Bed bug scent detection has become a popular means of detecting these critters. Bed bugs are notorious for being undetectable to the eye. That’s because they’re essentially nocturnal and hide in small cracks and crevices during the day. If you know where to look, there are signs of bed bugs. However, sometimes spotting them can be a little tricky. With that in mind, scent detection can really come in handy!  There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of bed bug scent detection. I hadn’t until I wrote this blog post and began to research it. It’s a pretty simple concept, but it can be an effective tool when used properly. But how do you know you’ve been bitten by a bed bug? Bedbug scent detection can be used as an alternative method to bed bug heat detection. For this reason, some companies have recently been creating products that claim to be able to aid in the detection of bed bugs with the help of smell…

Bed Bug Scent Detection

Introduction

Bed bug infestations are becoming more common in the United States and can be difficult to detect. Traditional inspection methods are time-consuming, expensive, and require removal of drawer contents. Human detection relies on visual inspection, which can be inaccurate due to insect crypticity. Currently available canine scent detection services rely on proprietary mixtures of bed bug volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are not publicly available. We evaluated a commercially available VOC kit for use in canine scent detection evaluations and compared its performance with a proprietary blend used by a professional scent detection company using an age-stratified laboratory colony at two life stages (immature and adult). Canine detection success was evaluated over a series of trials using varying amounts of target insects mixed with empty containers or non-target insects (i.e., carpet beetle [Anthrenus verbasci] or German cockroach [Blattella germanica]) as distractions. The commercial mix was attractive to dogs when presented alone but was not effective when volatiles from live or dead conspecific insects were present in the same container; whereas, the proprietary blend functioned well regardless of the presence or absence of live or dead conspecific insects. Detection rates ranged from 80% to 100% for both blends when distractor insects were not present; however, the sensitivity decreased considerably when distractor insects were introduced into the assay system. Results indicate that bed bug VOCs acquired from commercial sources may be more useful in identifying harborage areas than for indicating where live insects are located within apartment complexes or homes

Dog teams are the most effective.

It’s a fact that dogs are the best at detecting bed bugs. Dogs have a much better sense of smell than humans and can detect the scent of a single bed bug in a room. Bed bugs release an odor when they feed on human blood, and this odor is what the dog smells when they are looking for signs of bed bugs in your home. The reason why dogs are so effective at finding these pests is because they can detect scents in a much wider range of frequencies than humans can. A person’s nose has about 10 million scent receptors whereas a dog has over 100 million scent receptors! This means that dogs can pick up on scents that people wouldn’t even notice, such as those coming from tiny bugs like fleas or ticks.

What do dogs find?

• Bed bugs
• Bed bug droppings, eggs and shells
• Bed bug carcasses, nests and infestations.

Evidence of bed bugs?

Bed bugs are hard to detect. They are small and often hide in places that are difficult for you to see, such as your mattress, box spring, and other furniture. Bed bug infestations can be very hard to spot because bed bugs tend to bite at night when you’re asleep. This means that you may not notice them until the morning after they’ve been feeding on you all night long!

Bed bug bites don’t always look like typical insect bites; sometimes they appear as raised red welts on your skin (similar to mosquito or flea bites). If there’s a rash or hives developing where the bite is it’s probably best not to rule out bed bugs right away – even though these symptoms could also be caused by many other conditions as well!

Here are some signs that indicate an infestation:

• You wake up with unexplained rashes or hives on your body – especially after staying in hotels abroad where other people had just checked in before you did; this could mean that they brought their own luggage containing the tiny parasites with them into their room which then bit into yours while lying dormant between feedings…

Live bed bugs?

Your dog can also find live bed bugs. Live bed bugs have a unique scent, which is why you’ll feel more alert in the morning if you have them than if you don’t. The scent of a live bed bug is different from other insects and people do not know it easily, so dogs become the best solution for finding them. Dogs can find live bed bugs in places where even people cannot see them. However, this scent is very small and difficult to detect by human beings because of its low concentration level and high concentration levels of other odors around us at home or work place such as perfumes/deodorants/shampoos etc., making it impossible for you to detect yourself without professional help from exterminators who use specific equipment like thermal imaging cameras (TIC)

Where can we work?

Bed bugs are found everywhere. They can be found in hotels, apartments, homes and dorm rooms. They can also be found in public places like movie theaters and buses. Bed bugs can even be found in businesses like restaurants and offices!

How many dogs should you have?

How many dogs you need to effectively detect bed bugs depends on the size of your home. Bed bugs can be found in small spaces as well as large ones, so a larger house may require more than one dog. If you have a smaller home and only one dog, you’ll still be able to use it effectively if the dog is trained properly and works diligently.

If you have a large home or apartment building, hiring multiple dogs should be considered because they can cover more ground faster than humans can (and are less likely to get tired). However, if there are only a few units in your building and each one is only 100 square feet or less, then having two or three people inspect each unit may be sufficient for detecting bed bugs—and cheaper too!

Why are dogs better than people?

Dogs are better than people at detecting smells. Their noses have around 300 million olfactory receptors, while humans have only 5 million. This means that they can detect much smaller concentrations of odors than we can, and they can do so from farther away.

In addition to this heightened ability to smell, dogs also have a better sense of smell when it comes to detecting things like bed bugs. Dogs are able to find bed bugs in tiny cracks and crevices (like under desks) that are hard for us to get our hands into, so even if you’ve treated your home with pesticides or washed everything in hot water and dried them on high heat for hours on end—your pup is still going to be able to sniff out any residual signs of those pests lurking around your property!

Can your dog find bed bugs in my home?

If you are convinced that your home is already infested with bed bugs and you want to be sure, yes, dogs can find live bed bug eggs and larvae. Dogs also have a good sense of smell and will easily find dead bed bugs or parts of dead bed bugs.

This is why it’s important to call professional exterminators if you think that your home has been infected by these pests. Bedbug detectors are not just for residential homes anymore; they can also work in hotels, apartments and offices as well!

Dogs are highly effective at finding live and dead bed bugs.

Dogs are highly effective at finding live and dead bed bugs. A scent detection dog is trained to detect the odor of a live or dead bed bug. The dog can be trained to distinguish between the odors of different life stages, such as eggs, nymphs and adults. The dogs are also trained to find bed bug feces and bed bug skins in infested areas.

A trained canine can detect a single live or dead adult female insect in less than five minutes!

Conclusion

Bedbug scent detection is an effective tool that makes the process of detecting and eliminating bedbugs easier and faster than traditional methods. It is important to understand how this method works, what it can and cannot do, and how best to incorporate it into your pest management program.