good at hiding. It can be difficult for even the best-trained pest control professional to find them on their own. However, using trained dogs, a dog handler can find bed bugs with almost 100% accuracy. That is because dogs use their fine-tuned sense of smell to locate these nasty pests, instead of just relying on their eyes.

We already know that dogs have a superior sense of smell. A dog’s sense of smell is between 1,000 and 10,000 times better than a human’s. Of course, like other living things, bed bugs have an odor. While that odor may be undetectable to people, especially in the early stages of an insect infestation, it is not undetectable to dogs. They can smell even a single bed bug or a single bed bug egg.

How do the dogs know it is a bed bug? Bed bugs release two pheromones that have distinct odors. We train our dogs to detect that scent. They can even detect whether the bed bugs are alive or dead.

The earlier you detect a bed bug problem, the easier it is to treat. Bed bugs spread throughout the room and then throughout the house. Detecting them early means that you have a better chance of getting rid of them with easier treatment options.

Canine detection can also help us determine if a bed bug treatment has been successful. Post-treatment inspections let us know if any living bed bugs remain. If so, we know it is time to retreat. Our dogs can detect that way before humans can, which can mean completely avoiding an infestation.

We all know that dogs are man’s best friend. Let us show you why they might be a bed bug’s worst enemy. Contact us today to get our dogs on the job and get bed bugs out of your life.