Bed Bugs in Phoenix

Are bed bugs in Phoenix? Many people wonder and the answer is yes without a doubt. Over the last few years just as with the rest of the country the incidents of bed bugs here in Arizona have continued to rise.

The official numbers released from Rollins Inc., a corporation which operates 7 pest control brands including Orkin, on March 15th, 2012 show a 33.6% increase nationwide in their bed bug business for 2011.

Phoenix Arizona moved up 19 spots from number 53 to number 34. The number one and two spots remained the same with Cincinnati and Chicago respectively. Los Angeles jumped 20 places and is now holding at number 5 while Las Vegas is at number 16.

Keep in mind these figures are based on figures only from Rollins Inc. The true bed bug business activity would only be measured accurately if all pest control companies compiled a database together to track their bed bug revenue.

Locally here in Phoenix and throughout Arizona, Cimex K9 (a bed bug detection dog company) has had to respond with the growing demand for their services. Cimex K9 currently has 6 bed bug detection dogs on duty ready to sniff out these pests.

The advantages of using a bed bug detection dog are for early detection such as proactive inspections of commercial establishments, reactive inspections when there is thought to be bed bugs but no physical evidence can be found without professional help and last of all post-treatment inspections to ensure the pests were eliminated by the pest control company.

Cimex K9 maintains their third-party status by not offering bed bug treatments. This avoids a conflict of interest that can be common in the industry considering the more treatments a pest control company can sell the more money they make. Bed bug dog inspections are a fraction of the cost of an effective treatment and many suspected cases of infestations turn out not being a bed bug issue.

Cimex K9 is the only bed bug detection dog company in Arizona that can boast all of the following:

• The owner/founder is a certified detection dog trainer that trains and maintains his search teams personally on a daily basis. In addition he is also qualified by the Arizona Office of Pest Management to own and operate this licensed pest control company.

• Handlers all have prior dog experience including military and police K9 handling experience.

• Is a veteran owned and operated business.

• All search teams are third-party certified according to the National Pest Management Association’s guidelines.

• Cimex K9 has an impeccable record since it began providing this service in 2009.

• Is an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau and maintains an A rating.

• Contracts with over 30 pest control companies from the largest national chains to small locally based businesses.

If you would like more information on Cimex K9 please feel free to contact us!

Keith Coddington Owner / Founder / Head Trainer

888-928-4364

Dogs help sniff out bedbugs in Phoenix public housing

Canine detectives discover infestations as incidence increases 

Emily Gersema - Apr. 7, 2011 10:30 AM The Arizona Republic

The management company of a city-owned senior housing complex near downtown Phoenix recently took an unusual step to check the units for bedbugs.

McCormack Baron Ragan hired a Phoenix company, Cimex K9, to lead a dog that is trained to point when it finds bedbugs. The dog was used in the apartments of the Senior Living at Henson Village complex near Buckeye Road and Eighth Avenue.

(Read More)

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

How Cimex K9 is raising the bar with their Bedbug K9 Detection Program...

By Keith Coddington

First of all,  we would like to make it clear that we are not trying to bad-mouth our competitors or their program.  We are simply informing our consumers that there is an enormous difference between our program and our local competitor.  We have a genuine concern regarding the future use of bedbug detection dogs as others in Arizona are using and maintaining the dogs incorrectly.  Operating an accurate and successful detection dog program takes an enormous amount of work, expertise and knowledge.

Q: Who Trained the K9s?

A: We train dogs from start to finish.

Q: Who trained the handlers?

A: We train handlers and match them with a K9 that suits them.

Q: Who certified the search teams?

A: The USA Detector Dog Association which is an independent third party certifies our Canine Teams.

Q: How are the search teams certified?

A: The Canines are certified in accordance with the National Pest Management Association's guidelines for bed bug detection dogs.

Q: How much experience in detection dog work?

A: Dog behavior and training is our specialty and always has been.  We have been in the business for many years.  Our President and founder has been handling detection dogs for years.   Before bedbug dogs he trained and operated a private narcotic detection K-9 company and still operates Natural Instincts, a dog training / behavior business and Interquest Detection Canines of Arizona, a contraband detection dog business.

Q: How are the search teams maintained?

A: Teams that we have trained and maintain are worked with on a daily basis with our detection dog trainer to insure we are setting the new standard in pest detection.  We have the skills, experience and knowledge to deal with common problems like false alerts or failure to detect odor.

Q: How does the detection dog program compare to a government agency or police department that uses detection dogs?

A: After the K9s are trained the search team handler course can take from several weeks to months before the team is certified.  Additionally our program of training, maintaining and certification goes above and beyond any typical government agency’s guidelines.