A recent extermination article in Maclean's magazine is gaining quite a lot of attention. The article details a special K-9 unit from Berry Mills, Nebraska that does a lot more than sniff the air for potential killers and drugs. While some of the dogs on the Berry force are true drug-sniffers, one dog named Ekko is an entirely different kind of sleuth. Ekko is a Parson Russell Terrier who seeks out bedbugs for a living.
How did a police dog become a bedbug detective? Well, force member Andrew Farago told Maclean's that there simply "...wasn’t a lot of demand... for drug dogs." So, rather than train a number of dogs to sniff for drugs that simply don’t exist within the Berry area, Farago decided to train Ekko to solve the town’s bedbug problem. As it turns out, citizens of Berry Mills travel extensively, and this leads to bedbug infestations.
Ekko has the ability to sniff his way through a 100-room hotel within a matter of hours, but there are some spots that even Ekko can’t reach. Since dogs have a hard time scaling walls and climbing curtains (tasks better suited for cats), bedbugs that are hiding on higher ground can’t be unearthed by Ekko’s nose.
If you don’t happen to have a canine handy to do your bedbug investigating for you, there are still some things that you can do to ensure that your home is bedbug free. Take a look at these steps, so that you can sleep safely at night.
- Remove the blankets, sheets, and pillows from your bed. Then, turn your mattress on its side, and pay attention to any small bugs that may come crawling out.
- Look for dark brown excrement spots on your sheets, blankets and in between the sides of your mattress.
- Remove any drawers from your bedside table, turn the table on its side, and take the time to inspect any cracks or crevices within the woodwork.
- Search the seams of any upholstered furniture while looking for small bugs or excrement spots.
- Use a flashlight to inspect every inch of your mattress and furniture – these bugs are often hard to see without proper light.
If you do find bedbugs, the best thing to do is to call a professional exterminator. While there are some chemicals on the market that may get rid of bedbugs, these chemicals must be handled with extreme care and caution.
