Sniffer dogs are being deployed in British homes and businesses amid a bedbugs scare.
Pest control experts are using springer spaniels and other breeds to help find bedbugs in hotel rooms and homes amid fears the blood-sucking insects are on the rise after they were spotted on public transport in Paris.
Among them are Rentokil, the UK’s largest pest control agency.
Paul Blackhurst, head of technical academy at Rentokil Pest Control, told the Telegraph newspaper: “These canine detectives are highly accurate at detecting bed bugs, and can do so in areas that might be challenging for humans to access or inspect thoroughly.
“They are particularly useful in large buildings and hotels where bedbug infestations can quickly spread if not detected early.”
Pest control firms have also reported more interest from businesses battling a suspected outbreak in having a sniffer dog confirm their suspicions.
It can take up to eighteen months to train a dog to sniff out the bugs, in a similar process to the method used to train dogs to sniff out drugs and cash.
When detecting the insects, the dogs are smelling a pheromone the bugs give off to help them group together. This then helps them find bed bugs quicker than humans relying on sight alone.
Gary Jakeman, the chief executive of K9 Detection Services in Solihull, said he estimated that demand has increased by 25 per cent since June.
Speaking to the Guardian, he said of his two trained springer spaniels, Milo and Kobie: “These dogs are spot on. There’s very little that can get past a well-trained nose.”
Last week, pest control firms in London said they were being “inundated” with calls about bed bugs.
Tony King, owner of Pied Piper Pest Control, said they had been found in offices and cars, as well as homes.
“We’ve been inundated with calls about bed bugs – we’ve been flat out for at least the last eight or nine months with them,” he said.
He added that there was a “bed bug epidemic in West London”, with flats in Victorian houses being a particular source of cases.
