According to a press release, some dogs in New Jersey are employees in a unique line of work.

Bed Bug Sniffers, a bed bug inspection service based out of Burlington, New Jersey, recently announced the launch of its new operation.

It will serve residents and business owners in Burlington County and Camden County by assisting them in identifying bed bug infestations.
But, unlike other bed bug inspectors that rely on human-based detection methods, Bed Bug Sniffers utilizes the acute sense of smell possessed by canines.

“Our bed bug dogs are unreal in terms of how accurate and fast they can be,” said Bed Bug Sniffers Owner Ryan Lees, who decided to open a canine bed bug inspection company in Burlington because he saw a need for more reliable bed bug detection services in his local community. “They’ve gone through certified training to be able to sniff around a room, immediately pick up the scent of bed bugs, and tell us where they’re located. The whole process only takes a couple of minutes per room.”

Lees added in the press release that the process is amazing to watch (and, we would have to say, likely the cutest way to get the bad news if you have bed bugs).

According to the American Kennel Club, dogs have around 225 million scent receptors in their noses while humans have only 5 million. By the way, for a somewhat related, fun quiz, check out the AKC’s “Sniffing Out the Sniffer” quiz at the following link, which lets people try out their hand at identifying dog breeds based on pictures of their noses: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/dog-nose-quiz/

Research conducted at the University of Florida shows that canines are able to identify the presence of bed bugs versus other insects with a positive accuracy rate of 97.5% and that they can also differentiate live bed bugs and viable eggs from dead ones with an accuracy rate of 95%.

Bed Bug Sniffers officially opened for business in January 2021. It provides bed bug inspection services to residential and commercial customers in Burlington, Cherry Hill, Mount Holly, and surrounding communities. For more information, visit: https://www.bed-bug-sniffers.com/

Sources:

•https://www.pr.com/press-release/830972
•Pfiester, Margie et al. “Ability of bed bug-detecting canines to locate live bed bugs and viable bed bug eggs.” Journal of economic entomology vol. 101,4 (2008): 1389-96. doi:10.1603/0022-0493(2008)101[1389:aobbct]2.0.co;2

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