Canine Bedbug Finder Blog

2011 North American Bed Bug Summit - Chicago, Il

John Montgomery — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:49:10 EST

Hi guys:

In late September, LeAnne and I attended the North America Bed Bug Summit in Chicago. This is the second year for this event and it has grown tremendously. The purpose of the summit is to bring together people and companies that are involved in the bed bug industry. Can you imagine a three day event where the main topic of discussion was bed bugs? Creepy.

The interesting thing about this summit is that the only thing that was agreed upon was that the bed bug problem in America (and the world, for that matter) is not going away - and will probably get worse before it gets better. Moreover, whenever you put the academic community together with the people who are on the front line, there is not much common agreement.

The Pest Control Operators in attendance were hoping for a new "silver bullet" so they could rid the world of bed bugs. Alas, no new silver bullet, not even a copper one. Laboratory work continues to go on to find new pesticides that will kill bb's or at least prevent them from laying viable eggs. The hope for the lifting of the ban on Propoxur is still up in the air. Most feel the Dept. of Health will not allow it to happen because of it's toxicity issue for children.

The manufacturers of environmentally friendly products (enzymes) have really stepped up their game. Several new products have come out in the last year. All claim to be government certified and laboratory tested. Few had, however, ringing endorsements from the people doing the laboratory work.

Heat treatment continues to be the front runner in bed bug eradication. There were several new pieces of equipment shown that use heat that were either propane or electric driven. The good news is that competition is driving down prices making it possible for more people to consider heat treatments for bb eradication.

Canine scent detection work continues to have it's own element of controvercy. Most agree that canines are still the best way to locate bbs in low level infestations. Most also agree that we handlers must continue to properly train our canines and have them re-certified annually by third-party organizations.

All in all, it was a good summit. Hats off to the folks at Bed Bug Central for putting on a class event. I, for one, am looking forward to next year's summit.

tags: North America Bed Bug Summit

Call Us If You Need Help With Bed Bugs - But Don't Call Us A Scam!

John Montgomery — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:37:19 EST

Hi guys:

Let me share something with you that happened recently.

Hershey and I were hired by a woman to inspect a home recently. The day before we were scheduled to do the inspection, the woman called and cancelled the inspection. "But I want to tell you why", she said. "I went to my Vet this morning, and I was told that these bed bug sniffing dogs are just a scam!"

I usually don't lose my cool in situations like this - but I came close. Telling her my length of time in business, my BBB rating, the 1300 inspections we've done, Hershey's certifications, all were to no avail. She was convinced we weren't on the up-and-up. She was sure her Vet knew best. Unfortunately for her, she was wrong.

So. For any of you reading this blog that may have similar concerns. Let me set the record straight.

Canines have been taught for decades to use their keen sense of smell to detect and find things - or creatures that have a distinctive scent. We know that there are bomb dogs, arson dogs, drug dogs, cadaver dogs, termite dogs, etc. (and none of these are a scam). These canines have been taught basically the same way. Stimulus/ response training. The stimulus is introduced - in our case, the distinctive protein scent of bed bugs. When the canine recognizes the scent and responds in a prescribed way - they are rewarded with a treat. This is usually food, praise, or a favorate toy. Then after repeating this over and over, the canine learns that when it finds this particular scent - and responds in the learned manner - they are rewarded. Not rocket science, but it's been working for years.

Now. Will a canine ever give a false positive alert? Yes, that can happpen. Scent detection dogs can make mistakes same as us humans, but it's usually for a different reason. If a canine is too hungry, they may alert to try and get a free kibble. If the canine is not able to get a "clear reading" on the scent, they may alert because of confusion. The answer to these situations is proper, daily training. In Hershey's case, he is trained to find the scent of live bed bugs twice a day - 7 days a week. Repetition, plus continued exposure to the bed bug scent, plus consistant handler guidance all go together to make up Hershey's accuracy level.

