Since the pesky little critters known as bedbugs are infesting homes, offices, and hotels from New York to California, detection has become more and more difficult. However, there are alternative solutions to bedbug detection, including using man's best friend.
Anyone who has had the unfortunate experience of bedbugs understands the stress associated with waking up with mysterious bites. One type of detection technique that more and more pest control professionals are offering is scent detection by canines. Relying on a canine's expert sense of smell has proven to be the most expedient and accurate way of pinpointing where bedbugs are living.
"There is no questioning a dog's capability to smell and detect odors that are very minimal. A dog possesses 250 million scent receptors compared to a human, who has only 5 million. A properly-trained dog and handler has proved to be well over 90 percent proficient," says Matt Skogen, leading scent detection expert at IronHeart High Performance Working Dogs.
Let's take a look at the bedbug detection process. If you think you have bedbugs, the first step is to contact a pest control professional. It is vital for pest control professionals to know the type of insect they are treating before they outline a course of action. Once it is determined you have bedbugs, consider asking your pest control professional about using a bedbug canine to be sure all bedbug infestations in your home or office are properly detected.
Then follow these tips for a successful bedbug canine inspection:
1. Make sure you have not used any over-the-counter pesticides in your home prior to the inspection.
2. Try not to cook for up to two hours prior to the canine inspection.
3. If possible, make arrangements for any pets you have to be out of your home while a canine is doing its job.
3. Pick up any pet food or toys so that the canine can focus on his or her work.
4. Leave your sheets, pillows, and blankets on your bed. There is no need to clean prior to an inspection.
5. Be aware that a well-trained canine inspection is accurate up to 95 percent of the time, and ask if the company supplies a guarantee.
6. All canine inspections should include a technician inspection as well.
The two most common types of canines used in bedbug detection are beagles and Jack Russell terriers. When compared to a human's sense of smell, there is no comparison.
"Technology has a long way to go before there is anything as accurate as a dog's nose. Experts have tried handheld electronic devices that have proven to be completely useless. A dog has the benefit of portability and migrating to the source of an odor, where a handheld device does not," says Skogen.
Once your home is cleared by a bedbug canine inspector, invest in an over-the-counter bedbug spray to minimize your risk of an infestation. I recommend Pronto Plus, a bedbug spray that effectively kills bedbugs and their eggs on contact. This spray can be used in your automobile, office, or home. Remember to always follow the instructions on the label.
While bedbugs seem to be here for the foreseeable future, rest assured that man's best friend is here to help! And as always, remember the key to staying bedbug free is to stay educated.
Michael Colongione is a spokesman for Pronto Plus®, distributed by Insight Pharmaceuticals. The advice and opinions he expresses in this article are his own.
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Two factors guarantee that you can stop bed bug bites forever after 2 hrs of easy effort. The first one is that bed bugs are not smarter than people and you can’t find any possible routes for a bed bug to crawl to people. The second one is that many people have stopped bed bug bites immediately by sleeping in a bathtub because bed bug can’t crawl on slippery surface; the barrier method works.
Why do experts never think about the sticky barrier method? The special sticky tape is patent pending; experts never had a chance to try because bed bugs can crawl on any well known double sided sticky tapes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTdOxn9MoPg
Human technicians are about 35% accurate and would take over an hour to do a thorough inspection of the same one bedroom unit. Bed Bug Dogs can sweep around 25 to 30 units in an hour, as opposed to the human inspector of one per hour.
Steam vs. Cryonite
Pest Control Companies with the greatest track record of success utilize steam treatments or a cryonite treatment to complement their chemical treatments. Moreover, in the past few years, there has been a distinct division between companies that use steam versus those that use cryonite.
Either method, when generating a direct contact hit against the bed bug, will kill all stages of the insect including the egg stage, however, it has been shown that cryonite is not nearly as effective as steam. A recent study has shown that placing a live bed bug under a sheet of ordinary copy paper and spraying the paper with cryonite will not kill the bed bug. However, doing the same experiment with steam, shows different results in that the bed bug can not survive a steam treatment even without having a direct hit.
Learn more at: www.actionpestcontrol.com
Steam vs. Cryonite
Currently, there is no effective chemical that is being manufactured for pest control companies to kill the egg stage of the bed bug. Pest Control Companies with the greatest track record of success utilize steam treatments or a cryonite treatment to complement their chemical treatments. Moreover, in the past few years, there has been a distinct division between companies that use steam versus those that use cryonite.
Either method, when generating a direct contact hit against the bed bug, will kill all stages of the insect including the egg stage, however, it has been shown that cryonite is not nearly as effective as steam. A recent study has shown that placing a live bed bug under a sheet of ordinary copy paper and spraying the paper with cryonite will not kill the bed bug.
However, doing the same experiment with steam, shows different results in that the bed bug can not survive a steam treatment even without having a direct hit.
Learn more at: www.actionpestcontrol.com