DAYTON — Pest control companies are getting creative to combat bed bugs by using canines to sniff out potential infestations.
The bed bug, a parasitic insect that feeds on human blood, communicates through distinct smelling chemicals called pheromones, a scent that a dog’s nose can pick up, according to Robert McGee, CEO of Dayton’s A-1 Able Pest Doctors.
For two years, the company’s three-year-old beagle Sadie has been “a very important part of our total package,” McGee said.
“They don’t work on every case,” he said. “Dogs don’t exactly perform well with 10 foot ceilings when the bed bugs are in the curtain rod.”
McGee said they are a useful in large office complexes where they drastically cut down inspection time.
Sadie goes in with most inspection units, sniffing the area and pawing anything she finds that might be linked to an infestation. A facility in Chicago trained Sadie to do this before McGee’s company purchased her for $15,000.
A-1 Able Pest Doctors has investigated between 800 and 1,000 cases of bed bugs in Dayton in the past year, according to McGee.
“It’s gotten to the point where it’s more than a problem, it’s almost an epidemic,” he said.
The health department has been focusing on educating people about the pests and how to eliminate them, according to Bill Wharton, spokesman for Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County.
Bed bugs aren’t known to transmit any type of disease to humans. “They are more of a nuisance,” Wharton said.
“It’s not as much of a problem with sanitation as it is with clutter,” Wharton said.
The pests are hitchhikers catching a ride via clothing and luggage to and from places like hotels, hostels, dormitories, apartment complexes and movie theaters.
Signs of bed bug bites include small, hard, swollen white welts and severe itching that lasts for several days.
If you think you have bed bugs in your home contact an exterminator immediately. Most companies will provide an inspection at no charge, McGee said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2202 or ksteele@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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