Dogs Leading the Charge in New York’s War on Bed Bugs

Two Beagles, Phoenix © freeparking

The noses used to sniff out anything from cocaine to bombs are now being used to sniff out another menace – bed bugs. A New York company is offering the services of a pack of six dogs who can sniff out bed bugs from apartments, hotels and hospitals in New York City. The dogs are used to sniff the blood sucking bugs out of mattresses, carpets and upholstery – their usual hiding places.

Bed bugs, contrary to what you may think, aren’t fond of dirty surroundings. They actually thrive in clean environments which is why you’ll often find them in hotels and hospitals. Now, apartment complexes and hotels in the city are facing crisis level bed bug infestations, which can be traced to increasing visitors from Asia and Europe, as well as the ban on DDT, which was earlier used to eliminate the pesky problem.

The techniques used to train the dogs are the same used on bomb and drug sniffing canines. Smaller dogs are preferred, because they can sneak into enclosed spaces to sniff for the darn things.

Demand has been huge – the manager of Advanced K9 Detectives says his dogs can barely cope with the need for their services.