Bed Bug Dogs False Positives – bed bugs are back, and as a business owner this can be quite unsettling. You’ve seen the commercials, news articles, and social media all talking about bed bugs. In fact, a few years ago this was rarely talked about; now it seems that everyone is concerned about them. Maybe you’ve even had an exterminator put down large amounts of chemicals in your home with no results and thus an increased frustration level. Or worse yet, maybe someone has told or suggested you call in a “specialist” to inspect your home for bedbugs. That person may very well be from a pest elimination business who may in fact be more interested in selling you services than finding real evidence of bedbugs in your home. To make matters worse, it would not be surprising if that “specialist” told you all the signs and symptoms he found, but then goes on to say that your place needs treatment for bed bugs at considerable costs (sometimes thousands of dollars).

Bed Bug Dogs False Positives

What is a False Positive?

A false positive occurs when the dog indicates there are bed bugs even though there are none. It’s like a thermometer that says you have a fever when you don’t. The dog will give his or her handler cues, for example, scratching and whining, which indicate there might be some insects present in the area being sniffed.

The handler must then determine what those cues mean and whether they warrant further investigation by an exterminator. In other words, if your dog is giving you these signals but no insects are found on inspection of your home or hotel room, then it can be said that your pet gave you a false positive alert.

Is There an Answer?

As you can see, the dogs can be prone to errors. You need to take their results with a grain of salt. If you see a positive result, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there actually is a bed bug infestation in your home or business.

It’s important not to jump the gun and announce that your home has an infestation just because one of these dogs indicated otherwise. Instead, get another opinion from an exterminator who specializes in treating for bed bugs as well as other pests like fleas and ticks—and also make sure that any environmental conditions (like humidity levels) aren’t contributing factors before deciding what steps need to be taken next

Are these dogs useful in finding bugs?

Bed bugs are not easy to find, especially if you don’t know what you’re looking for. A trained bed bug detection dog can be a valuable tool for locating bed bugs in your home or business. Bed bug dogs have been used successfully since the 1990s, but it’s important that you understand the limitations of these dogs as well as their capabilities.

• The dogs are trained to detect live bedbugs by their scent (pheromones). They can also alert handlers to infestations by scratching or biting while on patrol with their handlers.*
• Dogs cannot tell the difference between live and dead bedbugs; they just smell pheromones.*
• Bed bugs aren’t always easy to spot—even in large numbers—and many people underestimate how difficult it can be to see them without knowing what you are looking for.*

The most effective way to use these canine teams is in conjunction with other scientific methods such as visual inspection, heat treatment/fumigation and vacuuming equipment.

Don’t use a bed bug dog for inspections to find bugs.

• Dogs are not accurate enough to be used for inspections.
• Dogs are not trained in a manner that can be verified.
• Dogs are not regulated by any organization.
• The only time dogs can provide evidence of bed bugs is if they have already been found by other means, and then the dog will find them again due to their scent.