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In the early stages of bed bug infestation, bed bugs and their eggs can be virtually impossible to find because they hide in tight, dark, undisturbed places and generally only come out in the early hours of the morning when it is dark.
There is no better way to inspect for bed bugs than with highly trained detector dogs. In the earliest stages of a bed bug infestation, it may be difficult to identify what the problem is. K-9 bed bug detectors can locate a problem before it becomes a medium or heavy infestation. Regular canine inspections, called sweeps, find infestations at their earliest stages so they can be dealt with at a greater savings in treatment cost.
Few things can interrupt life quite like thinking you have bed bugs. They can prevent you from sleeping properly and make it hard to concentrate on anything else until you know.
Studies show that K-9s are 90 to 95% effective in finding bed bugs. Our dog, a friendly beagle named Becca, or one of our other three bed bug detectors, generally takes less than 30 minutes to inspect your residence.
Our bed bug K9 inspection is quick, easy to schedule, and low-cost. We offer K-9 bed bug inspections for as little at $190 with a minimal surcharge for inspections in San Francisco and Marin County.
Click here for a University of Florida canine study showing K9 efficacy in bed bug searches.
Meet Becca
Becca, a Beagle, weighs only 18 pounds and can easily sniff under most beds. She is a premier bed bug detection dog. She was trained at Ironheart High Performance Working Dogs, LLC in Shawnee Kansas. Ironheart is one of only two K-9 detector training centers in the United States, nationally accredited by The National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association (NESDCA).
According to Matt Skogen, the owner and director of training for Ironheart, training such dogs is one of the most difficult detector dogs to train. It requires a long period of daily training, but Ironheart’s positive training methods, coupled with many years of experience, have produced excellent results for K-9s placed across the nation and also internationally.
Meet Joyce, Becca’s Chauffer!
Joyce has 20+ years of experience in pest control inspection. She and Becca make a dynamic and top rated team for your K9 Scent Detecting Bed Bug Inspection. With Joyce’s knowledge, she can guide her clients every step of the way.
Becca lives with Joyce, her handler, where they take time out from their work day to relax, train, and hike the streets of San Mateo/Burlingame.”
Meet the Rest of the Team!
Jake ~ Megan ~ Lucah
Jake, a Jack Russell Terrier mix, is a bit of a rogue but ever so loveable. He weighs 16 lbs., almost 6 years old, and loves his work hunting for bed bugs. When he’s not working, he really likes to sit on people’s laps or cuddle. He gets a little special time like that every day, with plenty of exercise to stay fit and ready for service.
Megan is a Tri-Colored Beagle, weighing in at 18 lbs. Megan is the oldest of the crew, having started her career in 2014 at the age of 2 ½ years. We call her the “Grand Lady.” At 10 1/2 she is semi-retired and is pulled in to work only on the larger and more complicated jobs where we double team for assurance. Bed Bug K-9s are not 100% accurate but when you have two K-9s alerting at different times on the exact same location, you can be very confident that bed bugs are present. With 8 full years in the field, she is a special asset to the team.
Megan is still very playful and loves to razz and chase Jake and Lucah into great games of who is fastest and who can turn corners on a dime. Megan of course!
Then there is Lucah. The best and most challenging is saved for the last! He, too, is a Tri/Colored Beagle, weighing 25 lbs. and is 5 ½ years old. You will not find a more inquisitive pup; this is a tremendous advantage in his work as a scent detecting K-9. Lucah loves any kind of bone and he loves to jump; “he’s asked to participate in agility training.” We are trying to work that out for him in his off time.
All the dogs are kept sharp with scent training at least four times a week Bed Bugs all Gone keeps a thriving “bed bug farm.” Which provides all the live bed bugs needed for such training. We not only use relatively large packets of bed bugs, but we also place bed bugs in tiny glass vials (2 – 6 bed bugs in each) that are covered with mesh so the bugs can’t escape.
These vials are carefully hidden throughout the home and other areas … beds, couches, chairs, boxes, luggage, desks, and in special “hide devices.” The K-9s have to accurately find and alert to get their food. Don’t worry – these dogs are so good; they never miss a meal.
Elite Canines
Very few dogs make the cut to be trained as K-9 bed bug detection dogs. At Ironheart the canine must have an extremely high food drive, much more so than the average dog. The dog must also show a strong work ethic and the ability to focus, along with a certain kind of courage and inquisitiveness to constantly be in a new situation working. These K-9s are generally trained for just one thing (scent); They seek out only live, viable bed bugs and their eggs.
Did you know that the average dog has 220 million scent receptor sites in his/her nose as opposed to a human’s five million? These receptors are so sensitive that even some of the most accurate scientific scent measuring technologies are unable to compete. Scent is undoubtedly the strongest of the dog’s practical senses, but also the most difficult for us as humans to comprehend.
According to Ironheart, bed bug dogs sniff an average of 118 times per minute; there is a regular marathon going on as they search out bed bugs. They are, in fact, elite athletes in their own way. Our K-9s work for 20 to 30 minutes then take a 20 to 30- minute break so they are always on top of their game.
Hardworking and Effective
It is not uncommon for organizations to have a K-9 bed bug sweep of their premises on a regular basis just to be assured there are no bed bugs. This is a proactive approach to what has become a major pest problem in the United States.
All our K-9s are professional working dogs. They participate in rigorous weekly training to stay honed for their missions. These canines love their work; it is the very best of sport to them. They work hard, train hard and play hard! Their meals are earned on the job!