Team of sniffer dogs drafted in over UK 'bed bug' concerns
Bed bugs are tiny insects which infest mattresses, emerging at night to gorge themselves on human blood.
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With concern mounting about the possibility of bed bugs currently infesting cities in France migrating to the UK, pest contollers Rentokil has drafted in a team of sniffer dogs to track down the bloodsucking critters.
Paris has been particularly badly hit, with the insects spotted in homes, cinemas, hospitals and trains - and Eurostar has vowed to take preventative measures to prevent them travelling to the UK via the Channel Tunnel.
Rentokil has launched its Bed Bug Dog Detect service in response to a 65 percent increase in enquiries about the problem compared with this time last year.
The Bed Bug Dog Detect service utilises the keen senses of what the comany calls its “highly trained canine partners” to provide effective monitoring to businesses with potential bed bug infestations.
Making use of backpacks vacuum, trained technicians collect air sample from rooms which customers fear may be infested.
READ MORE: Fears bedbugs could arrive in UK after Paris suffers major infestation [ANALYSIS]
The air samples are then provided for the dogs, who are then able to detect any bed bug activity in the room from the scent of the live bed bugs.
Their uncanny ability to detect early bed bug activity ensures that a bed bug infestation can be tackled before it escalates.
Additionally, there is minimal disruption to the businesses being tested, beacuse technicians are not required to enter a room fully in order to collect a sample, and can do this from the door alone.
Just as with the dogs used by airport security, the police and army to sniff out drugs, money and explosives, bed bug detection dogs are put through a rigorous training programme, involving being exposed to the scent of live bed bugs, which emit unique pheromones.
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Labradors, German shepherds, beagles and Belgian shepherds are the breeds often used as sniffer dogs.
Their noses use approximately 200 million scent receptors to differentiate smells.
Paul Blackhurst, Head of Technical Academy at Rentokil Pest Control, comments: “These canine detectives are highly accurate at detecting bed bugs, and can do so in areas that might be challenging for humans to access or inspect thoroughly.
“They are particularly useful in large buildings and hotels where bed bug infestations can quickly spread if not detected early.”
A lack of awareness about the signs of bed bugs can lead to them spreading rapidly.
Therefore, early detection and immediate, efficient intervention is crucial in managing an infestation.
Speaking earlier this week, a Eurostar spokesman said: “The safety and wellbeing of our customers is always our number one priority and the presence of insects such as bed bugs on our trains, is extremely rare.
“The textile surfaces on all of our trains are cleaned thoroughly on a regular basis and this involves hot-water injection and extraction cleaning, which has proven highly effective in eliminating bugs.
“Any reports on hygiene matters are taken very seriously and our cleaning teams, in addition to the usual cleaning, will also disinfect a train on request or as soon as there is the slightest doubt.”
France is keen to eradicate any outbreaks prior to next year’s Olympic Games in Paris.