Pest Control is Going to the Dogs!

I never would have guessed this one! The latest and greatest pest control tool (if you're in Tom's River, New Jersey) is a Labrador!

That's right. An innovative pest control company in New Jersey is successfully using dogs to detect beg bugs in customers' homes. According to a recent news article these dogs are 3 times more accurate that conventional detection methods! The pest company currently has 3 dogs on their team, each with 800 hours of training. In addition to being very accurate, bed bug detection using dogs is time efficient as well. While a conventional bed bug inspection can take hours, it only takes a dog a couple of minutes to search a room for this elusive pest.

Beg bugs are a surprisingly common and pesky pest. Contrary to popular belief, the presence of beg bugs has nothing to do with the cleanliness of a residence. They feed on humans, so they go where humans are. You are just as likely to find bed bugs in a Lake Oswego home as you are to find them on a homeless person in downtown PDX. If you think you may have bed bugs, don't hesitate to talk to your local pest control experts / exterminators about it. They may not have dogs on staff, but they will be able to help!

Beg Bugs Threaten Portland Homeowners

Bed bugs are small, persistent pests but many people cannot identify them at first glance. Even people who have bed bugs identified often exclaim "I didn't even know they existed!". Well now you know! This year, reports of this not-so-uncommon pest are up 50%!

While there are many factors that cause increases in pest populations, pest control experts cite international travel as a big one for the current infestation. People traveling abroad can stay in a hotel overseas and bring them back in a suitcase!

The scary thing about a bed bug infestation is that once in they are in your home, it can be up to 3 months before you even realize you're infested. This is because they are adept at hiding in hard to see spaces, are only active between 1am - 5am, and release an anesthetic when they bite. You literally won't even know they're feeding on you!

What can you do?
While bed bugs don't need clutter and mess to thrive, keeping your home clean will certainly make it easier to get rid of them! To prevent getting them in the first place while traveling, try placing your suit case in the bath tub since they bugs cannot crawl over slick surfaces. If you already have bed bugs, it's a bit more complicated. Summit Pest Management can help you buy heat treating your home (bed bugs die if exposed to 140 degree temperatures for a couple minutes). We can then use insecticide to get rid of the eggs. If you have bed bugs or know someone who does, contact Summit for a free quote.