If this still sounds like a scam to you, feel free to call me personally and I'll be happy to talk with you privately. You can also go on line to numerous bed bug detection web sites or pick up a copy of The Bed Bug Handbook - The Complete Guide to Bed Bugs and Their Control by Pinto, Cooper, and Kraft.

You're welcome to call us anytime if you need our help - but, please don't call us a scam.

tags: Are Bed Bug Dogs a scam?

Do Bed Bugs Carry Germs?

John Montgomery — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:03:24 EST

Hi guys:

There was an interesting (and troubling) article that recently was published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It contridicted a long standing belief that bed bugs don't carry germs.

Canadian scientists detected drug-resistant MRSA bacteria in bedbugs from three hospital patients from a downtrodden Vancouver neighborhood.

Bed bugs have not been known to spread disease, and there's no clear evidence that the five bed bugs found on the patients or their belongings had spread MRSA or a second less dangerous drug-resistant germ.

However, bed bugs can cause itching that can lead to excessive scratching. That can cause breaks in the skin that make people more susceptible to these bacteria, according to Dr. Marc Romney, one of the authors of this study.

The study is small and very preliminary, "But it's an intriguing finding" that needs to be further researched, said Dr. Romney, medical microbiologist at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver.

The hospital is the closest one to the poor Downtown Eastside neighborhood near the city's waterfront. Romney said he and his colleagues did the reasearch after seeing a simultaneous boom in bedbugs and MRSA cases from the neighborhood.

Five bed bugs were crushed and analyzed. MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, was found on three bugs. MRSA is resistant to several types of common antibiotics and can become deadly if it gets through the skin and into the bloodstream.

Two bugs had VRE, or vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus Faecium, a less dangerous form of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Both germs are often seen in hospitals, and experts have been more worried about nurses and other health-care workers spreading the bacteria than insects.

It's not clear if the bacteria originated with the bed bugs or if the bugs picked it up from already infected people, Romney added.

Editor's note: Check this blog for any updates on this issue when they become available.

tags: Bed Bugs and Germs

To Treat, or Not to Treat. How is the Question.

John Montgomery — Thu, 19 May 2011 09:25:17 EST

Hi guys:

Last week there was an unfortunate incident here in Cincinnati involving the use of thermal remediation to rid a home of bed bugs. A fire resulted from a malfunction in the equipment and destroyed the home being treated.

First a word of explanation on thermal remediation as a treatment for bed bugs. It has been long known that bed bugs cannot survive extreme temperatures. Several years ago, companies using large propane blowers began heating up apartments and homes infested with bed bugs to temperatures around 130 degrees. Fans then circulated the hot air and temperature monitors measured the temps until the overall level reached the desired temperature. Then the heat was sustained for several hours. The up-side was that there was a high level of success and there only needed to be one treatment. The down-side was the initial cost and the possibility of damage to personal contents of the home. Today many pest control companies have jumped on the thermal remediation bandwagon. Electric heaters are now also being used and are able to reach the same level of heat as the propane burners and with the same level of effeciency.

Now, jump to the present. After this unfortunate incident, there has been a renewed call by lawmakers to have the EPA reverse it's decision to ban the pesticide Propoxur. This pesticide was banned a few years ago because of the potential risk to children and because of the fear that it might not be properly dispensed.

So now you have the question...which is better - heat or chemical?

The answer is the same as it has always been. The effectiveness of any treatment lies with the knowledge and skill of the treatment company. The obligation of the treatment companies is to be accurate in their approach to remediation. They must be thoroughly trained and certified or licensed to dispense whichever method they represent. They must have the well being and safety of their clients uppermost at all times. We, the public, put our trust (and money) into these trained professionals and we expect professional results.

And we also have an obligation. We need to be as educated on bed bugs and the different kinds of remediation as we can. We need to decide for ourselves what works best for us - and then move forward.

tags: Thermal Remediation

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 13:52:36 EST