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Comments (12)
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Save/ShareThe six-legged insects that slurp your blood at night were the focus of a just-published study in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Infestations are rapidly increasing worldwide," say researchers. Increased travel, insecticide resistance, and changes in pest control practices are contributing to the spread of bed bugs. In New York City alone, bed bug infestations jumped by more than 30 percent last year, says Newsday. Since July, there have been 449 violations of anti-bed-bug health codes in the city, says the New York Times.
First, the good news: "There is little evidence that they are vectors of communicable disease." In other words, bed bugs aren't spreading illnesses. They just cause allergic reactions: namely, itchy, red, raised bumps on the surface of your skin. Other reactions include hives, whelps or wheals on the skin, small swollen areas that contain pus, and blistering.
[+] Enlarge photo
Says the Mayo Clinic,
"Bedbugs inject an anticoagulant to keep your blood flowing as they suck, along with a numbing agent to keep you from feeling them when they're at work."
Luckily, adorable beagles may help combat the bed bug menace. The National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association (NESDCA) is increasing its efforts to certify beagles as legitimate help to sniffing out bed bugs. For example, Isotech, a pest control company in Covina, Calif., has 3 dogs certified by NESDCA to hunt down bed bugs and their eggs at hotels and other locations. Beagles Bailey, age 7, and Maddie, age 3, and beagle mix Zip, age 2 were part of a pest control team that did 18,000 inspections last year, reports People Pets. The dogs begin training from age one. Says their owner, “They can identify a very small amount of bed bugs down to just one egg."
Wow!
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The NESDCA is a organization that was started and is used by a company that trains and sells alleged bed bug detection dogs. The alleged certification process is not done by a independent third party. Beagles were used back in the 90's for termite detection, with abysmal results. If you go to http://www.bedbuger.com you will see numerous posts of dissatisfied customers that have used members of this organization and its dogs. The inspection process is not a transparent process. Dogs are led around on leash by the handler which allows for handler manipulation.
G Broberg
Posted By G Broberg on April 8, 2009, 9:17 AM
Hi there,
Thanks for asking important questions about the certification process.
If any other readers have any other info -- pro or con -- please share it!
--Sean
Posted By Blog editor on April 8, 2009, 9:27 AM
Well...I had a beagle as a pet for many years...and she had a "nose" and "smell" like you would not believe...I think that is why you see them in airports all over the US...so..based on my experience...if she/he wants it she/he will find it!!!
Posted By LuAnn Porter on April 9, 2009, 5:45 PM
G. Broberg,
NESDCA is an independent organization that uses training techniques that are mirrored from law enforcement. All NESDCA evaluators are Law enforcment or former law enforcment. As for The results of these dogs (which are not all beagles) a simple way of stopping this debate is to look at the scientific research done by the University of Florida Entomologists.
Brian Taggart
Posted By Brian Taggart on April 16, 2009, 4:43 PM
Do you know of any bed bug beagles in the Oakland Calfornia Area
Posted By Stephanie McClay on July 1, 2010, 2:10 PM
i think i can train my beagle to do this, where do you get the sense of the bed bug?
Posted By daniel pettit on August 26, 2010, 6:54 PM
Daniel ... I don't think bed bugs have any sense??? hahaha
Posted By She Ra on September 10, 2010, 2:26 AM
I was wondering the same thing that Daniel Pettit was. How do you train your beagle to find these bed bugs because I too have a beagle.
Posted By Kristy on September 10, 2010, 8:58 PM
Ich lese Blogs. Es ist sogar besser als Lesen von Zeitschriften oder Bücher.
Posted By odszkodowanie on March 5, 2012, 7:08 PM
Es ist fantastisch! Ich frage mich, ob ich ein paar Dinge schreiben wollte, würde ich, wie man weiß.
Posted By kancelaria prawnicza on March 6, 2012, 6:57 PM
Ich hätte nie gedacht, dass ich lesen Blogs genießen, aber dieser Artikel ermutigten mich. Thx
Posted By uleglem wypadkowi on March 7, 2012, 8:48 PM
Do all Beagle's dectect bed bugs or do I have to have a dog that is specialy trained for that?
Posted By Hope on May 11, 2012, 2:47 PM