Dog Sniffs Out Bed Bugs in Hotel

K-9 Sweeps was asked to bring in Sara, the only known dog in Las Vegas to sniff out bed bugs, to help with an on-going bed bug problem at a hotel.  The pest control company who has the contract for the hotel was having a problem locating the source of the infestation.  Bed bugs are very difficult not only to find but to control and often PMP’s need specialized equipment.

After initial consultation we found that the treatment being performed by the pest control company was thorough. Dusting behind wall plates, wall voids, treating behind baseboards, pictures, crack & crevice spraying with a residual insecticide.  Several rooms were stripped down to empty furniture and bed frames but the problem persisted. The owner of the pest control company convinced the hotel management to bring in K-9 Sweeps for a consultation.  A progressive and proactive move on the parts of both the pest control company and the hotel management. 

Along with her handler, Sara swept through a little under 100 rooms and alerted to bed bug activity in 16 of them. Most were in the same section of reported problem rooms but she also alerted to a few rooms unknown to management at that time. Visual inspection of bed bugs was done by both K-9 Sweeps and the contracted PCO and were all confirmed.  By identifying the rooms with bed bug activity, the hotel averted unhappy guests, negative publicity and potential legal action.  The hotel is also in the process of encasing all of it's mattresses and box springs at the recommendation of K-9 Sweeps.

In a number of rooms that Sara alerted to, her alerts were in the bathroom and along the adjoining wall between the bathroom and the bedroom. Because of a dog’s incredible sense of smell, the handler was able to determine by visual inspection that bed bugs were using the pipe and plumbing conduits to move from room to room. Once this piece of the puzzle was determined, treatment in the bathroom wall voids was carried out and the problem is currently being tackled from a new angle.

Canine inspection services are not for every situation. Sometime bed bugs are easily seen with the naked eye.  But when harborage locations cannot be found, or if after treatments bed bugs still persist, using a bed bug detection dog is a great tool.  Pest management professionals can control many bed bug situations if they have the training, knowledge and skill, but for those cases where the PMP can’t solve the problem and the client is ready to hire another company, a company that specializes in bed bugs and has the correct tools in place can certainly be beneficial.

K-9 Sweeps adheres to strict policies in keeping all of its' clients information confidential and therefore will not reveal any properties.  In the future it is our hope that the hospitality industry will become more proactive by notifying its' guests that they perform  proactive bed bug inspections.  But as for now, we pledge to be as equally discreet as our customer's are.