I was conducting a K-9 bed bug scan at this woman's house in Franklin yesterday and we talked about bugs sucking your blood.
Some people are neurotic about the thought of bed bugs sucking their blood and yet don't think twice about mosquitos or ticks doing so.
I wonder why? Is it that they hide in your bed and come out at night when you are asleep. Mosquitoes behave the same way. Have you ever turned the light on, right after you hear that annoying buzz and not be able to find that mosquito. It turns out they hide too, behind the furniture or the headboard for instance, away from the light adn away from your sight.
And if you have a tick on you, it will hide in areas of your body where it is difficult to see them, such as your back or the joint behind your knee and suck on you for a while before you feel them.
But the difference between these blood sucking critters and bed bugs is that bed bugs do not carry diseases whereas the others do.
Yet, there is something about bed bugs that leads us to behave almost psychotic at the idea of having them.
Go figure!
How can you expect anyone to conduct a thorough and successful bed bug inspection, whether a human visual or a K-9 sniffing, in a room full of clutter.
I have come across many such environments in the past year and had to even refuse to perform an inspection on a few occasions.
Reasons are primarily because we can't get to all the items that need to be inspected. And even if I decide to perform a K-9 inspection off-leash, there is no guarantee that I, as a handler, would be able to "see" my dog's alerts when clutter obstructs my view.
Finally, Pest Control Companies will also refuse to treat cluttered environments.
First time sniffing out for bed bugs in Leicester. 7 units on the 3rd floor. This was a post-treatment K-9 inspection, meaning we come in 30 days after the last pest control treatment has been applied to confirm that the treatment was successful.
My handler took me first to sniff out 3 bed rooms. All 3 were clear. However, she took me back to the first room. It confused me because I had already cleared it. But no, she insisted that I sniff out the bed all over, so I did it to woof her ("please her" in human's words). Although, it really wasn't necessary. Then suddenly, at the foot of the bed , I smelled those little buggers, so I alerted. So why didn't I smell them before?
My handler tricked me and had hidden a vile of bed bugs there after I had cleared the room. Come to find out, she mentioned to the Pest Control Operator that was present, that she would do this to make sure that I am still in "working" mode and all "gung ho" about my sniffing
I wish she had more faith in me...
It seems that the bed bugs are busy in RI, near Providence. At one residence, the mother was getting bitten in the bedroom. The father stayed in the office - he worked late and thus decided to sleep there too since his wife thought she might be bitten by bed bugs. This had started to happen since they had returned from a trip in Vermont a couple of weeks ago.
The children were not affected either. Nice little cape in a great neighborhood of Providence. We went in and off to work with the dogs. Sniff, sniff, sniff. All 3 floors, including the basement where the washmachine and dryer are.
Again, no alerts. Nice clean house.
Great day for Nicki, Malamar and her handlers, Andy and Dominique. Just came back from an intensive re-certification program in Provincetown, MA and we are proud to announce that we were successful and are all IBBMA-certified
(Integrated Bed Bug Management Association). Great job, Nicky and Malamar and her handlers.
If you suspect bed bug bites, then using a bed bug dog for an inspection is as green as spring: our bed bug beagles can zip through a room, localizing the scent of a single bed bug in places like cracks, crevices, outlets and baseboards where it is hard for a human visual to detect. If the dogs are brought in early, they can detect an early infestation before it has a chance to spread into other areas of your home.
Our beagles’ keen sense of smell to pinpoint locations in early infestations not only saves you a lot of treatment monies but also protects you from a blanket of harsh chemicals being applied throughout your house. It doesn't come any greener than that.
Nicki
Nicki, doing due diligence during her bed bug inspection. She really inspected every aspect of that dresser.
Good job Nicky!
This poor old lady called my handler and asked her that we sniff out her house. She did not have any bites, not yet she said, but felt she would get them soon.
You see, her family from New Jersey came up to visit her and they had had a bout with bed bugs in their apartment.
Although they had taken care of the problem a while ago, she just did not trust them to bring them to her house and infest it.
So, I - Nicky, the bed bug dog buster that I am 9and I'm the best!) - sniffed her whole house, but unfortunately could just not detect any.
To my surprise, she was soooo happy and called me her hero.
She picked me up and kissed me all
Another bed bug sniffing job for Malamar in Providence, RI. One unit of a multi-unit apartment complex on Federal Hill.
The young lady is an artist and had concerns that she might get bitten by bed bugs.
She had bought clothes recently at the local Salvation Army and though she packed everything tightly in a plastic bag and dropped it on the floor, she was worried.
Malamar did not find anything and the lady breathed a sign of relief. I told her to to unpack the plastic bag in the dryer for at least 30 minutes at high temperature. And to discard the bag immediately.
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