K-9 Bedbug Inspection – How it works – Phoenix, AZ

By Keith Coddington A properly executed and thorough inspection is  a very crucial part of the Bed Bug Treatment process to avoid missing an infestation leaving it untreated only to create a problem in the near future.  A poor inspection puts the customer at risk and gives the pest control company a poor reputation.

The most important thing to know about a K-9 Bedbug search team is that it is in fact a team.  The dog alone and handler alone are neither as effective as when they work together.  The dog has his strong points being the sense of smell, efficiency and ability to work fast.  The handler has the eyes and brains of the operation.  It is up to the handler to interpret the dog’s body language and investigate any possible areas that bedbugs usually reside.  This is done through visual inspections, visual confirmation of every spot the dog indicates and other common areas where bedbugs usually reside.

The dog is a great tool, but not necessary in all cases.  Obviously if the infestation has progressed enough to where it is easily visible there is no need for the K-9 team.  The bed bug K-9 team is best used for very light infestations that are very difficult to visually detect, to confirm/deny reports of bedbug activity and to inspect a location post-treatment to ensure the treatment was effective.  By far the best use for a K-9 Bedbug inspection team is pro-active searching in a commercial environment where time equals money such as the hospitality industry, a hospital or call center.  The team can effectively search a hotel room in a fraction of the time it takes a technician alone, do it more accurately and more cost effectively.

The bedbug dog is only as good as the handler.  Dogs are extremely perceptive of any movements or body language the handler may show and it is very easy to teach a dog to false alert or react to certain involuntary signals.  This is nothing new and has always been the case with detection dogs, but a good handler that is backed by a good detection dog program is taught to recognize this and has the support through his trainer to correct these types of issues.  Considering all of the types of detection dogs out there bedbugs can be one of the most difficult to detect since the odor can be very minute compared to say narcotics.  This being said having a well trained and maintained K-9 Bedbug inspection team is all the more important.

One way to ensure the detection team you are about to hire is trained properly is insisting that the dog has been properly certified by a third party according to the National Pest Management Guidelines and investigate the certification.  As of now there is no performance standard regarding bedbug detection dogs and anyone can claim they have a trained detection dog.  Even claims of certified detection dogs should be investigated as some certifications are not legitimate and are a meaningless formality between the trainer that sold the dog and the person who purchased the dog.

For more information on certifications or K-9 Bedbug inspection teams contact Arizona based Cimex K9 at 888-928-4364